Look, we built this entire website to answer one question: how long should a cover letter be? The fact that you're here means you've probably spent way too much time overthinking this already. We get it. Every job application feels like a test you didn't study for, and the cover letter is the essay question nobody wants to answer.
Somewhere between "I am writing to express my interest" and a three-page manifesto about your career journey, there's a perfect length for a cover letter. Spoiler: it's shorter than you think. We created this site because the internet is full of conflicting advice, corporate HR speak, and articles that somehow never actually answer the question.
So we did the research. We looked at actual studies, talked to real recruiters, and analyzed what actually works when you're trying to get someone to read your application instead of moving on to the next one in their pile of 200.
This site exists to give you a straight answer about cover letter length, backed by data instead of someone's opinion from 2012. No fluff. No "it depends on your industry" without actually telling you what that means. Just the actual answer: 250-400 words, three paragraphs, three-quarters of a page.
We also cover why that length works, what happens when you go shorter or longer, and how to make those 300 words actually count instead of filling them with generic statements about your "strong work ethic" and "passion for excellence."
If you're applying for jobs and you're tired of advice that sounds helpful but isn't actionable, this is for you. If you've ever stared at a blank page wondering whether to write two paragraphs or five, this is for you. If you've been rejected after spending three hours crafting the perfect cover letter and you want to know what actually matters, this is definitely for you.
We're not here to sell you a course or a template library or a coaching session. We're here to answer the question in the domain name so you can stop overthinking it and get back to applying for jobs.
Here's what we believe: cover letters shouldn't be hard. The advice around them has gotten too complicated, too formal, and too divorced from what actually happens when a recruiter reads your application at 4pm on a Friday.
The best cover letter is one that's the right length, says something specific about why you're a good fit, and doesn't waste anyone's time. That's it. Everything else is overthinking.
So yeah, scholars may have pondered this question for millennia (okay, maybe just a few decades), but we're here to give you the practical answer so you can move on with your life. How long should a cover letter be? Now you know. Go write one.