Cover letter template for Norway: two ready-made templates to copy and fill in

A template saves you the boring part: the order, the layout, the blank sheet. It doesn't save you the thinking. Below you find two ready-made cover letter templates you can copy straight into an empty document and fill in. One is a standard for you if you have relevant experience, the other is made for you if you have little experience or are changing industry.

Both are built on the same recipe that we go through thoroughly in the guide on writing a job application. If you would rather see finished, filled-in texts to be inspired by, you find them in the guide on cover letters with examples. This one gives you the scaffolding.

If the ad asks for a motivation letter, the templates work just as well. Then you simply bring forward why you want exactly this job, as we show in the guide on motivation letters.

How to use the templates

Three simple rules before you start:

• Everything in [square brackets] must be replaced. That is the whole point of them. If [job title] is left in an application you send, the reader sees straight away that you copied something without reading it through.
• You write the opening and the company paragraph again every time. The rest of the template can be reused with small adjustments, but these two are what separate a tailored application from a mass mailing. They are not reusable.
• Stick to one page. The templates are made to land at three to four paragraphs. When you have filled it in and the text has grown long, cut rather than add.

When you are done, search the document for the character [. If you get no hits, you have replaced everything.

Template 1: standard cover letter

Use this if you have experience that is relevant to the position. It puts the weight on what you have done and how it hits the requirements in the ad.

[Place], [date]

Application for the position of [job title]

You write that you are looking for someone who [the most important requirement in the ad, in their own words]. That is exactly how I have worked for the last [number] years, and that is why I am applying.

In my current job as [your position] at [current or previous employer] I am responsible for [concrete task or area of responsibility similar to what they need]. One example: [a short, concrete situation where you solved something, preferably with a number or result]. It shows that I [quality the requirement is about], not just claim it.

I also have [other qualification or experience that hits a "must" requirement], which I see you emphasise. [One more concrete example that proves it.]

[Company name] is interesting to me because [something concrete and genuine: a product, a direction, a value that really matters to you]. It is not a job I am applying for because it is vacant, but because I want to contribute to [what they are working on].

I would be happy to tell you more in an interview. You can reach me on [phone] and [email].

Kind regards [Your name]

What you replace, and why

• The opening sentence is the most important. Mirror the most important requirement in the ad in their own words, and the reader sees that you have read it. Don't open with "I hereby apply".
• The two examples in the body should answer the "must" requirements from the ad, not everything you have done. Choose the two that hit best, and prove them with a concrete situation.
• The company paragraph must be genuine. Flattery shows. Write something you actually know about them, otherwise cut the paragraph altogether rather than filling it with empty words.

Template 2: an application with little experience

Use this if you are a recent graduate, have little work experience or are moving into an industry you haven't worked in before. It shifts the weight from where you have been to what you can do and why you want it. We go deeper into this situation in the guide on applying for jobs with no experience.

[Place], [date]

Application for the position of [job title]

When I read that you are looking for a [job title] who [the most important thing in the ad], I knew I wanted to apply. [Briefly, what engages you about exactly this role or industry.]

I am [a recent graduate in / in the process of switching from X to Y], and do not yet have a long track record in [the industry or role]. But I have [transferable experience from studies, positions of trust, a part-time job or volunteer work] that has given me [a concrete skill that is relevant to the position]. For example: [a short, concrete example of having done something similar to what the role requires].

What I lack in years of experience I make up for in [what you are actually good at: willingness to learn, subject knowledge from your studies, a concrete quality]. [One example that this is true, not just a claim.]

I want to work at [company name] because [something concrete and genuine about them or the industry]. I know I have a lot to learn, and I go into it wanting to contribute from day one.

I would be happy to tell you more about why I fit, in an interview. You can reach me on [phone] and [email].

Kind regards [Your name]

What you replace, and why

• Don't apologise for what you lack. The template mentions missing experience once, briefly, and uses the rest of the space on what you can actually do. Don't extend that sentence.
• The transferable experience is the core. Positions of trust, study projects, part-time jobs and volunteer work count. Choose what most resembles a task in the position, and describe what you concretely did.
• The motivation paragraph weighs more here than in the standard template. When you can't point to long experience, the will and the direction must be clear and genuine.

The most common mistakes with a template

A template is a good starting point, but it can also lead you astray if you're not careful:

• You forget a square bracket. The classic. Search for [ before you send.
• You only swap the company name. Then you haven't made an application, you've made a mass mailing with a name field. The opening and the examples must be tailored too.
• You keep the template's words instead of your own. The wording above is meant as scaffolding. Rewrite it so it sounds like you, not like a template.
• You fill the company paragraph with empty compliments. "An exciting and innovative company" says nothing. If you don't know anything concrete about them, read up, or cut the paragraph.
• You let AI fill in everything. Then you get the same smooth wording as everyone else. Use AI for drafts and language, but write the examples yourself, as we go through in the guide on AI cover letters.

Check the application before you send

When the template is filled in, read it once out loud. It reveals stiff sentences and words that aren't yours. Check that the right company name and job title appear everywhere, that it is on one page, and that every claim has an example under it.

The CV goes with the application, so it should be just as polished. See how to build a CV that gets read, or check your CV for free before you send everything off.

In short

A template gives you the structure, not the content. Choose the standard template if you have relevant experience, and the experience template if you are new to the field. Replace everything in square brackets, write the opening and the company paragraph afresh for each position, and stick to one page. Do that, and you have an application that looks tailored, because it actually is.