How to End a Cover Letter (Closing Salutation)

"How exactly do I sign off?" This is often the last hesitation before sending an application. The body of the letter is written, the opening holds up, and then comes the closing salutation that you copy out of habit without knowing whether it is correct. Yet it is the very last thing the recruiter reads. A clumsy or wrong sign-off leaves an impression of carelessness, right when you wanted to look polished.

The good news: the rules are simple and stable. In this article, we look at which closing to choose, how to adapt it to the conventions of the Swiss market, and above all which classic mistakes can give you away.

Which closing salutation should you choose for a cover letter?

The closing of a cover letter is formal. It signals respect without overdoing it. The safest structure always follows the same pattern: a short, established sign-off phrase, aligned with the greeting you used at the top.

Here are the correct closings and the context where each one works.

The principle to remember: the closing and the greeting form a pair. In a formal letter, "Yours sincerely" goes with a named recipient, while "Yours faithfully" goes with an unnamed "Dear Sir or Madam." That pairing is what separates a complete, correct sign-off from a mismatched shortcut.

What are the Swiss particularities?

In Switzerland, restraint wins. A very ornate or old-fashioned closing is not wrong, but it can feel stiff in the local market. Swiss recruiters appreciate a more direct tone.

In practice:

• Prefer "Kind regards" or "Best regards" to overly solemn formulas. It is the norm across the Swiss market, more natural and just as respectful.
• Keep it short. A brief, clean closing reads as a sign of clarity, not of carelessness.
• Remember the attachments. A common Swiss habit is to list enclosures under the signature ("Enclosures: CV, work references, diplomas"). It is not the closing salutation itself, but it rounds off the bottom of the page neatly.

This taste for simplicity matches the general spirit of the Swiss application, which we detail in our article on the structure of a cover letter in Switzerland.

Should the closing mirror the opening greeting?

Yes, and it is a rule of consistency that often gets overlooked. The closing must match the greeting you used at the top. If your letter opens with "Dear Sir or Madam," it ends with "Yours faithfully." If you address a named person, "Dear Ms Rochat" for example, the closing is "Yours sincerely."

This symmetry gives the letter its structure and shows that you know the conventions. Here is how to align the opening with the closing.

One last point on the greeting: avoid overly casual openings like "Hi" or "Hey," and never guess a title you are unsure of. And check the recipient's gender: addressing a man as "Ms," or the reverse, leaves a very bad impression.

Which mistakes should you avoid in the closing?

This is where many applications quietly lose points. These sign-offs look correct but carry an error.

• "Yours sincerely" with an unnamed recipient. Mismatch: if you opened with "Dear Sir or Madam" (no name), the correct pairing is "Yours faithfully." Save "Yours sincerely" for when you named the person.
• "Yours truly" in a European application. It reads as American and can feel out of place. In the Swiss and British-influenced context, stick to "sincerely" or "faithfully."
• "Thanks in advance." To be avoided: it can feel presumptuous, almost demanding. Prefer "Looking forward to your reply."
• "Awaiting your prompt response." Too pushy, almost an order. This register has no place in a modern application.
• "Cheers" or "Best." Too casual for a formal cover letter, even if they are fine in an informal email between colleagues.
• A closing with no punctuation or a stray comma. Keep it clean: a capital letter, the sign-off, a comma, then your name on the next line.

A faulty closing catches the eye because it comes last. It is worth checking this one sentence twice: it weighs heavily on the final impression. If mistakes worry you beyond the conclusion, our guide on cover letter mistakes covers the most common traps.

Should you use the same closing in an application email?

No, and it is a useful distinction. The tone of an email is more direct than that of a formal letter attached as a PDF. The closing can therefore be shorter while staying professional.

Two scenarios:

• The email accompanies a cover letter as an attachment. The email stays brief ("Kind regards" or "Best regards"), and the full formal closing sits in the attached letter.
• The email serves as the cover letter. In that case, keep a slightly more polished closing, such as "Yours sincerely" (if you named the recipient) or "Yours faithfully."

For an email, "Kind regards" and "Best regards" suit most professional situations, especially when you do not know your reader. The key is to stay consistent with the tone of your application. A polished opening deserves a closing to match, as we explain for the cover letter opening.

If you want to remove any hesitation, candidat.app generates a cover letter tailored to each posting, with a correct closing calibrated to Swiss conventions, based on your real background. The conclusion is already right, all you have to do is proofread.

In short

To end a cover letter, choose a formal closing that mirrors the greeting you opened with, free of grammatical slips. In the Swiss market, "Yours sincerely" (for a named recipient) and "Yours faithfully" (for "Dear Sir or Madam") are safe, sober choices, preferable to overly solemn or old-fashioned formulas. Avoid the classic mistakes (mismatching sincerely and faithfully, an American "Yours truly," a pushy "Thanks in advance") and the too-casual "Cheers" or "Best." For a plain email, "Kind regards" or "Best regards" is enough. This sentence is the last one the recruiter reads: it deserves a careful proofread.