A Guide to Getting Your Cover Letter Spacing Right

There are many reasons why the spacing you choose for your cover letter matters, such as:

• It can communicate your professionalism. Using an effectively spaced, well-written cover letter can communicate your professionalism from the moment the hiring manager looks at it. This positive impression you make can lead to interview requests.
• It can demonstrate key soft skills. A properly spaced, appropriately structured letter can communicate valuable soft skills that are needed for most jobs, such as organization, attention to detail, and written communication.
• It can change how the cover letter looks. In the hiring process, presentation usually has a significant impact on outcomes, so controlling the appearance of your cover letter is important. Spacing is a tool you can use to achieve this.
• It has a huge impact on how the document looks. How you space your cover letter can drastically alter its appearance. For example, too much space for the content makes a document look unwieldy and too little space makes it look messy.
• It can influence the readability of the letter. Spacing that is either too small or too large can reduce cover letter readability. This can lead to your communication not being read and prevent you from being considered for the position.
• It can give you sufficient space to write. As the standard length for a cover letter is one page, it’s important to use any available method to increase your amount of writing space. Spacing is a powerful technique for controlling the available space on your page. Essentially, how you space the areas between the sentences and sections of your cover letter can either increase or reduce the space you have to write about your fitness for the job.

Learn more: The Purpose of a Cover Letter

In general, using single spacing that is limited to 1.5 is suitable for a cover letter. Cover letter spacing should have the following features:

• It should improve the readability of the content. The primary objective in using spacing is to make what you’re communicating easier for the hiring manager to read. For example, there is a big difference to readability based on whether you use single 1.0 spacing,  single 1.2 spacing, single 1.5 spacing, or double 2.0 spacing. Appropriate spacing communicates the content effectively.
• It should make the best use of available space. Typically, the length of a cover letter is only one page, so making the best use of space is very important to communicate what you want to say effectively. Cover letter spacing is a tool you can use to do so. For instance, unsuitable spacing can take up the valuable space in the document and reduce the area you have to introduce yourself for the job.
• It should enhance the visual impact the letter makes. Spacing should be properly used to accentuate what you’re trying to say through it and the overall presentation. For example, effective spacing enhances the elegance of the font style and the content by giving each sufficient space on the page.

Learn more: How to Write a Cover Letter

You can space your cover letter effectively with the following steps:

1. Find out about any spacing requirements. Some employers may specify how they want the cover letter formatted. If so, you must follow this instruction on spacing. Check the job listing for any direction in this area. You can also get an idea of the type of spacing an employer prefers by looking at their online and offline publications, such as the website, press releases, brochures, or instruction manuals.

2. Complete writing your cover letter. Write the cover letter. As the spacing should work with the content, it’s best to select it when you have a finished product in relation to the text.

3. Try different spacing options. When you have written the letter, try different single space options, such as 1.0, 1.2, and 1.5 on your content. Then, gauge the overall presentation and readability of the document with each alternative. When testing these options, you can use the following questions to guide your selection:

• Does the spacing make the letter more readable?
• Does the spacing reduce the readability of the letter?
• Does the letter look better with the spacing?
• Does the spacing make the letter look worse?
• Does the font style work with the spacing?
• Does the spacing enhance the font style?
• Does the spacing provide enough space to fit the content into one page?
• Does the spacing require more than two pages to fit the content?

4. Choose the best spacing option for your cover letter. Based on your research on the employer and different spacing alternatives, choose the option that best suits the content, type style, and employer preferences. Use the following checklist to make sure you made the right choice:

• The spacing improves letter readability: Yes or no
• The spacing enhances letter appearance: Yes or no
• The spacing does not distract a reader from the content: Yes or no

Learn more: Writing an Effective Resume Work Experience Section

There are tips you can use to space your letter professionally, such as:

• Ask a friend for their opinion. Once you write the cover letter and choose its spacing, ask a trusted friend for their feedback. Based on their feedback, make any necessary changes to the spacing.
• Use spacing that supports the content. The best spacing for a cover letter enhances the content and font style without distracting the reader. Avoid spacing that draws attention by being too unconventional, too large, or too small.
• Use a one-inch margin. Most writing programs have already set an inch of space around your content as the default setting. This is the best margin spacing for the cover letter as it presents the content well without crowding the page with text.
• Use left alignment. This option is usually the default setting on writing software such as Microsoft Word and Apple Pages, and it relates to all the paragraph text on a page being placed edge to edge with the left margin of the page. If your word processing software has not set this option as the default setting, you can choose it from among the paragraph style options.

Learn more: How to Write a Fresher Resume: Tips and Samples 

You can use the following template to handle your cover letter spacing:

[Write your name]

[Add a single space]

[Write your address]

[Add a single space]

[Write your city, state, and zip code]

[Add a single space]

[Write your mobile number]

[Add a single space]

[Write your email address]

[Add a single space]

[Write date on which you wrote the letter]

[Add a single space]

[Write a salutation, which is a personalized greeting to the hiring manager]

[Add a double space]

[Write an introductory paragraph, which is where you introduce your suitability for the job]

[Add a double space]

[Write the first body paragraph, where you can discuss your qualifications]

[Add a double space]

[Write the second body paragraph, where you can discuss your qualifications]

[Add a double space]

[Write the third body paragraph, where you can discuss your qualifications]

[Add a double space]

[Write the closing phrase]

[Add a double space]

[Write your name]

Learn more: How To Choose the Best Cover Letter Font

Get your cover letter spacing right with the following example:

Dear Mr. Fredricks, 

My name is Dan Walter, and I’m applying for the marketing manager position at River View Inc. With a bachelor’s degree in marketing management, three years of experience in a supervisory role in the marketing industry, and on-the-job experience, I’m confident that I’m the right person for this job. 

During my experience at Synergy Inc. I achieved the following: 

• Managed a team of 25 sales and marketing professionals including social media managers, graphic designers, art directors, copywriters, and account executives
• Collaborated with the marketing director to develop innovative corporate marketing strategies
• Supervised the implementation of marketing campaigns using traditional and online media, seven of which have won industry awards
  
• Motivated subordinates to meet project goals
• Spearheaded a 14% average annual increase in sales revenue for my previous employer with my customer oriented marketing strategies
  

I believe that my experience in developing and implementing award-winning marketing campaigns for niche markets has equipped me with the expertise to build River View market share. I would greatly appreciate the opportunity to discuss my ideas on increasing your customer base with you. Thank you for your consideration. 

Sincerely, 

Dan Walter

As discussed, using effective spacing can improve the content and impact of your document. Use what you have learned to get your cover letter spacing right.

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