What Size Font Should A Cover Letter Be

Choosing a expert cover alphabetic character font is important because information technology affects the legibility and the overall await and feel of this crucial chore application document. Let's talk about the pros and cons of diverse fonts (and font sizes) and so y'all can make an informed choice.

What is the all-time font for embrace letters? At that place'due south no single correct reply to this frequently asked question. Just when it comes to choosing the right font for your own cover alphabetic character, y'all accept quite a few great options.

The best fonts to apply in a cover letter are those that are attractive, clean and piece of cake to read.

You want hiring managers to take ane glance at your cover alphabetic character and think "Looks skillful!" earlier they fifty-fifty kickoff reading. And so you desire them to read every word, focusing on your content — non distracted by a foreign font choice or a font size that'south too big or too small.

If you choose some odd-looking, avant garde font to make your cover letter of the alphabet stand out, it will — but for all the incorrect reasons. The recruiter is likely to frown and wonder why you chose such a weird font, and you've already got ane strike against you.

Expert tip

In that location is no shortage of online advice about how to choose the all-time font for encompass letters, including YouTube videos such as this one.

Choosing between serif and sans serif fonts

Your choice of cover alphabetic character font ultimately comes down to two bones font types: serif and sans serif.

Serif fonts: A serif is a decorative flourish, a small line or stroke added to the letters of the alphabet. For case, a capital A in a serif typeface will have a small horizontal line at the bottom of the two diagonal lines that grade the primary office of the letter — they expect like tiny pedestals that course a base for the letter.

Serifs are added to the parts of messages that end in mid-air; for example, a lowercase "i" as in "ice" will generally have a serif at the pinnacle pointing left and a serif at the bottom pointing both right and left. But yous'll probably never run into a serif on the letter of the alphabet "o" because it'south a circle where no function of the letter ends in mid-air.

Sans serif fonts: Sans serif fonts don't use serifs, so they expect more similar the alphabet displayed above the blackboard in an unproblematic school classroom. For example, if you impress the letter "i" on a piece of newspaper with a pencil, you probably just describe a direct vertical line and add a dot on top of it. That'due south sans serif. But if y'all add little decorations to the vertical line, those are serifs.

Should you use a serif or a not-serif font for cover letters?

There is no right or wrong answer to the question of using a serif or non-serif cover letter font, as long as it's easy on the optics and doesn't distract your reader. Possibly with the exception of header text only, you should use the same font consistently throughout.

It can be a matter of personal preference, every bit well as compatibility with the occupation, employer and industry. In terms of "personality," serif fonts tend to be perceived as more traditional, formal, mature and reliable, while sans serif fonts are unremarkably described every bit sleek, mod and clean.

Proficient tip

Some experts recommend serif fonts as beingness easier to read for body text in a printed document, while sans serif fonts are generally preferable for viewing on a computer screen or mobile device.

A listing of good fonts for encompass letters

Here is our pinnacle 8 list of good fonts for cover messages:

Arial: Sort of like a Helvetica for the 21st century, Arial is a modern sans serif font popular for its legibility and clean lines.

Calibri: Another good sans serif option, Calibri is the current default font for Microsoft Word.

Cambria: A good-looking serif font designed for computer screens, deputed by Microsoft.

Garamond: A classic serif font like you'd expect to run into in a pricey new volume past a acme publisher.

Georgia: Currently a very popular serif font, said to read well in small sizes; call it the new Times New Roman.

Lato: A "serious but friendly" sans serif font created past Google for calculator screens, but it doesn't come with Microsoft Word applications.

Trebuchet: A sans serif font from Microsoft, as well designed to look good online.

Verdana: Another sans serif font from Microsoft, Verdana looks sort of a like a chilled-out version of Arial.

Fonts to NOT use in your cover letter

Unless you're really loving unemployment, don't use these fonts in a embrace letter:

Brush Script: If you lot favor fonts that expect like cursive, you might as well simply grab a pen and write the letter with your ain hand.

Comic Sans: If you're designing a comic book, get for it, just never use this font in a embrace letter.

Courier: May exist useful for forging a certificate to look similar it was written on a typewriter in the 1970s, but useless in a modernistic cover letter.

Impact: Any font that's this heavy and bold makes it look like yous're trying to compensate for something lacking in your pitch.

Situational fonts for encompass letters

You'll hear conflicting advice on certain fonts, these are generally considered situational fonts and you need to consider the image, graphic symbol and context for the job:

Helvetica: There's goose egg wrong with the globe's virtually famous font, but it'southward then old that many consider it yesterday's choice.

Times New Roman: Aforementioned goes for this classic serif font: It notwithstanding works later all these years, but you won't get points for originality.

Roboto, Open up Sans, Ubuntu: These are clean and legible fonts that are widely used in the tech/IT industry, but they may not be every bit popular with more traditional jobs and employers. You can feel a bit safer using these when applying to a software company or an Information technology startup. Just be advised that you might end upwardly with an overly sleek and techy feel to your document.

Cover letter font size and spacing

Whatever font yous choose, do not make the mistake of running it also big or likewise small. As well large and it looks childish; too small and the reader needs a magnifying glass. And you can always count on resume.io for occupation-specific communication and a top-of-the-line online encompass letter architect to boost your career!

What is the correct font size for a cover letter?

A good rule of thumb is to start with a 12-indicate font size. Font size depends on the font fashion; for some fonts, 12 points could be too large or 10 points too minor. Getting information technology right may take some trial and mistake.

People sometimes ask if an 11-betoken font is OK for a embrace letter, and the answer is yes. Font sizes are typically described in even numbers, but at that place's no reason you can't make your font size 11, or even xi.3, as long as it looks good on the page.

What font size is too small for a cover alphabetic character?

Almost cover letters should be one folio only, and most commencement drafts exceed one page, so writers resort to downsizing the font to make information technology fit. This IS an allowable tactic, but don't make information technology any smaller than 10 points.

Cover letter of the alphabet spacing and white space

In addition to choosing the correct font size for your application letter, you need to set advisable cover alphabetic character margins — one inch on the top, bottom, left and right is a good rule.

Some other consideration is cover letter spacing. Every typeface comes with a default amount of "leading" (rhymes with "sledding"), which ways the corporeality of space between lines. This setting is adjustable, but don't downsize information technology to squeeze your alphabetic character onto one page. Allow for an appropriate amount of white infinite in your embrace letter of the alphabet, or it will await similar you're trying to cram 12 pounds of stuff into a ten-pound bag.

What exercise the best encompass letter fonts wait like?

Expect no further than resume.io for samples of what you might decide is the best font for cover letters. And if y'all're ready to create your own encompass letter, this is too the right place to get started right away. Check out our professionally designed, field-tested cover alphabetic character templates in four design categories: simple , creative , mod and professional .

Our top-of-the-line embrace letter builder tool makes it easy to customize your ain version for hassle-free, high-quality results in no time.

Proficient tip

You can always count on resume.io for the advice to heave your career! Our job-winning resources include a broad pick of occupation-specific writing guides and gratuitous encompass letter examples .

Central takeaways

Readability is the deciding gene for choosing a cover letter font that'southward clean, bonny and non-distracting.
Our top viii list of comprehend letter fonts includes a practiced option of serif and non-serif font types to suit your preference.
With good reason, several fonts belong on a "do not use in a cover alphabetic character" list. Others may exist okay in certain situations, depending on the image, character and context for the job.
Embrace letter font size and spacing are vitally important considerations, forth with font style.

Best of luck with choosing the right fonts and formatting choices for your cover letter. And even if you lot've forgotten everything we've said here, call back: Don't … utilize … Comic … Sans!