Brilliant Cover Letters

Laying the foundations: getting the basics right 11

Yours faithfully,

The rule is very simple. If you have started your letter with ‘Dear

Sir/Madam’, then you should end it with ‘Yours faithfully’. If, however,

you have been able to start your letter with somebody’s actual name, e.g.

‘Dear Mr. Campbell’, then you should end it, ‘Yours sincerely’.

Even a letter to Kylie herself should begin with ‘Dear Ms. Minogue’, and

conclude with ‘Yours sincerely’.

The main exception to this rule is if you’re on sufficiently friendly terms

with the recipient to use their first name, e.g. ‘Dear John’, in which case

you can end with ‘Kind regards’, ‘Yours’ or suchlike. ...