Job Hunting Tips how Long should a Cover Letter be
The best cover letter a manager ever received when hiring people started off with "You should hire me because:" and went on to list five solid reasons for him to take action. It takes less than a standard letter page. And yes, he was hired…
When hiring staff, managers have to do their regular job, which often includes the job for which they want to hire someone. They do not have the time or patience to read long missives about how hard it is to find a job, or justifications for what appears in the resume or C.V. They need something sharp and to the point, something that gives them a reason for looking at the C.V. proper. They need to see that the applicant is worth the effort of being considered for the position.
As a rule, the cover letter should be only as long as it needs to be. Not a single word more and not a single word less. A good cover letter can be as short as the one mentioned above, and, at most, shorter than the C.V. It should be a summary of what is in your resume, and it should be appropriate to the position you are seeking. The C.V. gives the details that prove what you say in your summary cover letter. However, too short, and it may be useless. For example, you do not need a cover letter if all you want to say is "here is my resume".
To write a good cover letter, the first thing is to write one that says everything you want the hirer to know about what you will bring to the position. Spend as long as you need to, doing this. While writing this draft of your cover letter include everything that you will include in your resume. This is a draft, not what you will actually send. Also, in your draft include what you know about the company, the department, the manager who makes the decisions. If you know nothing about the company and so on, then do the necessary research.
So, how long should your cover letter be?
The draft with everything can be six or eight pages long. This is far too long for a cover letter. Go through each item, and ask yourself how relevant it will be to the hiring managers. If it does not show them what you will achieve in the position – for the company, not yourself – then drop it off. If you cannot show them the fit between you and the position, then drop it off. If it is simply a repetition of details in your resume, drop it.
When you finish with these first pass changes, your cover letter material is likely to be down to three or four pages. Now do the exercise again. Be ruthless in your decisions, and get rid of anything that sounds like you are repeating yourself. You are likely to find a number of bits that you think show how good you are, but how does these relate to making the company succeed in its aims? And do it again!
After this second (or third or fourth) pass, you will find that you have about a single page's worth of words (less than 400 words). Now, you correct the grammar and the spelling and you have a letter worth sending.
Think about the letter mentioned in the opening: "You should hire me because…"
The writer knew who that manager was, what the company did, what the job required and more. By stating boldly what he knew, he showed that he was aware of all the ramifications of the position, not just his qualifications. He communicated, not just the desire for the job, but that he knew how to fill the position and make it his own. As the reader, the manager involved could see how well he would fit into the company.
Oh, and he eventually took over the manager's position.
