How long should a cover letter be?
A good cover letter can be the difference between getting an interview and not. We can help you write the perfect cover letter today!
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A good cover letter can be the difference between getting an interview and not. We can help you write the perfect cover letter today!
When done right, cover letters can play a vital role in the success of your job application. But letâs be honest, itâs not exactly everyoneâs favourite job to do, is it? When youâre writing a cover letter, youâve probably got a thousand questions spinning round in your head like âWhat should I include?â and âHow long should it be?â.
As a rule of thumb, cover letters in the UK should be no more than a page long, and should include 3-4 paragraphs. Hiring managers lead busy lives, so you want your cover letter to be short but concise. Your cover letter should expand on the main points from your CV, and provide more examples and detail about your most important achievements.
You might have a lot you want to highlight from your experience but cover letters arenât the place for that. Cover letters should include only the most relevant and impressive parts of your background and experience in relation to the job description. Everything else should wait until the interview. You want to get across your point as quickly as possible – and only the most relevant experience is going to grab the hiring managerâs attention.
Your cover letter isnât the place to write descriptively. Keep it simple and use as few words as possible. Yes, use sophisticated and professional language, but donât mistake sophistication for long sentences.
One of the most practical ways to save space in your cover letter is to make sure youâre typing in a size 11 font (Times New Roman or Arial) with just single spacing between lines.
A good rule is to only use 3-4 paragraphs in your cover letter. Each paragraph could contain somewhere between 2-5 sentences, but try not to write any more than that.
Make sure your cover letter isnât simply echoing your CV. You want to provide new and persuasive information in your cover letter that supports the information in your CV, but doesnât duplicate it.
Your cover letter should include text only. There should never be any images of you in your cover letter (or your CV for that matter!)
Donât use any fancy word art in your cover letter. This looks unprofessional, takes up space, and makes the page look more busy. Just stick to classic black font text!
Itâs important not to over-complicate the cover letter process. In a nutshell, you want your cover letter to prove that you have the key skills and experience listed in the job description, and to convince the hiring manager that you deserve an interview. Donât run away with the writing – hiring managers donât have time to read long essays. Keep it short and to the point to maximise your chance of getting an interview!
If youâre writing a cover letter, make sure you head over to our article on what to include in a cover letter.
Bagged yourself an interview? Donât miss our tips for standing out in an interview!
Steven1968
2 years agoOk
DawnB
2 years agoA cover letter should be a few paragraphs which highlight important aspects of the applicant. The C V will give the detailed information
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