A cover letter should be half a page to one full page, or about 250 to 400 words in three or four short paragraphs. That is the length hiring managers expect, and running onto a second page is the fastest way to lose them. Indeed puts the sweet spot at 250 to 400 words, and the trend keeps moving shorter, not longer.
This guide gives you the exact word count, page count, and paragraph structure, the right length for your specific situation (internship, senior role, government, grad school, career change), and a simple way to cut a letter that runs too long.
