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Send-with-your-resume letters · Word & Google Docs

Email Cover Letter Templates

When you send a resume by email, the email itself is the cover letter — and the rules change: a subject line does the letterhead's job, the body shrinks to what fits on a phone screen, and the whole message exists to earn one click on the attachment. These three templates carry that shorter form — a standard application email, a referral version that leads with your contact's name, and a five-sentence express version — each with the To and Subject lines built in. Draft in Word or Google Docs, then paste into the email.

Three emails

Draft it in a doc, send it as an email.

Standard for posted jobs, Referral for warm introductions, Short for fast-moving postings. Each opens with the To and Subject fields so the whole message — subject line included — gets drafted and proofread before it touches your outbox.

Email Application — Standard

The full email cover letter: subject line, a two-highlight body, and a clear ask — everything a hiring manager needs above the attachment. Draft it here, paste it into the email.

Email with a Referral

The referral email — your contact's name in the subject line and first sentence, where it does the most work. For when someone inside said 'send me your resume.'

Short Email Application

The five-sentence version — headline result, one company-specific line, availability. For fast-moving postings and mobile-reading recruiters.
Example \u00b7 Email cover letter

An email cover letter, read in full.

Read it in full
ALEX RIVERA
[City, State] (000) 000-0000 your.email@email.com

To: [hiring.manager@company.com]

Subject: Application for [Position Title] — [Your Name]

Dear [Hiring Manager Name],

I am writing to apply for the [Position Title] role posted on [job board / your careers page]. I bring [X years] in [field] with strengths in [two skills echoed from the posting], and my resume is attached with the details.

Two highlights that match your posting: at [Current/Previous Company], I [key result with a number]. I also [second result mirroring the posting's top requirement].

What draws me to [Company Name] is [one specific, swap-per-application reason]. I would welcome a conversation about the role — I am available at [phone] or by reply, [days/times].

Thank you for your time and consideration. I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

Alex Rivera

This is the actual text inside the ALEX RIVERA template above — every [bracketed prompt] is a spot you replace with your own detail. Copy the template to keep the letterhead, or use the text as a sample for your own letter.
The inbox read

How a hiring manager reads an application email.

An emailed application is triaged, not read — usually on a phone, between other email. Every element has one job in that triage:

  • The subject line decides the open. Role + your name, nothing clever. A referral name, if you have one, goes here — it’s the single highest-open-rate word you can put in a subject line.
  • The first sentence decides the read. Name the exact role and where you saw it. Recruiters handling five postings at once need to file you in the right stack before anything else registers.
  • The body earns the attachment click. Two or three sentences of evidence — your best number, the posting’s top requirement answered. Not your story; your headline.
  • The attachment seals it. PDF, named FirstLast-Resume.pdf — not resume_final_v3.pdf. The filename is read by more people than you’d think.

Send timing matters less than send hygiene: proofread the brackets, confirm the attachment is actually attached (write the body first, attach second, address last — in that order, a premature send is impossible), and use a professional address.

Draft, paste, send

From template to outbox.

  1. Open a template in Google Docs or Word and fill the [brackets] — including the To and Subject lines.
  2. Keep it under 150 words — if it scrolls on a phone, cut the paragraph that restates your resume.
  3. Paste the body and subject into your email, attach the resume as FirstLast-Resume.pdf, and add the address last.
  4. Need the full-length attached version too? Grab a simple cover letter and keep both in the same design family.
Inbox questions

Email cover letter FAQ

What should I write in an email when sending my resume?
Treat the email body as a short cover letter — never 'Please find my resume attached' alone, and never a full formal letter pasted in. The working shape: a subject line with the role and your name, one sentence naming the job and where you saw it, two or three sentences of your best evidence, one company-specific line, and your availability. Attach the resume as a PDF named FirstLast-Resume.pdf. These templates are that email, ready to draft and paste.
What's the best subject line for a job application email?
Role, then identity, then a differentiator if you have one: 'Application for Senior Bookkeeper — Dana Reyes' or 'Dana Reyes — Bookkeeper, QuickBooks ProAdvisor.' If someone referred you, the referral IS the subject line: 'Maria Chen suggested I reach out — Bookkeeper role.' Skip 'Resume,' 'Job Application,' or anything cute — inboxes sort on scannability, and the recruiter should know exactly what this is before opening it.
Should the cover letter go in the email body or as an attachment?
Body, in almost every case — a short letter in the email gets read; an attached letter often doesn't get opened. The exception is when the posting explicitly asks for a cover letter document (some HR systems file attachments into the candidate record); then attach the formal letter AND still write a three-sentence version in the body. Never send an empty email with two attachments — that's the one wrong answer.
How long should an email cover letter be?
Shorter than a traditional letter: 60–150 words, three to five sentences, no scrolling on a phone screen. Recruiters triage email on mobile, and the goal is different from an attached letter — you're earning the resume click, not making the whole case. If you're cutting from a full letter, keep the specific opening and the availability line; drop the career narrative.
How do I follow up if I don't hear back?
Reply to your own original email — it keeps the thread and your materials in front of them — after five to seven business days. Two or three sentences: reaffirm interest, add one new fact if you have one (a completed certification, a relevant result), and ask if they need anything else. One follow-up is professional; two is the limit. If the posting names a closing date, wait until after it.

Email cover letter & job application email templates · Updated September 2026

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