How Long a Cover Letter Should Be

The one-page convention comes from an era of posted letters. On a screen the useful unit is different, and it is shorter than most people write.

The target

200 to 300 words. Roughly half a page, three or four short paragraphs.

The reasoning is not aesthetic. It is that a letter of this length gets read in full, and a letter of double that gets skimmed, which means your best sentence is likely to be missed rather than weighed.

There is a floor too. Under about 120 words you have usually announced an application rather than made a case, unless it is an email accompanying an attached letter, where brief is correct.

Purdue’s cover letter guidance points in the same direction: targeted and concise rather than comprehensive.

Why half a page beats a full page

Three reasons, all practical.

A full page invites duplication. There is not enough genuinely new material for a page. So people pad with a restatement of their resume, which is the single most common cover letter failure.

Screens are not pages. Much first-pass reading happens on a phone. A document requiring three swipes is processed differently from one that does not.

Density signals judgement. For any role involving communication, the letter is a work sample. Someone who can make an argument in 250 words has demonstrated something a longer letter cannot.

What the words are spent on

At 250 words, the budget is tight enough that every paragraph has to earn its place.

Section	Words	What it buys
Opening	30 to 40	The role, and your strongest relevant fact
Evidence	80 to 110	One specific example with a result
Bridge or second angle	50 to 70	The explanation your application needs
Close	25 to 35	The next step and thanks

That leaves nothing for enthusiasm, company history, or a summary of your resume, which is the point. See the cover letter outline guide.

When to go shorter

An email accompanying an attached resume. Three or four sentences. The email is a delivery note, not the argument. See the job application email guide.

An internal application where the reader already knows you. State the role, the one relevant thing, and stop.

A referral. Naming the person who suggested you apply does most of the work, and a long letter dilutes it.

A high-volume application to a role you obviously fit. Around 150 words is defensible. See short cover letter samples.

When length is justified

Rarely, and only for specific reasons.

Academic and research applications, where a longer letter addressing research interests and fit is the convention. Follow the field, not general advice.

Senior roles where you are making a case about scope and judgement, which can take an extra paragraph. Still not more than a page.

A career change requiring real explanation, where one paragraph of context is genuinely load-bearing. See how to change careers.

Notice that none of these is “I have a lot of relevant experience”. That is what the resume is for.

What to cut when you are over

In this order. Most letters lose a third without losing anything.

1. Any sentence about the company that they already know. “Vance Logistics is a leading provider of…” tells them nothing.
2. Enthusiasm. “I was thrilled to see this opening.” Delete every instance.
3. Resume restatement. Any sentence whose content is already a bullet.
4. Hedging. “I believe I would be a good fit” becomes “I fit this role because…”, which is shorter and stronger.
5. Preamble on each sentence. “I would like to take this opportunity to mention that I managed” becomes “I managed”.
6. The summary paragraph. A short letter does not need to recap itself.
7. Adverbs and intensifiers. Very, extremely, highly, truly.

Then read it aloud. Anything you stumble over is a sentence to cut rather than repair.

Formatting affects perceived length

Two things make the same word count feel shorter.

Paragraph breaks. Four short paragraphs read faster than two dense ones, even at identical length. White space is what makes a letter look answerable.

Real contrast and a readable size. Body text at 10 to 12 point in near-black. Light grey type fails the ratios in the WCAG standards and makes any length feel like work.

Do not shrink the font to fit more in. If you are reaching for that, you have a content problem.

The check

Paste your letter into a word counter. If it is over 320 words, cut using the list above.

Then read only the first two sentences and ask whether they contain your argument. If they do not, move it up. A reader who stops after two sentences should still know why you are worth a call.

Related

For structure, see the cover letter outline guide. For the short version, see short cover letter samples. For whether to write one at all, see what a cover letter is for, and for graded examples, the best cover letter examples.

Or draft one at the right length with the cover letter generator, free at Kazifi.