A cover letter should be 250 to 400 words: three or four short paragraphs, well under one page. Recruiters skim cover letters in seconds, when they read them at all, so length past 400 words actively works against you. If yours runs long, cut the resume-restating middle — the letter's job is fit and motivation, not a second copy of your history.
The cover letter is read — when it's read — as a fast filter for two questions: can this person communicate, and do they actually want this job or just any job. Both are answered in the first paragraph. A tight 300-word letter demonstrates judgment about a reader's time, which is itself a professional skill the reader notices.
A 700-word letter answers a question nobody asked. It signals that you either can't prioritize or don't know what matters, and it guarantees skimming, which means you no longer control which sentences get read. Brevity keeps your best material load-bearing.
Paragraph one: why this company and role, specifically — one detail proving you know what they do and one line on why you fit. Paragraph two: your evidence — the one or two achievements most relevant to this job description, with numbers, told as a story the resume's bullets can't tell. Paragraph three: a short close — enthusiasm, availability, thanks.
Notice what's absent: your life story, your full work history, an inventory of soft skills. The resume carries the record; the letter carries motivation and your single best proof of fit. One page of A4 with normal margins fits about 400 words comfortably, which is another reason that's the ceiling.
Cut in this order. First, anything restating the resume — if a sentence just re-narrates bullets the reader will see anyway, it goes. Second, generic enthusiasm: "I am passionate about excellence and innovation" survives no editor. Third, apologies and hedges — "although I don't have direct experience in..." spends your word budget arguing against yourself.
What survives: the specific reason you want this job, your single strongest relevant achievement, and anything the resume structurally can't say — a career change explanation, a relocation, a personal connection to the company's mission. If a sentence isn't doing one of those jobs, it's padding.
No. Around 250 words is a strong length if every sentence earns its place — specific motivation, one concrete proof of fit, a clean close. Recruiters never reject for a letter being efficiently short; they skim or skip letters that are long.
Inconsistently. Many skip them; some read them only for borderline candidates or career changers, which is exactly when yours matters most. Write every letter as if it will be read for ten seconds — first paragraph load-bearing, everything skimmable.
Practically never in industry. Rare exceptions exist — some academic, government, or international applications explicitly request detailed letters. Unless the posting asks for one, a multi-page letter signals you don't know the convention.
Spend the saved words where screening actually happens — run your resume through the free scorer against the job description before polishing the letter further.
