9 min read
Recruiters who open cover letters often read the bottom first. If the last line is only gratitude, you've burned the only spot where you can still sound specific after the body paragraphs.
You're not writing a second introduction. You're landing one proof-backed line, then closing like a business letter that still parses when someone copies it into Taleo or iCIMS.
And if the posting says cover letter optional, that doesn't mean the close doesn't matter when you attach one anyway.
Check your resume for free on the file you'll attach. The letter can't rescue a resume that extracts out of order, but a sloppy sign-off block still signals you didn't preview the upload the way hiring teams do.
Tonight you'll draft the fit sentence, pick Sincerely or Best regards, type your name block, and run one plain-text check on the version you'll submit. That's the whole job for this slice of the packet.
For the paragraph above the close (recap, referral, availability), see how to close a cover letter . This page is the sign-off layer only.
Quick wins
- Replace a lone thank-you with one scope or metric tied to the posting.
- Put Sincerely or Best regards on its own line, then your full name.
- Paste the letter into Notepad and confirm the bottom three lines read cleanly.
Why recruiters and parsers care about the bottom block
Applicant tracking systems usually store cover letter text as one field. Keyword matching runs on the body more than on Sincerely, but garbled formatting at the bottom can still break the entire extract.
A strong ending is one fit sentence plus a formal sign-off, not a pile of polite filler.
Humans skim differently. Some jump to the last paragraph before they read the middle. If that paragraph repeats I am passionate about your mission without naming the job title, you sound like every other paste.
Internal referrals change what belongs in the fit sentence, not whether you sign off formally. You can name the referrer once in the close only if you already explained the connection earlier. The sign-off phrase itself should stay standard.
Plain-text paste fields strip bold, color, and most HTML. Your email client's marketing banner can append below your name and travel with the thread when a recruiter forwards you to a coordinator. That is why you test the close on the channel you'll actually use.
Lever and Greenhouse previews sometimes merge lines when you forget a hard return between sign-off and name. The recruiter sees Best regards, Jordan Lee on one line. It still reads as professional, but separate lines match business letter convention and copy cleaner into scheduling emails.
Before: You treat Thank you for your consideration as the main message.
After: You state what you'll do in the role, then sign off formally.
Before: You add a scanned signature image to look professional on PDF.
After: You type your name for digital uploads and reserve pen signatures for mailed packets only.
Block-style paragraphs matter here too. If your draft still uses first-line indents, read whether to indent cover letter paragraphs before you fight the sign-off. Staircase margins at the bottom often start with bad paragraph styles higher up.
Optional cover letters still deserve a clean close when you choose to attach one. The human who opens it later may read the whole file. A weak ending after a strong body still reads like carelessness.
How to end a cover letter in 2026 without generic thanks
Work on the version you'll upload or paste. Four steps, no eighth-step padding.
Step 1: Write the fit sentence
The line above your sign-off should connect proof you already stated to the role scope. Pull a noun from the posting: team size, tool stack, customer segment, or compliance scope.
Strong samples stay short. My two Greenhouse rollouts map to the RevOps scope in your posting. I can start the on-call rotation you list for Q4. Availability belongs here only when the req mentions immediate start or relocation.
Career changers bridge industries here instead of apologizing. Name the transferable skill the posting repeats, not the gap you wish away. Teaching to customer success works when you cite translating complex topics for non-expert buyers, not when you ask for a chance.
Step 2: Choose the sign-off phrase
Sincerely stays the default for regulated and highly formal employers. Best regards works for most US corporate and tech reqs. Kind regards fits some international HQs. Do not use Cheers or Thanks as the sign-off line on first contact.
| Sign-off | Typical context |
|---|---|
| Sincerely | Finance, law, government, healthcare |
| Best regards | US corporate, tech, marketing, operations |
| Kind regards | UK-influenced firms, global HQs |
Match posting tone when it's obvious. A casual startup blog voice in the job ad can tolerate Warm regards. A federal contractor listing probably cannot.
Step 3: Type the name block
Full name on the line below the sign-off. Add CPA, RN, or PMP only when the license is required for the role. Repeating phone and LinkedIn under your name is optional when Workday already collected them in separate fields.
British English letters sometimes use Yours sincerely when you named the recipient in the salutation and Yours faithfully when you used Dear Hiring Manager. US corporate applications rarely need that split unless you're applying to a London HQ that publishes UK style guidance.
Email applications: mirror business letter spacing. Final sentence, blank line, sign-off, blank line, name. If your mail client auto-appends a signature, don't duplicate the same lines in the letter body.
Mobile sends are where footers sneak in. Apply from a desktop when you can, send yourself a test message, and delete anything below your name before you reply in a recruiter thread.
Step 4: Verify plain text
Export DOCX or a text-selectable PDF. Open the portal preview or paste into Notepad. Scroll to the bottom. Sign-off and name should sit on separate lines, not run together.
Copy-paste check (read the last lines after paste):
{`Select all letter text → copy → paste into Notepad
Last sentence should name the role or a posting keyword
Next line should be only: Best regards (or Sincerely)
Next line should be your full legal name
No "Sent from my iPhone" or logo HTML below your name`}
I've skimmed Greenhouse letters where the only substantive line was buried in paragraph two and the final sentence was generic thanks. The resume attachment carried the proof, but the close still wasted the skim path.
File format affects whether the bottom survives. When you're exporting both resume and letter, follow the same rules as PDF vs DOCX for ATS so you don't lose the last line to a design-heavy export.
Closings that sound finished but aren't
- Stacking thank you, looking forward, and please contact me with no new fact.
- Introducing a new skill in the final sentence after never mentioning it above.
- Using Thank you as the sign-off line instead of the sentence before it.
- P.S. gimmicks unless you cite a mutual connection or a talk the team gave.
- Leaving the wrong company name in the last five lines after a template swap.
- Uploading a signature image that turns the close into a parser error.
Passive hedges at the bottom read uncertain: It is hoped that my experience will be suitable. Active voice lands harder: My audit work matches the compliance scope in your posting.
Emoji, inspirational quotes, and GIF signatures belong in group chats, not on a first-contact letter. They do not parse, and they date the file the moment a coordinator opens it on a locked-down laptop.
Taleo and older enterprise portals sometimes truncate long uploads. One page keeps your sign-off on screen when a recruiter opens the attachment on a phone between interviews. If the letter runs long, trim the body, not the formal close.
Before: I hope you will consider my application and look forward to hearing from you.
After: I am ready to apply four years of pipeline reporting to your enterprise sales team this quarter.
Before: Thanks!!! / Jordan
After: Best regards, / Jordan Lee
Combined PDF uploads push your sign-off to page two when resume and letter merge. Use separate upload slots when the portal offers them. Messy attachment names still undermine a polished close, so align with cover letter and resume file naming before you submit.
Draft the letter, verify the resume
Generate a plain first draft, then edit the fit sentence and sign-off by hand. Recruiters spot untouched template bottoms as fast as generic openings.
Generate a cover letter with the job description pasted in, swap the closing line for a posting-specific scope phrase, and export without fancy signature blocks.
Pair the letter with a resume that parses on the same portal. Build your resume in a single-column layout, then run the free ATS check on the PDF you'll attach so keywords in your final sentence match bullets the parser can actually read.
Ship the boring close
How to end a cover letter in 2026 comes down to one fit sentence, a standard sign-off, and your typed name. Generic thanks aren't forbidden, but they shouldn't be the only thing you leave behind.
Preview the bottom in plain text, fix spacing once, and submit. Job searching is draining enough without fighting a signature graphic on a optional field.
This won't fix applying to roles you're not qualified for. It stops a qualified letter from ending on a line every other candidate already used.
Read more
Frequently asked questions
Write one final sentence that states role fit with a specific skill or scope line from the posting, then add a standard sign-off such as Sincerely or Best regards on its own line, followed by your full typed name. Skip a handwritten signature on portal uploads. Plain text should read top to bottom without tables or image blocks.
It is common but weak when it stands alone. If you thank the reader, put it in the sentence before the sign-off, not as the sign-off itself. Replace a standalone thank-you with a fit line tied to the job title or a metric you already proved in the letter body.
Sincerely fits formal employers such as finance, law, government, and healthcare. Best regards is the safe default for most US corporate and tech roles. Match the tone of the posting. Either phrase is fine for Workday and Greenhouse paste fields as long as the lines stay plain text.
Most portals store the full letter as one text field. The sign-off is rarely keyword-scored, but images, HTML signatures, and scanned signature graphics can corrupt the whole upload. Type the close, export a simple DOCX or text-selectable PDF, and preview the bottom of the field before you submit.