Guides / Applying for jobs

How to apply for a job in the UK: CV, cover letter and application form

By Stephen Reed · Published 4 November 2026 · Updated 4 November 2026 · 9 min read

A good CV gets you noticed, but a job application is more than a CV. Most UK applications also need a cover letter or an online form, and often both. The employers who read them usually have a clear list of what they are looking for. Your job is to show, quickly and honestly, that you match it.

This guide walks through the whole application, in order: reading the advert, tailoring your CV, writing the cover letter, answering application form questions, and checking everything before you send. It draws on published UK careers guidance, listed at the end.

Step 1: Read the advert like a marking guide

Most employers score applications against criteria in the job advert. The National Careers Service says the advert usually includes the job description, essential criteria and company details, and that you should match your CV to the job and company, for example by highlighting the skills they ask for. If there is no job description, its job profiles show typical skills and tasks for the role ¹.

Before writing anything:

1. Copy the requirements into a list. Include essential and desirable criteria, and any person specification.
2. Mark what they repeat. Repeated terms are what matter most.
3. Next to each, write your best true evidence. A job, a project, a result, a course.
4. Spot the gaps. If you lack something, decide how you will honestly address it, for example by showing a related skill.
5. Research the employer. Prospects suggests using the company's website and social media; the National Careers Service suggests recent news and people you know who work there ^{2 4}.

You can paste the advert into our free CV checker to see which of its key terms your CV is missing.

Step 2: Tailor your CV

Prospects says to tailor each CV to the role and employer, using the company's website, social media and the job advert ². The National Careers Service says tailoring to the job can improve your chances of an interview ¹. Tailoring does not mean rewriting everything. It means:

• Changing your profile so its first line matches the job.
• Moving the most relevant achievements to the top of each role.
• Using the advert's words where they are true.
• Cutting what does not help, so the strongest evidence is easy to see.

The University of Reading lists "zero tailoring" among the ten common CV mistakes and says to connect your experience to the recruiter's criteria across your profile, education and experience, without exaggerating ⁵. Our complete guide to writing a UK CV covers the CV itself in detail.

Step 3: Write the cover letter

The National Careers Service says to always send a cover letter when you apply with a CV. It can be an email for online applications or a printed copy for paper ones. It describes it as a short introduction, usually three to five paragraphs, that asks the employer to consider your application in more detail ⁴. Prospects says to include a cover letter unless the employer says otherwise ².

Who to address it to

Address the letter to a named person, with their preferred title and job title. If the advert does not name anyone, check the company website for the head of department, head of HR or a recruitment manager. If you cannot find a name, open with "Dear Sir or Madam" ⁴. Sign off "Yours sincerely" if you know the name and "Yours faithfully" if you opened with "Dear Sir or Madam" ⁴.

What to put in it

The National Careers Service sets out this structure ⁴:

1. Introduction: who you are, how you found the role, and the job title and reference number if there is one. For a speculative letter, say what kind of work you are looking for.
2. Main body: match your relevant skills and experience to the employer's needs. Show you are enthusiastic and share their values and way of working.
3. Extra information: explain any gap in your employment by describing skills you gained during that time. You may mention a disability if you wish, but you do not have to.
4. Ending: thank the employer, point to your CV for more detail, say you look forward to hearing from them, and check your contact details match your CV.

Tips from the National Careers Service

• Tailor a new letter for each job.
• Use the same font and size as your CV.
• Reflect the keywords in the job advert, and highlight your most relevant skills with facts and the STAR method.
• Proofread, and check the company name and recruiter's details are correct.
• Keep a copy, as you may be asked about it at interview ⁴.

Reed suggests using the cover letter to tell a story, highlight specific projects, or explain employment gaps, rather than repeating the CV ⁶.

An example (invented, to show the shape)

Step 4: Answer the application form

Many employers, especially in the public sector and large organisations, use application forms instead of CVs. Prospects describes the types of question you will meet ³:

• Factual sections: personal details and education, which need straightforward answers.
• Competency-based questions: specific past examples that show the skills the role requires.
• Motivation and suitability: why you want the job and why you fit it.
• Experience and skills: relevant skills, including transferable ones if you lack direct experience.
• Situational and behavioural questions: working under pressure, teamwork, communicating complex information, handling challenges.
• Self-assessment: your greatest achievement, strengths and weaknesses.
• Setbacks: a time you missed a deadline and what you learned.
• A closing statement: a "further information" section that works like a cover letter.

How Prospects says to answer

Research the employer and understand the job first. Use the job description and person specification to guide your examples. Choose specific examples, and explain how you handled obstacles and what you learned. For weaknesses, be honest but show what you are doing to improve. Link answers to your longer-term career plans. Relate your closing statement directly to the skills in the job description, and do not leave it blank ³.

Use STAR for examples

The National Careers Service points to the STAR method for describing what you did ^{1 4}. STAR stands for Situation, Task, Action, Result.

A worked example (invented): Question: "Describe a time you handled a difficult customer."

• Situation: A customer at our depot counter was angry about a late delivery that had stopped his own work.
• Task: I needed to calm him down and find a fix before the lunchtime rush.
• Action: I listened, apologised, checked the tracking and found the pallet at a sister depot, then arranged for it to be delivered that afternoon and phoned him to confirm.
• Result: He received the order by 4pm, thanked the team in writing, and stayed with us as a customer.

Keep the "I" in forms: unlike a CV, answers on an application form are written in the first person, saying what you did.

Supporting statements

A supporting statement, as used by the NHS and many public bodies, is a longer piece where you show how you meet the job's person specification. Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital calls it "your opportunity to sell yourself", and says to tailor every application and never submit the same form twice ⁷. The method is the same as for forms: take each criterion in turn and give one specific example with a result. See CVs by sector for NHS and Civil Service specifics.

Step 5: Check, send and follow up

Before you send:

• Check spelling and grammar. Prospects suggests using spell-check, changing the font temporarily, or reading aloud, and the National Careers Service says to ask someone else to check ^{2 8}.
• Use a professional email address, and create a new one if you need to ².
• Check the file type the employer asks for, and name it sensibly, such as "Joe-Smith-CV" ².
• Do not exaggerate. Prospects warns that facts on a CV are easy to verify and that lying can be a criminal offence ².
• Be careful with AI. Prospects says AI is acceptable with caution for research, drafting and proofreading, but should not write your application in full or invent details, and recruiters can spot AI-written text. Check the employer's policy ².
• Keep a copy of everything you send, as you may be asked about it at interview ⁴.
• Check the closing date and apply early ⁷.

After you send, check your email, since interview invitations are usually sent that way. Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital says that if you hear nothing within four weeks of the closing date, you should assume the application was unsuccessful, though timescales vary between employers ⁷.

A one-page application checklist

1. Requirements copied from the advert, with your evidence next to each
2. CV tailored: profile, top bullets and skills match the job
3. Cover letter to a named person, three to five paragraphs
4. Form answers use specific examples with results
5. Gaps explained briefly and honestly
6. Spelling and grammar checked by you and someone else
7. Right file type, sensible file name, professional email
8. Copies kept, and closing date met

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a cover letter?

The National Careers Service says always send one with a CV, and Prospects says to include one unless the employer says otherwise ^{4 2}.

How long should a cover letter be?

Usually three to five paragraphs ⁴.

Who should I address a cover letter to?

A named person where you can find one. If not, "Dear Sir or Madam", ending "Yours faithfully" ⁴.

What is the STAR method?

A way to structure an example: Situation, Task, Action, Result. The National Careers Service recommends it for describing what you did ¹.

Should I tailor my CV for every job?

Yes. Prospects and the National Careers Service both advise tailoring it to the role and employer ^{2 1}.

Can I use AI to write my application?

Prospects says to use it with caution: for research, drafting and proofreading, but not to write your application in full or invent details ².

How do I explain a gap in my application?

Briefly and honestly, on the CV or in the cover letter, saying what you gained ^{8 4}.

Check your CV before you apply

Check your CV free: get a score, see the plain-text view of what software reads, and fix the biggest issues before you send it.

Sources

1. National Careers Service, CV sections
2. Prospects (Jisc), How to write a CV
3. Prospects (Jisc), How to answer common job application questions
4. National Careers Service, Covering letter
5. University of Reading Careers, The top 10 CV mistakes
6. Reed, How long should a CV be?
7. Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital, Top tips for making a successful application
8. National Careers Service, Explain gaps in work history