Cover Letter Enclosure: Closing Examples and a Document Check

Use the notation for an actual document package

Purdue OWL’s business-letter guidance places enclosure notation below the closing and allows naming the documents. That convention helps explain a physical package. It does not require adding an enclosure line to every online letter or inserting documents the vacancy did not request.

First decide what you are sending: a paper letter in an envelope, an email body with attachments, or a cover-letter file inside an application portal. The same job-fit evidence may appear in each, but the recipient encounters the supporting files differently. Match the final note to that actual arrangement.

Copy a closing for one physical enclosure

This fictional example assumes the applicant is mailing a cover letter and a resume. The final paragraph remains about interest in the role; the enclosure notation carries the package detail. Replace the applicant name and retain only the documents actually present.

Name multiple enclosures when a list helps

Suppose the employer requests a resume and a short portfolio summary with the letter. Naming them can make a missing item easier to spot. Use recognizable document titles and keep the list consistent with the package; do not turn it into a description of everything you have ever written.

Adapt the wording for email and portal uploads

For an email application, an ordinary sentence can identify the requested files: “I have attached my resume and the requested portfolio summary.” Then use your email signature. Verify that both attachments are present and open correctly before sending. A sentence saying “attached” does not attach a file.

For a portal with separate upload fields, put each document in its requested place. A cover letter uploaded beside a resume usually does not need a paper-enclosure notation. If the form asks for one combined file, follow that instruction and check the combined file’s actual order and contents. Do not merge documents merely because a template includes “Enclosures.”

A writing-sample cover sheet serves another purpose: it explains the sample’s context, authorship and excerpts. It is not the same as an enclosure list, and adding its name below a signature does not replace the sheet when one is requested.

Work an attachment-to-list audit

In this fictional draft, the closing says “Enclosures: Resume; References; Portfolio Summary.” The prepared envelope contains the letter, resume and portfolio summary only. The vacancy requests those two supporting documents and does not request references.

The correct fix is to remove “References” from the enclosure list. Do not add an unrequested reference sheet just to make an old list accurate. The finished notation is “Enclosures: Resume; Portfolio Summary.” Check that the resume and summary are the final versions, addressed to the correct application.

Now change the scenario: the employer explicitly asks for references as well. Obtain the appropriate permission and prepare the requested document before listing it. The notation follows the actual package; it does not decide the application requirements.

Run the final package check

Compare the vacancy instructions, closing notation and actual documents. Check the names and versions, then inspect the final paper or exported files. An outdated employer name or a missing page is not repaired by a correct enclosure line.

Keep the choice proportionate. If the digital submission already labels each file clearly and requests no enclosure notation, an extra formal line may add no useful information. The goal is a recipient who can identify the requested material without guessing where it went.