How long should a cover letter be? Check out this guide to HR-approved best practices for cover letter length and word count.
Career Expert
Does writing cover letters feel like daunting guesswork to you? “Is this enough? Should I write more? How long should my cover letter be? If it’s too short, the recruiter will think I don’t even care. And if they think it’s too long, they won’t bother to read it.”
Well, we’re here to save you from doubt and rumination. HR experts do know what they want to see in a cover letter. And right now, you’ll learn exact guidelines for cover letter length.
This guide will help you:
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If you’re writing your first cover letter, we suggest you check out our full step-by-step guide to writing a cover letter.
Or, if you’re looking for career-specific cover letter examples to inspire you, take a look at these:
You can find more examples and guides here: Cover Letter Examples to boost your hiring chance.
But if you’re here just to find out more about cover letter length… you’re almost there, just scroll down a tiny bit.
As a rule of thumb, your cover letter should be between half a page and one page long typed in a standard font (ideally the same as your resume font). You should aim from 250 to 400 words and 3 to 4 paragraphs.
What’s the reasoning behind these guidelines?
Well, recruiters are busy people, and no one’s going to read a full-blown essay about your humble beginnings. And if your letter of application doesn’t get read, you’re not getting that job interview.
But isn’t half a page too short? After all, you’ve got so much to tell!
Here’s our tip: treat your cover letter as a movie director would treat a teaser trailer. Pick the most exciting moments of your professional life and put them together in a way that makes the reader crave more. Like this:
Product Manager, CPM
Jensen Smul International
Overland Park, Kansas(KS), 66210
2638 Better Street
Surpassing revenue goal by 130% at Accelubeam, and saving $1.5 million in costs last financial year wasn’t the peak of my career. I am positive I can achieve even higher results in the role of a Senior Product Manager at Jensen Smul International.
As a product manager with over 5 years of experience, I’ve been opportune enough to work in varied environments. I had a chance to lead 5 cross-functional teams from conception through product launch with multiple iterations, which resulted in raising 7 efficiency measures by more than 20%. I believe this is the kind of flexibility and leadership experience you’re looking for among your senior leaders. And I’d be delighted to help your product team grow.
I’m truly elated by this opportunity as I’ve been a long-time fan of your multiple ventures, especially Accel-Rator. I’d love my experience in helping fast-growing SaaS businesses use their full potential to contribute to the growth of Accel-Rator in particular.
Would it be possible for you to set aside some time next week to talk about my ideas on exploring new product functionalities, and running marketing campaigns that could help us realize up to 130% ROI?
PS—I'd love to tell you how my team managed to improve UX/UI scores by up to 20% by means of increasing user feedback collection.
This cover letter has 261 words, including contact information, the greeting, and the closing formula. Look, if someone like Charlize could pack their expertise into 261 words, you can, too.
Your cover letter shouldn’t take much space. So, if you’re prone to writing long cover letters, try these tips to make your cover letter length meet the requirements:
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To make good use of the limited number of words in your cover letter, follow this structure:
This simple blueprint provides a clear, easy-to-skim cover letter structure. It shows the recruiter that you mean business. Now, pair your brilliant cover letter with a matching resume and you’ll be ready to submit your job application.
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To answer the question "how long should a cover letter be?" remember those three simple rules:
Do you have any other questions about how long a cover letter should be? Would you like to share your advice on choosing the optimal cover letter length? We’d love to hear from you.
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Well, would you watch an hour-long movie teaser?
Even if you're Gandalf and your most recent work experience alone could fill an entire movie trilogy, keep your cover letter short. Focus on the most relevant achievements and success stories and leave the reader wanting more. You can even leave a P. S. that goes like "Once I persuaded a hobbit to go on an adventure and helped save the world—can't wait to tell you the story!"
The guidelines for cover letter length are the same, no matter whether you’re sending your cover letter by post, submitting it as a PDF (the best file format for cover letters), or pasting it into the body of an email. Stick to 250–400 words and 3–4 paragraphs.
The only difference is that a cover letter email doesn't have a full-blown cover letter header with contact info and starts directly with "Dear Ms. Smith".
The general rule of thumb for cover letter length is 250–400 words. But don't sweat too much if your cover letter ends up being just 200 words long—this is perfectly normal, especially if you're writing an entry-level cover letter or a cover letter with no work experience at all.
Written by Olga BerOlga is a career expert with a background in teaching. At ResumeLab, she writes actionable guides to help job-seekers highlight their unique strengths and unlock their career potential.
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