Australian Cover Letter Format: One Page, Plain Tone

The Australian cover letter format is short, plain and practical. It fits on one A4 page, gets to the point in the first paragraph and links your experience to what the job ad asks for. Many Australian roles, especially in government, also use selection criteria, which changes what goes in the letter. This guide covers the layout line by line, the tone that suits Australian employers, how to reference selection criteria without repeating them, and a full example you can adapt today.

A quick note on words: Australians usually say "resume" rather than "CV". This post uses "CV" in places, but in your own application, match the word used in the job ad.

Australian cover letter format: the layout

Keep it to one page, roughly 250 to 400 words. Use A4 paper size, a clean font such as Arial or Calibri at 10.5 to 12 point, and normal margins. Save it as a PDF or Word file, depending on what the employer asks for.

From top to bottom:

1. Your details: full name, mobile number, email and suburb plus state (for example, Parramatta NSW). A full street address is not needed.
2. Date: Australian style, day first. Write 14 March 2025, not March 14, 2025.
3. Employer details: contact name, job title, organisation and city. If you only have a company name, that is fine.
4. Reference line: Re: Application for Customer Service Officer (Ref: 4521). This helps recruiters handling several roles.
5. Greeting: Dear Priya Sharma or Dear Ms Sharma. If no name is given, Dear Hiring Manager is acceptable. Avoid To whom it may concern, which reads as dated.
6. Opening paragraph (2-3 sentences): the role, where you saw it and a one-line summary of why you fit.
7. Body (1-2 paragraphs): evidence linked to the job's key requirements or selection criteria.
8. Work rights and availability (1-2 sentences), if relevant.
9. Closing: a brief, polite sign-off such as Kind regards followed by your name.

For matching your CV layout to this, see our Australian resume format guide.

The Australian tone: direct, modest, specific

Australian workplace writing tends to be plain and informal compared with some other countries. Hiring managers generally prefer facts over enthusiasm. A letter full of superlatives can come across as overselling.

What works

• Short sentences and everyday words. I manage a team of six beats I have been entrusted with the leadership of a high-performing team.
• Specific evidence. Name the tool, the number of customers, the size of the budget or the result, as long as it is accurate.
• A confident but modest voice. State what you did and let the reader judge it. I reduced the backlog from three weeks to four days is stronger than I am an exceptional problem-solver.
• Using "I" and "we" honestly. If it was a team result, say so and explain your part.

What to avoid

• Opening lines like I am writing to express my keen interest in the esteemed position...
• Personal details that are common in some countries but not expected in Australia: date of birth, marital status, religion or a photo.
• Repeating your CV line by line. The letter should select and explain, not list.
• Claiming skills you do not have. Use the keywords in the ad only where they truthfully describe your experience.

How to reference selection criteria

Selection criteria are the specific skills, knowledge and qualities an employer says the role requires. They are common in Australian, state and local government jobs, universities, hospitals and some not-for-profits. Private employers sometimes use them too, often under labels such as "key requirements" or "about you".

How you handle them depends on what the application asks for. Always follow the instructions in the job ad and the candidate information pack. These differ between agencies and change over time.

Scenario 1: a separate selection criteria response is required

Some roles ask for a separate document answering each criterion, often with a word or page limit. In this case:

• Keep the cover letter short and do not repeat the full responses.
• Mention that your responses are attached: My responses to the selection criteria are attached.
• Use one or two sentences to highlight your strongest match, so the letter still stands on its own.

Scenario 2: a "pitch" or statement replaces the cover letter

Many Australian Public Service roles on APS Jobs ask for a short statement or "pitch" explaining how your skills and experience match the role, usually with a word limit. Here, the pitch effectively is your cover letter. Structure it around the key duties or capabilities in the ad, keep within the limit exactly, and use brief examples. The STAR approach (situation, task, action, result) works well, compressed into two or three sentences per example.

Scenario 3: criteria are listed but no separate response is requested

This is where the cover letter does most of the work. Pick the two or three criteria that matter most, and give one concrete example for each. Short bold or plain sub-labels can help the reader scan, for example:

Customer service: In my current role I handle around 40 phone and email enquiries a day, and I maintained a satisfaction rating above our team target for the last two quarters.

Only include figures you can back up in an interview. If you are not sure of a number, describe the work instead.

Work rights, visas and applying from overseas

Australian employers often ask about your right to work, and online applications commonly include a yes/no question about it. If you already hold full work rights (citizen, permanent resident or a visa with unrestricted work conditions), a single sentence is enough: I hold full working rights in Australia.

If you are on a temporary visa or applying from overseas, be accurate and brief. State your current visa type and any conditions, or that you would require sponsorship. Do not imply you have work rights you do not have. Visa rules change and depend on individual circumstances, so this is general information only: check the Department of Home Affairs for current requirements and seek advice from a registered migration agent if needed. Our guide on how to mention visa sponsorship in a cover letter has wording examples.

If you are moving to a particular city, say so with a date if you have one: I am relocating to Brisbane in July and available to start from 15 July.

Example: a one-page Australian cover letter

This example is for a fictional applicant and employer. Replace every detail with your own, accurate information.

Jordan Okafor
0400 000 000 | jordan.okafor@email.com | Footscray VIC

14 March 2025

Sam Nguyen
Team Leader, Customer Operations
Example Utilities
Melbourne VIC

Re: Application for Customer Service Officer (Ref: 4521)

Dear Sam Nguyen,

I am applying for the Customer Service Officer role advertised on your careers page. I have three years of experience in phone and email support for an energy retailer, and the role's focus on billing enquiries and complaint resolution closely matches my current work.

Resolving complex enquiries: I handle billing disputes, payment plans and account changes, and I am one of two people in my team trained to manage escalated complaints. I follow each case through to resolution and keep clear notes in our CRM so colleagues can pick up where I left off.

Working with systems and processes: I use Salesforce and Microsoft 365 daily. Last year I suggested a change to our refund checklist that our team leader adopted, which cut down on repeat calls about the same issue.

Teamwork: I help train new starters during their first fortnight, pairing them on live calls and answering questions as they build confidence.

I hold full working rights in Australia and can start with two weeks' notice. My resume is attached, and I would welcome the chance to discuss the role.

Kind regards,
Jordan Okafor

Notice what the letter does: it names the role and reference, links three requirements from the ad to specific evidence, avoids inflated adjectives and fits easily on one page.

If you want a starting draft in this structure, the QuickApplyPilot cover letters tool can generate one from your CV and the job ad. Treat its output as a draft: check every claim is true, cut anything generic and adjust the tone to sound like you.

How this differs from other countries

If you are used to another country's conventions, these are the main adjustments:

Point	Australia	Often different elsewhere
Length	One page	Some regions accept longer letters
Date format	14 March 2025	US uses month first
Personal details	Not included (no photo, age, marital status)	Common in parts of Asia, the Middle East and Africa
Selection criteria	Common in public sector, may need separate response	UK uses person specifications and supporting statements instead
Sign-off	Kind regards	Yours sincerely is more common in the UK and Ireland

Referees are usually listed on the resume or provided on request rather than in the letter. See our post on Australian CV referees for the options.

Final checklist before you send

• One A4 page, readable font, PDF or Word as requested
• Your suburb and state, not your full address
• Australian date format and a reference line with the job title and number
• Named greeting where possible
• Opening states the role and your core fit in 2-3 sentences
• Two or three requirements or selection criteria matched with real examples
• Separate selection criteria document attached if requested, and not duplicated in the letter
• Word limits for pitches followed exactly
• Accurate statement of work rights or visa status, if relevant
• No photo, date of birth, marital status or religion
• Every claim and number is true and you can explain it in an interview
• Proofread for Australian/British spelling (organise, colour, centre)

A well-formatted letter will not guarantee an interview, but it makes it easy for a busy hiring manager to see why you match the role, and that is exactly what an Australian cover letter is meant to do.