The parts of a cover letter, in order
| Part | What goes in it | Length |
|---|---|---|
| Your header | Name, phone, email, city, LinkedIn | 2–3 lines |
| Date | The day you send it | 1 line |
| Employer details | Hiring manager's name and title, company, city | 2–4 lines (optional in modern letters) |
| Greeting | Dear Ms. Sharma, / Dear Hiring Manager, | 1 line |
| Opening paragraph | The role, and the strongest reason you fit | 2–3 sentences |
| Middle paragraph(s) | Two or three pieces of evidence matched to the job | 1–2 paragraphs |
| Why this company | One specific reason, connected to you | 2–3 sentences |
| Closing paragraph | Next step, availability, thanks | 2–3 sentences |
| Sign-off and name | Kind regards, + your full name | 2 lines |
The whole thing should fit on one page: 250 to 400 words. What to actually write in each paragraph is covered step by step in how to write a cover letter; this guide is about the layout.
Simple cover letter format to copy (PDF or printed)
Use this when you upload a cover letter to a job portal, attach it to an email, or hand it over at a walk-in interview.
[Your Full Name] [Phone] · [Email] · [City] · [LinkedIn URL] [Date: October 15, 2026] [Hiring Manager's Name] [Job Title] [Company Name] [City] Dear [Ms./Mr. Last Name or Hiring Manager], [Opening: the role you're applying for and the single strongest reason you fit, ideally a result.] [Middle: the job's top need, and a short story from your experience that proves you can meet it. Repeat for a second need.] [Why this company: one specific thing about them, and why it matters to you.] [Closing: what you'd like to happen next, your availability or notice period, and thanks.] Kind regards, [Your Full Name]
Modern letters often drop the employer's address block, especially when sent by email or through a portal. Keep it for formal applications: government jobs, banks, law firms, universities, and anything printed.
The same format, filled in
Marcus Bennett (614) 555-0172 · marcus.bennett@email.com · Columbus, OH · linkedin.com/in/marcusbennett October 26, 2026 Dana Whitfield Operations Director Kestrel Freight Columbus, OH Dear Ms. Whitfield, I'm applying for the Logistics Coordinator role posted on your careers page. In three years at a regional distributor, I cut late deliveries from 9% to 3% by rebuilding our dispatch schedule around carrier cut-off times. Your posting asks for someone who can manage carrier relationships and keep shipment data clean. I manage 14 carriers today, run a weekly scorecard on on-time rates, and moved our tracking from email threads into a shared dashboard the warehouse team now updates themselves. Kestrel's move into temperature-controlled freight is what drew me to this role. I spent my first year handling pharmacy shipments, so I know how unforgiving a cold chain is. I'd welcome the chance to talk about the role. I can start two weeks after an offer. Thank you for your time. Sincerely, Marcus Bennett Enclosure: Resume
Four short paragraphs, about 200 words, every block separated by one blank line. The enclosure line at the end is optional; it's a tidy touch on printed or formal letters and unnecessary in an upload.
Cover letter spacing, font, margins and file
- Font: the same font as your resume, at 10.5–12 pt. Calibri, Arial, Georgia, Garamond and similar fonts all read well on screen and paper.
- Margins: about 0.75–1 inch (2–2.5 cm) on all sides.
- Spacing: single-spaced (1.0 to 1.15 line spacing) paragraphs, with one blank line between paragraphs and between each block (header, date, greeting), and no indents at the start of paragraphs.
- Alignment: left-aligned. Justified text creates uneven gaps between words.
- Length: one page, 250–400 words, three to five paragraphs of no more than five lines each.
- Paper size: US Letter for the US and Canada; A4 for the UK, Europe, India, the Gulf and most of the world.
- File: PDF unless the employer asks for Word. Name it clearly: Aditi-Rao-Cover-Letter.pdf.
Setting it up in Word or Google Docs
- Set the margins first: Layout → Margins in Word, File → Page setup in Google Docs. Check the paper size there too (Letter or A4).
- Pick one kind of paragraph gap. Both programs can add space after every paragraph on their own. Either keep that spacing and press Enter once between paragraphs, or set the space after to 0 and leave a blank line. Doing both gives double gaps that make the letter spill onto page two.
- Turn off first-line indents and set alignment to left.
- Export as PDF (File → Save as or Export in Word, File → Download in Google Docs) and open the PDF to check nothing moved.
The easiest way to get all of this right is to use the same design for your resume and letter. Our cover letter templates come in simple, professional and modern styles, with the header, spacing and margins already set.
Email cover letter format
When you apply by email, the email body is your cover letter. Don't write “Please find my cover letter attached” with an empty email; most recruiters won't open a second attachment. Write a shorter letter (150–250 words) directly in the email, and attach your resume as a PDF.
Subject lines
The subject line decides whether your email is found again. Include the job title, any reference number and your name:
- Application: Data Analyst (Ref. DA-1042) – Aditi Rao
- Data Analyst application – Aditi Rao, 2 years in lending analytics
- Referred by Priya Iyer: UX Designer application – Karan Shah
- Application for Junior Software Developer – Ananya Reddy, BS Computer Science 2026
Subject: Application: Data Analyst (Ref. DA-1042) – Aditi Rao Dear Ms. Carter, I'd like to apply for the Data Analyst role in your credit risk team. At Kreditly, a Chicago lending startup, I rebuilt the monthly collections report as a daily SQL and Power BI dashboard, which helped cut 90-day defaults by 11% in two quarters. Your work on credit models for first-time borrowers is the problem I most want to work on, and I'd bring two years of hands-on lending data experience to it from day one. My resume is attached. I'm based in Chicago, can start two weeks after an offer, and am happy to talk at a time that suits you. Kind regards, Aditi Rao (312) 555-0148 linkedin.com/in/aditirao
Send the email to yourself first. Check the attachment opens, the subject line reads well on a phone, and your signature has a phone number.
Format by situation
| Where you're sending it | Format | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Job portal upload | Full letter as PDF | Use the same design as your resume |
| Email to a recruiter | Short letter in the email body | Resume attached as PDF; clear subject line |
| Text box in an application form | Plain text, no header | Start at the greeting; keep paragraph breaks |
| LinkedIn message or InMail | 3–5 sentences | Role, one strong reason, a polite ask |
| Printed, at a walk-in interview | Full letter with employer block | A4, signed above your typed name |
US, UK and India conventions
| United States | United Kingdom | India | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Date style | October 15, 2026 | 15 October 2026 | 15 October 2026 or 15/10/2026 |
| Greeting without a name | Dear Hiring Manager | Dear Hiring Manager (or Dear Sir or Madam) | Dear Hiring Manager |
| Sign-off | Sincerely / Best regards | Yours sincerely (named reader) / Yours faithfully (unnamed) | Kind regards / Sincerely |
| Paper | US Letter | A4 | A4 |
| Worth mentioning | Work authorization if relevant | Right to work, notice period | Notice period, current location |
Avoid writing dates as 10/11/2026 in international applications: Americans read it as October 11 and almost everyone else as 10 November. Writing the month in words removes the doubt.
Indian applications sometimes still end with “Thanking you, Yours faithfully”. It isn't wrong, but “Kind regards” reads more natural to most private-sector recruiters today, in India and abroad.
Format mistakes recruiters notice
- A different design from your resume. Two documents in two fonts look like they came from two people. Match them.
- One huge paragraph. Break the letter into short paragraphs so it can be skimmed on a phone.
- An old date or the wrong company name left over from the last application. Check both every time.
- A cover letter as a second attachment with a blank email. Many recruiters never open it.
- Overflowing onto page two by a few lines. Trim a sentence rather than shrinking the font below 10.5 pt.
- Fancy sign-offs like “Warmest wishes” or “Cheers” in a formal application.
See the format in real letters
Format is easier to copy than to describe. Each of these shows the full layout with a complete letter written for the job:
- Fresher cover letter →No experience, built on projects and college
- Internship cover letter →For students still in college
- Software engineer cover letter →Technical, results-first
- Customer service cover letter →Short and warm
- Career change cover letter →Explaining a move between fields
- All cover letter examples →By job, free to copy
Your resume should follow the same visual style. If you haven't settled its format yet, see the resume format guide.