How to write an application letter, with samples for fresh graduates and teachers

Try it

Tell askROI the job and your degree. The button opens a chat with a fresh graduate's request already filled in; askROI asks for the company, the job title and two of your achievements before it writes.

An application letter is the one page that goes with your job application and tells the employer why you, for this job. In Nigeria, many employers ask for an application letter by that name; the job sites in the Philippines, Kenya and Uganda call the same page a cover letter. A hiring manager reads it quickly, so it has to say early which job you want and give a reason to read your CV.

Below: whether it's the same as a cover letter, the format those job sites recommend, three samples (a fresh graduate, a teacher without experience, and an NGO role), and the mistakes that get a letter set aside.

Is an application letter the same as a cover letter?

Mostly, yes. Both are a one-page letter to an employer about a specific job, with the same parts in the same order. The difference is how they travel. A cover letter goes with a CV. An application letter can also stand alone, as the first thing a recruiter or HR officer reads from you, and in Nigeria employers such as banks, NGOs, government offices and graduate trainee programmes often ask for one by name (Zikoko, 7 October 2025).

So if a job post asks for an application letter, write the letter below. If it asks for a cover letter, the same letter works. For a cover letter tailored to one job post, the free cover letter generator does the same job in a chat.

The format, part by part, on one page

The career sites job seekers use in these countries recommend the same order (JobStreet Philippines, BrighterMonday Kenya, BrighterMonday Uganda, and Zikoko for Nigeria, all checked 30 October 2026). These are their recommendations, not official rules, so if a job post or employer asks for something different, follow that:

1. Your details. Your full name, home address and contact details.
2. Date. Written out in full.
3. The employer. The hiring manager's name or title, the company and its address.
4. Subject line (Kenya and Uganda). BrighterMonday adds one before the salutation, naming the job and its reference number if the post gives one: Application for Primary English Teacher, Ref. HJS/T/04.
5. Salutation. The person's name if you know it, such as Dear Ms. Santos. If you don't, JobStreet suggests Dear Hiring Manager, and BrighterMonday suggests Dear Sir/Madam.
6. Opening paragraph. The job you're applying for and where you saw it advertised.
7. One or two body paragraphs. Proof that you fit: a result, a project, a skill the job asks for. BrighterMonday caps the body at two to three paragraphs.
8. Closing paragraph and sign-off. Thank them, say you're available for an interview, then Yours faithfully or Yours sincerely and your name.

Keep it to one page. JobStreet puts it at 250 to 400 words, and Zikoko warns that past one page, the reader may not finish it. The samples below are shorter so you can see the parts at a glance; in your own letter, give each body paragraph a sentence or two more of detail from the job post and your own work.

Sample 1: fresh graduate

Andrea Reyes
45 Mabini Street, Quezon City
andrea.reyes@example.com

3 November 2026

Ms. Carla Santos
Finance Manager, Northbay Trading Corporation
Pasig City

Dear Ms. Santos,

I am applying for the Junior Accountant position advertised on your careers page. I graduated in 2026 with a BS in Accountancy and want to start my career in a finance team that closes its books on time.

During my internship at a logistics firm, I reconciled more than 300 supplier invoices a month and cut the backlog of unmatched payments from six weeks to one. As our class treasurer, I kept a ₱120,000 budget and presented a monthly report to our adviser.

Thank you for considering my application. My CV is attached, and I am available for an interview at your convenience.

Yours sincerely,
Andrea Reyes

Two specific results do more than a list of qualities. "Hardworking and detail-oriented" says nothing a reader can check; "300 invoices a month" does.

Sample 2: teacher without experience, private school

Grace Nakato
Plot 12, Ntinda, Kampala
grace.nakato@example.com

3 November 2026

The Head Teacher
Hillview Junior School
Kampala

Subject: Application for Primary English Teacher

Dear Sir/Madam,

I am applying for the Primary English Teacher position advertised on your school's notice board. I completed my teaching diploma in 2026 and am ready to start in January.

During my school practice, I taught Primary 4 English for ten weeks and ran a reading club that met twice a week. By the end of the term, every pupil in the club had finished at least four class readers.

Thank you for considering me. My CV and certificates are attached, and I would welcome the chance to teach a demonstration lesson.

Yours faithfully,
Grace Nakato

Without a teaching job behind you, your school practice is your experience. Name the class, the subject and one thing that changed for the pupils.

Sample 3: office or NGO role

Chinedu Okafor
14 Adeola Street, Wuse 2, Abuja
chinedu.okafor@example.com

3 November 2026

The Programme Manager
Brightpath Health Initiative
Abuja

Dear Sir/Madam,

I am applying for the Programme Assistant position advertised on your website. I have two years of experience coordinating community outreach for a health charity.

In that role, I organised 18 screening days across three local government areas and kept the attendance records the funder audited each quarter. I also wrote the monthly field reports that went to our partners.

Thank you for your time. My CV is attached, and I am available for an interview from 10 November.

Yours faithfully,
Chinedu Okafor

Mistakes that get it set aside

• The same letter for every job. BrighterMonday calls copy-pasting one letter for every application "a huge error". Name the job and the employer, and match your proof to what the post asks for.
• Repeating your CV. The letter should pick the one or two things that matter for this job, not list every school and post you've held. Your CV does that; the AI resume builder can help with it.
• More than one page. JobStreet, Zikoko and BrighterMonday Kenya all put the limit at one page. Cut the general claims first.
• A generic opening. A line like "I am writing to express my interest" wastes the first sentence the reader sees. Open with the job title and where you saw it.

What askROI made from the Try it prompt

We sent the Try it prompt as written. askROI asked for the company, the job title and two achievements first, and we answered with Sample 1's details: Northbay Trading Corporation, Junior Accountant, the invoice backlog and the class budget. It then wrote the letter as a Word file, saw it ran to two pages, tightened it, and handed back one page:

It also noted that it had no phone number or email for the header and asked us to add a contact line. One thing to check: it filled in details we never gave it, such as matching invoices against purchase orders and a senior bookkeeper reviewing the work. Those read well, but an application letter has to be true, so read every line and cut or correct anything that did not happen.

The file opens in askROI, where you can edit it or ask for changes, then download it. Change the degree and the job in the prompt to fit yours.

An application letter is short on purpose. Say which job, prove you fit with one or two specific results, and ask for the interview. The reader can then decide in a minute, which is all the time most will give it.