Proper Cover Letter Format: Margins, Fonts, and Layout Guide

A cover letter’s content matters enormously, but presentation matters too. The best-written cover letter loses impact if it’s poorly formatted—with cramped text, inappropriate fonts, or unprofessional layout choices that signal carelessness before a single word is read.

Proper formatting ensures your cover letter looks professional, is easy to read, and presents your qualifications in the best possible light. It also demonstrates the attention to detail that employers value in candidates.

This comprehensive guide covers every formatting decision you’ll need to make, from margin widths to font choices to overall layout structure. Follow these guidelines, and your cover letter will create a polished first impression that complements your strong content.

Why Cover Letter Formatting Matters

Before diving into specifics, understand why formatting deserves attention.

First Impressions Are Visual

When a hiring manager opens your cover letter, they form an immediate impression based on how the document looks—before reading a single word. Professional formatting signals:

Attention to detail
Understanding of professional norms
Respect for the reader’s time
Organization and care

Poor formatting signals the opposite: carelessness, inexperience, or disregard for presentation.

Readability Affects Comprehension

Good formatting makes your content easy to read and absorb. When text is properly sized, spaced, and organized:

Key points stand out
Readers can scan effectively
Information flows logically
Reading feels effortless

Poor formatting creates barriers between your message and the reader’s understanding.

Consistency Builds Trust

A consistently formatted document demonstrates systematic thinking and follow-through. Inconsistencies—different fonts, varying spacing, misaligned elements—create subtle unease and suggest disorder.

Digital and Print Considerations

Your cover letter may be viewed on a computer screen, printed out, or both. Proper formatting ensures it looks professional in any medium and survives the conversion between them.

Page Layout Fundamentals

Start with the foundational elements of page layout.

Page Size and Orientation

Standard: US Letter size (8.5” × 11”) in portrait orientation.

International: A4 size (210mm × 297mm) for international applications.

Never use landscape orientation, legal size, or unusual page dimensions for cover letters. Stick with standard sizes that match resume conventions and can be easily printed or filed.

Margin Guidelines

Margins frame your content and create essential white space. Here are the recommendations:

Standard margins: 1 inch on all sides (top, bottom, left, right)

Acceptable range: 0.75” to 1.25” depending on content length

Minimum: Never go below 0.5” margins—anything tighter looks cramped and may be cut off when printed.

When to adjust:

If your letter runs slightly over one page, try 0.75” margins to fit content
If your letter looks too sparse, use 1.25” margins to create better balance
Always maintain equal margins on left and right sides

Common mistake: Drastically reducing margins to fit more content. If you need to shrink margins significantly to fit one page, your letter is too long—edit the content instead.

Alignment

Body text: Left-aligned (also called flush left or ragged right). This is the standard for professional documents and creates even spacing between words.

Never use: Full justification (aligned on both left and right margins). While it looks neat, it creates uneven word spacing that reduces readability.

Header options: Your header can be left-aligned, centered, or right-aligned depending on design preference, as long as it’s consistent with your resume.

Page Length

Golden rule: Cover letters should always be one page.

No exceptions. If your letter exceeds one page, you’re including too much content. Edit ruthlessly until it fits.

Target length: 250-400 words, typically 3-4 paragraphs.

Font Selection

Font choice significantly impacts readability and professional impression.

Recommended Fonts

Serif fonts (traditional, formal):

Times New Roman
Garamond
Georgia
Cambria
Book Antiqua

Sans-serif fonts (modern, clean):

Arial
Calibri
Helvetica
Verdana
Tahoma

All of these are safe, professional choices that will display correctly across different computers and printers.

Font Size Guidelines

Body text: 10-12 point

11 point is ideal for most fonts
12 point works well for smaller fonts like Garamond
10 point is acceptable but may strain readers’ eyes

Your name: 14-16 point (slightly larger than body text)

Section headers (if used): 11-12 point, bold

Contact information: 10-11 point

Fonts to Avoid

Never use:

Comic Sans (too casual)
Papyrus (unprofessional)
Curlz, Brush Script, or other decorative fonts
Impact, Arial Black, or other heavy display fonts
Courier New (outdated typewriter aesthetic)
Any font that’s difficult to read

Use sparingly:

Very thin fonts that may not print well
Fonts that are overly stylized, even if “professional”
Fonts that aren’t widely available on different systems

Font Consistency

Match your resume: Use the same font in your cover letter as in your resume. This creates a cohesive personal brand across your application materials.

Maintain consistency: Use only one font family throughout your cover letter. Don’t mix Times New Roman body text with Arial headers.

Bold and italic: Use these sparingly for emphasis. Excessive formatting is distracting.

Line and Paragraph Spacing

Proper spacing ensures readability and professional appearance.

Line Spacing (Leading)

Standard: Single spacing (1.0) or slightly looser (1.15)

Maximum: 1.5 spacing—anything more creates too much white space and makes the letter look empty.

Avoid: Double spacing (2.0) in cover letters. This is appropriate for academic papers but not professional correspondence.

Paragraph Spacing

Between paragraphs: One blank line (or roughly 12-15 points of space)

This separation makes paragraphs visually distinct without wasting excessive space.

First line indentation: Optional

Traditional style: Indent first line of each paragraph (0.5”)
Modern style: No indentation, with blank line between paragraphs
Choose one approach and apply consistently

Spacing After Punctuation

Standard modern practice: One space after periods and other sentence-ending punctuation.

The two-space rule (from typewriter days) is outdated. Use single spacing for contemporary, professional appearance.

Cover Letter Structure and Layout

A properly formatted cover letter follows standard business letter structure.

Complete Layout Structure

[YOUR HEADER - Contact Information]

[Date]

[Employer Contact Information]

[Salutation]

[Opening Paragraph]

[Body Paragraph 1]

[Body Paragraph 2]

[Body Paragraph 3 - optional]

[Closing Paragraph]

[Sign-off]

[Your Typed Name]

Your Header/Contact Information

Your header appears at the top and should include:

Full name
Phone number
Professional email address
City and state (full address optional)
LinkedIn URL or portfolio (optional)

Format options:

Centered header:

                    JORDAN MARTINEZ
        (555) 234-5678 | [email protected]
                     Austin, TX

Left-aligned header:

JORDAN MARTINEZ
(555) 234-5678 | [email protected]
Austin, TX

Right-aligned header:

                                    JORDAN MARTINEZ
                    (555) 234-5678 | [email protected]
                                         Austin, TX

Consistency rule: Match your cover letter header to your resume header for cohesive branding.

Date

Place the date below your header with one blank line separation.

Format options:

August 15, 2025
15 August 2025 (common in international contexts)

Avoid: Abbreviated formats like 8/15/25 in formal correspondence.

Employer Contact Information

Include the employer’s information below the date:

Hiring manager’s name and title
Company name
Company address (optional for digital submissions)

Example:

Ms. Jennifer Chen
Director of Marketing
ABC Corporation
123 Business Street
Chicago, IL 60601

When you don’t have a name: You can address to the department or company:

Hiring Committee
Marketing Department
ABC Corporation

Salutation

The greeting appears after the employer information with one blank line above it.

Standard format: “Dear [Title] [Last Name]:”

Examples:

Dear Ms. Chen:
Dear Dr. Williams:
Dear Hiring Manager:

Punctuation: Use a colon after the name in formal business letters. A comma is acceptable in less formal contexts.

Body Paragraphs

The main content of your letter, typically 3-4 paragraphs:

Opening paragraph (hook and position identification)
Body paragraph(s) (qualifications and fit)
Closing paragraph (call to action)

Each paragraph should be 3-5 sentences, separated by one blank line.

Closing and Signature

Sign-off examples:

Sincerely,
Best regards,
Kind regards,
Respectfully,

Leave 3-4 lines between your sign-off and typed name for a handwritten signature (if printing). For digital submissions, the space can be reduced.

Example:

Sincerely,


Jordan Martinez

Digital Formatting Considerations

Most cover letters today are submitted electronically. Consider these factors.

File Format

PDF (recommended): Preserves formatting exactly as you created it, regardless of what software the recipient uses.

Word (.docx): Acceptable when specifically requested, but may display differently on different systems.

Plain text: Only for online forms that don’t accept attachments or when specifically requested.

File Naming Conventions

Use professional, descriptive file names:

Jordan_Martinez_Cover_Letter.pdf
JMartinez_MarketingManager_CoverLetter.pdf
Cover_Letter_Jordan_Martinez.pdf

Avoid: Generic names like “Cover Letter.pdf” or “Document1.pdf”

Email Cover Letters

When your cover letter serves as the email body rather than an attachment:

Remove formal letter formatting (date, employer address)
Keep header information minimal or move to email signature
Maintain professional structure in body content
Ensure readability on mobile devices

ATS Compatibility

While cover letters are less heavily parsed by Applicant Tracking Systems than resumes, ensure compatibility:

Avoid tables, text boxes, and columns
Don’t use headers or footers for important information
Keep formatting simple and standard
Test by copying text to a plain text document to see if it remains readable

Visual Consistency with Your Resume

Your cover letter and resume should form a cohesive package.

Elements to Match

Font family: Same fonts in both documents

Header design: Same personal branding and contact information style

Color scheme: If using accent colors, use the same ones

Formatting conventions: Same date formats, similar spacing approaches

Creating a Personal Brand

Consistent formatting across application materials creates professional personal branding. When a hiring manager reviews your materials, they should feel like a unified package rather than mismatched documents.

Consider creating templates for your resume and cover letter simultaneously, ensuring they share design DNA while serving their different purposes.

When building your professional profile, platforms like 0portfolio.com help maintain visual consistency across your resume, cover letter, and portfolio, creating a cohesive professional presence.

Common Formatting Mistakes

Avoid these errors that undermine otherwise strong cover letters.

Layout Mistakes

Cramped text: Margins too narrow or font too small, creating a dense, uninviting appearance.

Excessive white space: The opposite problem—large margins, sparse text, and a letter that looks empty.

Inconsistent alignment: Mixing centered and left-aligned elements randomly.

Unprofessional header: Decorative fonts, colors, or graphics in the header that look unprofessional.

Font Mistakes

Too many fonts: Using different fonts for different sections creates visual chaos.

Inappropriate font choices: Casual, decorative, or hard-to-read fonts.

Size extremes: Font too small to read comfortably or too large, looking childish.

Excessive styling: Overusing bold, italic, underline, or ALL CAPS.

Spacing Mistakes

Inconsistent paragraph spacing: Different amounts of space between different paragraphs.

Missing spacing: No clear separation between paragraphs, creating a wall of text.

Wrong line spacing: Double-spaced text that wastes space and looks like a school paper.

File and Submission Mistakes

Wrong file format: Sending a Word document when PDF would preserve formatting better.

Unprofessional file name: “coverletter.docx” or “Document1.pdf” instead of proper naming.

Printing issues: Formatting that looks fine on screen but fails when printed (text cut off, colors that don’t print well).

Formatting for Different Scenarios

Different situations may require format adjustments.

Traditional Industries

Law, finance, government, and academia often expect more traditional formatting:

Conservative fonts (Times New Roman, Garamond)
Standard margins (1 inch)
Formal structure following all conventions
Minimal design elements

Creative Industries

Design, marketing, media, and tech may accept more design flexibility:

Modern fonts (Calibri, Helvetica)
Subtle design elements (clean lines, professional colors)
Slightly more creative layouts
Still professional and readable

Caution: Even in creative fields, cover letters should prioritize readability over design. Save strong design work for portfolios.

Academic and Research Positions

Academic cover letters may have different expectations:

Often longer than one page (especially for faculty positions)
May use different conventions based on field
Research the specific expectations for your discipline

International Applications

Different countries have different conventions:

A4 paper size instead of Letter
Different date formats (day/month/year)
Some countries expect photos on application materials (others don’t)
Research specific expectations for your target country

Formatting Checklist

Before submitting, verify these elements:

Page Setup

Standard page size (Letter or A4)
Portrait orientation
Appropriate margins (0.75”-1.25”)
One page length

Fonts and Text

Structure

Consistency

Matches resume formatting
Consistent spacing throughout
Uniform paragraph formatting
No orphaned lines

Technical

Saved as PDF
Professional file name
Tested printing/display
No spelling/grammar errors

Template Example

Here’s a properly formatted cover letter template:

[1" margins all around]
[Calibri 11pt]

JORDAN MARTINEZ
(555) 234-5678 | [email protected] | Austin, TX
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jordanmartinez

August 15, 2025

Ms. Jennifer Chen
Director of Marketing
ABC Corporation
123 Business Street
Chicago, IL 60601

Dear Ms. Chen:

[Opening paragraph: 2-4 sentences introducing yourself, stating 
the position, and capturing attention with a compelling hook. 
Single spaced within paragraph.]

[Body paragraph 1: 4-6 sentences demonstrating your primary 
qualification with specific examples and results. Connect your 
experience to the employer's needs. Single spaced within paragraph.]

[Body paragraph 2: 4-6 sentences providing additional evidence 
of your fit, demonstrating company knowledge, and showing 
cultural alignment. Single spaced within paragraph.]

[Closing paragraph: 2-4 sentences summarizing your value 
proposition, expressing enthusiasm, including a call to action, 
and thanking the reader. Single spaced within paragraph.]

Sincerely,

[3-4 line breaks for signature]

Jordan Martinez

Conclusion

Proper cover letter formatting isn’t just about following rules—it’s about presenting yourself professionally and ensuring your content is easily read and understood. Good formatting removes barriers between your qualifications and the hiring manager’s attention.

Remember the key principles: stick to one page with standard margins (around 1 inch), use professional fonts at readable sizes (10-12 point), maintain consistent spacing, and follow standard business letter structure. Match your cover letter formatting to your resume for a cohesive application package.

Before submitting any cover letter, check it against the formatting checklist. Review it both on screen and in print preview. Have someone else look at it with fresh eyes. Small formatting details, when done correctly, contribute to an overall impression of professionalism and care that can influence hiring decisions.

Your cover letter’s content makes your case for the job. Your cover letter’s formatting ensures that case gets a fair hearing.

Summarize with AI