One page. Four short paragraphs. Written for the job in front of you, not copied from the last one. Here is the format Kiwi employers expect, how long it should be, what goes in each paragraph, and a full example for a first job. Then a free tool writes yours from the ad.
Write my cover letter free →If you only read one part of this page, read these four.
Three or four short paragraphs. If it runs onto a second page, it is not being read.
Your name, phone, email and suburb at the top. A greeting. The paragraphs. A sign off. No fancy layout.
Use the name if the ad gives one. If not, Dear Hiring Manager. Never To whom it may concern.
Attach it as a PDF named with your name. If the ad says to email your application, the letter is the email.
Seven parts. Most people get the first two and the last one right and lose the job in the middle.
Your name, mobile number, email address, and your suburb and city. That is all. No street address, no photo, no date of birth. Make it match the top of your CV so the two documents look like a pair.
Dear Sarah if the ad names Sarah. Kia ora Sarah works just as well and reads as local. If there is no name, Dear Hiring Manager. Check the spelling of the person and the company. A wrong name is the fastest way into the no pile.
Two sentences. The job you are applying for, where you saw it, and one plain line on why you want it. "I am applying for the Retail Assistant role advertised on FindMeAJob. I shop at your Te Rapa store and I would like to work there."
Pick two or three things from the ad and match each one to something you have actually done. Reliable: you held a paper run for two years. Good with people: you coached the junior netball team. Cash handling: you ran the till at the school canteen. Real examples, not adjectives.
One or two sentences that prove you read the ad and know the business. Their hours suit you. You use their product. You liked how staff treated you. This is the paragraph that gets rewritten for every job.
When you can start, what days you are available, and that you would like to meet. If the role needs it, say you hold a full licence or have the right to work in New Zealand. Thank them for reading.
Kind regards, or Ngā mihi, then your name. Nothing else. Your contact details are already at the top.
For a school leaver applying for a retail role in Hamilton. Under 250 words. Change the details, keep the shape.
Kia ora Sarah,
I am applying for the Retail Assistant role at your Te Rapa store, advertised on FindMeAJob. I finished Year 13 at Fraser High School last month and I am looking for my first full time job. I shop at your store and I would like to work there.
The ad asks for someone reliable who is good with people and comfortable handling cash. I held a paper run in Dinsdale for two years without missing a morning. I coached the Year 9 netball team this season, which meant turning up early every Saturday and keeping fourteen people organised. I ran the till at the school canteen on Fridays, counting the float at the start and end of each shift.
I like that your store is open seven days, because I can work weekends and evenings and I am happy to start on the days other people do not want.
I am available to start immediately and I hold my restricted licence. I would like to come in and meet you. Thank you for reading my application.
Ngā mihi,
Aroha Ngata
Every one of these is easy to fix. None of them are about talent.
The CV lists what you did. The letter explains two or three of those things and why they matter for this job. If the letter reads like the CV in sentences, it adds nothing.
Employers can tell in a line. Keep the header and the sign off. Rewrite paragraphs three and five for each ad, and name the company.
"I am a highly motivated individual with a passion for excellence" says nothing. "I turned up to my paper run every morning for two years" says reliable.
It tells the reader you did not look for a name. Use the name in the ad, or Dear Hiring Manager, or Kia ora.
Nobody reads page two. Cut the paragraph about your hobbies and the one about your journey. Keep the examples.
Employers are now reading a lot of letters that sound the same. A draft from a tool is fine. Sending it without changing a word is not. Read it aloud and fix anything you would never say.
When you can start, which days you can work, whether you have a licence or the right to work. For an entry level role these are half of the decision.
Check the company name, the person's name and the job title against the ad. Then check them again.
You have more than you think. The job is matching it to the ad.
Subjects that fit the job, a role like prefect or peer support, a project you finished, attendance you are proud of.
Turning up every week, being on time, working in a team, coaching or organising younger people. Employers read all of that as reliability.
Helping in a family business, caring for younger siblings or grandparents, marae work, volunteering. Say what you actually did and for how long.
A restricted or full driver licence, first aid, a food safety certificate, a forklift ticket. Name them plainly. For many entry level roles a licence is the deciding line.
Weekends, evenings, an immediate start. For a first job this is often the thing that gets you the interview. Say it clearly in the last paragraph.
The free FindMeAJob tool writes a one page New Zealand cover letter from the ad and whatever you tell it about yourself, in plain English. You edit every line before you download it. No payment, no account needed to start.