Writing a cover letter: structure and example for Switzerland

What Swiss employers expect

The cover letter is often the first document HR reads. Your CV shows what you have done. The letter shows why you want exactly this job and what you bring to it.

In a Swiss application file it usually comes before the CV, followed by your reference letters and diplomas. The same order applies when you apply by email or through a portal, ideally as a single PDF with a clean file name such as “Muster_Lea_Bewerbung.pdf”.

• One A4 page, no more.
• Swiss spelling if you write in German: ss instead of ß, amounts in CHF.
• A factual, friendly tone. No sales pitch, no exaggeration.
• Place and date, the company’s address, a subject line and, if possible, a named contact person.

The structure: subject, opening, main part, closing

The subject line names the job exactly as it appears in the job ad, for example “Application as Customer Service Administrator 80%”. Address the letter to the contact person named in the ad. If there is none, a quick look at the company website is worth it.

The opening draws the reader in straight away: a concrete link to the job or the company, in one or two sentences. The main part connects two or three requirements from the ad with evidence from your experience. The closing says you would welcome an interview and, if asked, mentions your start date or workload (the percentage you want to work, such as 80%).

Before you send it, read the letter out loud once. What sounds clumsy also reads clumsy. Check the job title, company name and salutation against the ad one more time.

What HR looks for on the first read

HR staff read many applications and skim them first. They check whether the most important requirements from the ad are met and whether the letter was really written for this job.

One simple step before writing helps a lot: mark the two or three requirements in the ad that sound most important. For each one, find a concrete example from your experience. These examples later form the main part.

• Does your experience match the job? Show it with a task you have already done.
• Do the workload and start date fit? Mention both if the ad asks for them.
• Why this company in particular? One honest sentence is enough, for example about its customers, products or location.
• Is the form right? No typos, one page, contact person’s name spelled correctly.

Example: how it can look

An invented example for a customer service job, shown here in English. It shows the structure, not a text to copy. Your letter should sound like you and like the job you are applying for.

Wording that works well in Switzerland

Swiss employers value calm, clear language. Short sentences, active verbs and concrete examples come across as more confident than long lists of personal qualities.

Instead of “I am a team player”, write how you worked in a team: “On shift work, I wrote the handover notes for my team.” Instead of “I am flexible”, say what that means in practice, such as weekend shifts or changing work locations. That turns a claim into evidence.

Common mistakes

Most letters do not fail because of grammar, but because they would fit any job. HR notices that after two sentences.

• Stock phrases like “I hereby apply” or “I read your job ad with great interest”. They say nothing and take up the best spot on the page.
• Retelling your CV. Pick two or three points that fit the job and back them up.
• Superlatives without evidence: “extremely resilient”, “highly motivated”. A concrete example is more convincing.
• The wrong company name or contact person, because an old letter was copied.
• More than one page, or a tiny font to make everything fit.