What does RE mean in a cover letter? RE means regarding. It labels a short subject line that names the role, requisition ID, or referral so a recruiter—or a Workday / Greenhouse viewer—knows which job the letter belongs to.
RE is optional on many modern US letters, but it still shows up in templates and government-adjacent packets. Learn when to keep it, what to write after it, and when to fold the same information into your opening sentence instead. Related reading on hireflow.net: a cover letter may be searched for keywords and best email subject lines when sending a resume .
Key Takeaways
- RE = regarding (subject of the letter)
- Put job title and req ID after RE when you use it
- Optional for many corporate PDF uploads—required when asked
- Not the same as email Reply (Re:)
- Mirror the RE text in email Subject when you attach the letter
RE means regarding—not a magic ATS code
On paper and PDF cover letters, RE introduces the topic: regarding the Senior Analyst opening, regarding Job ID 18422, regarding the referral from Jordan Lee.
It is a filing label for humans. It does not unlock a hidden Workday score by itself.
Writers sometimes confuse RE with Latin in re (in the matter of). Same practical meaning: this letter is about the following subject.
Do not invent RE: Interested or RE: Please hire me. The line should name the concrete role or ID from the posting.
Key Takeaway: RE is a regarding label—fill it with the real job title or requisition.
When to use RE (and when to skip it)
Use RE when the posting says include the job number on all materials, when one company has many similar titles, or when you mail a formal letter to a shared HR inbox.
Skip RE when the portal already ties your upload to a specific requisition and your first sentence names the role clearly—common in Greenhouse and Lever flows.
Keep RE for federal, academic, or highly formal packets that still teach full business letter layout.
If space is tight on a one-page letter, folding the title into sentence one is better than crowding a RE line and a long address block.
Key Takeaway: Use RE when identity of the role could be ambiguous; otherwise name the role in the opening.
Before and after RE line examples
| Before | After |
|---|---|
| RE: Job | RE: Product Marketing Manager — Req 4821 |
| Re: Application (no title) | Regarding: Data Analyst, New York — Posted Aug 2026 |
| RE line missing; vague first sentence | Opening: I am applying for the iCIMS-posted UX Writer role (Job 9033)… |
Copy the title string exactly from the posting. Small mismatches make sorting harder when a recruiter searches attachments in Taleo.
For upload naming that pairs with the RE content, see cover letter upload order and file names .
Key Takeaway: Specific titles and req IDs beat vague RE: Job placeholders.
After the letter subject is clear, check that your resume keywords match the same posting in HireFlow's free ATS resume checker .
Check your resume freeWhere the RE line sits in the letter layout
Standard stack: your contact block, date, employer address, RE line, salutation, body, closing.
Short modern stack: contact block, date, RE line, Dear Hiring Manager.
Keep one blank line above and below the RE line so it does not collide with the date or the greeting.
Bold the RE line only if the rest of the letter stays plain. Fancy colors and underlines add nothing for iCIMS viewers.
Key Takeaway: Place RE between date/address and salutation with blank-line breathing room.
RE on PDF letters vs Re: on email
Email clients auto-prefix Re: when you reply. That Re: means reply thread—not regarding a job. Do not rely on a reply prefix as your application subject.
When you send a new message with a cover letter attached, write a clear Subject such as Application — Product Manager (Req 4821). You may still include RE inside the PDF.
Paste-box applications inside Workday often have no RE field. Put the job title in the first sentence of the paste text.
If both email Subject and PDF RE exist, make them match so recruiters are not sorting two different titles for one candidate.
Key Takeaway: Treat email Subject and PDF RE as the same job label written twice.
RE line checklist
- Decide whether the portal already identifies the requisition.
- If you keep RE, copy the exact job title from the posting.
- Add the req ID when the posting shows one.
- Mention a referral name only if the referrer agreed.
- Place the line before the salutation.
- Mirror the same title in the email Subject when applicable.
- Confirm whether letters get keyword-scanned via cover letter keyword search notes .
Still unsure if a letter is needed at all? See do cover letters matter in 2026 .
Key Takeaway: Exact titles and IDs make RE useful; vague RE lines waste a header row.
Common RE mistakes
Writing RE: Resume when the file is a cover letter confuses filing.
Stacking three RE lines for alternate roles makes you look unfocused—send separate tailored letters instead.
Using an old req ID from a previous posting after the company refreshed the job number.
Putting RE after the salutation. Recruiters expect the subject before Dear Name.
Treating RE as a substitute for a real opening paragraph. The line labels the topic; the body still must sell fit.
Key Takeaway: One accurate RE line beats multiple vague or outdated subject tags.
Writing RE lines with job titles and requisition IDs
Pull the title character-for-character from the posting, including seniority words like Senior or Staff when they appear.
Add the req ID after an em dash or hyphen: RE: Financial Analyst — R-20481. IDs help shared inboxes in large Workday environments.
If the posting lists a department code, include it only when HR asks. Extra codes without context clutter the line.
Referral lines can combine: RE: UX Designer (Req 7712) — Referral: Priya Shah. Keep it to one line when possible.
Greenhouse often already binds your application to a job. Even then, a clear RE helps humans who download the PDF into a shared drive outside the ATS.
Key Takeaway: Exact title plus req ID is the highest-value RE pattern.
Modern alternative: skip RE and open with the role
Many US startups never taught RE lines. An opening such as I am applying for the Customer Success Manager role (Job 5520) posted on your careers site covers the same ground.
That approach frees vertical space for a stronger second paragraph—useful when Lever readers skim on phones.
Keep RE when a checklist in the posting demands a reference line on every document. Ignoring written instructions is worse than looking slightly traditional.
Government and university packets still favor RE. Corporate SaaS roles usually do not require it.
Whatever you choose, make sure Taleo keyword search can still find the job title somewhere near the top of the letter—RE line or sentence one.
Key Takeaway: Either RE or a role-first opening works—just put the title where humans and search can see it.
Quick RE line examples for common US postings
RE: Software Engineer — Req SE-1184
Regarding: Registered Nurse, Night Shift — Job 30921
RE: Marketing Coordinator (Referral: Sam Okonkwo)
If the posting has no ID, RE: Customer Support Specialist — Remote US is enough for humans sorting PDFs downloaded from Greenhouse.
Do not write RE: Seeking opportunities at your company. That wastes the subject line and fails keyword search in Taleo attachments.
Keep punctuation light. One colon after RE and one clear phrase after it is enough for Workday and iCIMS readers.
Key Takeaway: Concrete role-plus-ID examples beat generic interest statements on the RE line.
Next step for your applications
Clarify the subject line, then align resume keywords to the same requisition—or get a human rewrite from $29.
Frequently asked questions
RE means regarding. It introduces a short subject line that names the job title, requisition ID, or referral so the reader knows which role the letter supports.
No. Many modern US letters skip RE and state the role in the first sentence instead. Use RE when a posting asks for a reference line or when you mail a formal letter with multiple open roles.
Place it after the date and employer address block and before the salutation—or directly under the date if you omit the postal address. Keep it flush left.
RE: or Re: are both common. Regarding: spelled out is clearer for some readers. Pick one style and keep the line to a single clear phrase.
Sometimes. Workday and Greenhouse may store the attachment text. Including the exact job title and req ID in a RE line can help humans and keyword search find the match—see also how cover letters may be searched for keywords.
Similar job, different place. Email uses the Subject field. A PDF cover letter uses an optional RE line inside the document. Mirror the same job title in both when you email a letter.
In email threads, Re: often means reply. On a cover letter header, RE still means regarding the subject of the letter—not that you are replying to a message.
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