How Long Should a Cover Letter Be?

Direct Answer

A cover letter should be one page, 150-400 words, and 3-4 paragraphs. That’s it. MIT’s Career Advising & Professional Development office is clear on this: a cover letter should be “no longer than one page with a font size between 10-12 points.”

The goal isn’t to hit a specific word count. The goal is to say exactly what needs to be said — why you want this role and why you’re qualified — and stop.

The Ideal Word Count

Here’s how to think about cover letter length by experience level:

• Entry-level or career changers: 150-250 words. You don’t have decades of experience to draw from, and that’s fine. A tight, focused letter shows self-awareness.
• Mid-career professionals: 250-350 words. You have more to work with, but you still need to be selective. Pick your 2-3 strongest qualifications and build around them.
• Senior or executive level: 300-400 words. You’ve earned the right to a slightly longer letter, but don’t exceed 400 words. Senior hiring managers are the busiest readers you’ll encounter.

The sweet spot for most candidates is 250-300 words. That gives you enough room to make a case without testing anyone’s patience.

What to Do When You Have Too Much to Say

This is the more common problem. You have years of experience, multiple relevant achievements, and you want to squeeze all of it into one page. Here’s how to cut without losing impact:

Lead with your single strongest qualification. If you managed a $2M budget and also organized team meetings, lead with the budget. The meetings don’t make the cut.

Cut anything your resume already says. Your cover letter is not a prose version of your resume. It’s a companion document. If a bullet point on your resume covers it, don’t repeat it in your cover letter — add context or skip it entirely.

Remove filler phrases. Sentences like “I believe I would be a great fit for your team” or “I am confident that my skills align with your needs” say nothing specific. Replace them with evidence or delete them.

Use the “so what” test. Read each sentence and ask: does this give the hiring manager a concrete reason to interview me? If the answer is no, cut it.

If you’re struggling to trim your letter, try JobScoutly’s free resume builder to make sure your resume carries the detailed information so your cover letter doesn’t have to.

What to Do When You Don’t Have Enough

If your cover letter feels too short, the problem usually isn’t that you lack content. It’s that you haven’t researched the role well enough.

Read the job description line by line. Identify the top three requirements and address at least two of them directly. Even if your experience is limited, you can connect coursework, volunteer work, or personal projects to what they’re asking for.

Research the company. Mention something specific about their product, mission, or recent news. This adds substance and shows genuine interest — two things that a generic “I am excited to apply” never achieves.

Don’t pad. A 150-word cover letter that says something real is better than a 300-word letter that repeats itself. If you’ve said what you need to say in three short paragraphs, stop writing.

Formatting Tips for Length

Formatting choices affect how long your cover letter looks and reads. Get these right and the length takes care of itself:

• Font size: 10-12 points. Never go below 10 — it signals that you’re cramming.
• Margins: 0.5” to 1” on all sides. Match your resume margins for a consistent look.
• Font choice: Use the same professional font as your resume. Calibri, Arial, Garamond, and Cambria all work.
• Spacing: Single-spaced paragraphs with a blank line between each paragraph.
• File format: Save as PDF. Word documents can reformat across different computers and push your letter onto a second page.
• Header: Use a professional header that matches your resume. This takes up space, so account for it in your word count.

Your cover letter and resume should look like they belong together. If you need a polished, consistent layout, JobScoutly’s free resume builder creates ATS-optimized documents with matching formatting.

Common Mistakes

Going to two pages. There is no scenario where a cover letter should be two pages. If you can’t make your case in one page, the problem is editing, not length.

Shrinking the font to fit more text. If you’re dropping below 10pt to squeeze everything in, you’re writing too much. Cut content instead of shrinking text.

Writing one giant paragraph. A wall of text is harder to read regardless of word count. Break your letter into 3-4 distinct paragraphs with clear purposes.

Obsessing over word count instead of content. A 200-word letter with a specific, relevant achievement beats a 400-word letter full of buzzwords. Quality per word matters more than total words.

Padding with company flattery. One sentence about why you admire the company is enough. Three sentences praising their “innovative culture” and “industry-leading solutions” wastes space and sounds insincere.

Focus on making every word count. A concise cover letter that matches the job description will outperform a longer one every time. Use JobScoutly’s Job Match Analyzer to check that your application materials align with what the employer is looking for.