How to Choose the Best Cover Letter Font and Font Size

Reading Time: 5 minutes

Which font is the best for your cover letter to stand out and make the best first impression? You’ll want to use an appropriate font that is highly readable, professional and clean. When you choose a great font, you increase the likelihood your cover letter will be read and showcase what you bring to the role and company.

Software used by companies to read and scan the cover letters and resumes and rank them based on relevant keywords work best with clear, simple fonts. So, avoid stylistic fonts or special characters. You don’t want to miss out on your job opportunity because you were to creative with your cover letter font choice. You know, your cover letter doesn’t have to be bland, either. There are many options available and we’ve scoured all our sources to give you’re the best cover letter fonts

What to look for in a Cover Letter Font?

• Eliminate problems with automated scanning systems

• Don’t cause unnecessary eye strain-Suitable for both on-screen and print reading

• Bring a modern, polished look and feel to your cover letter – with added charm.

Best Cover Letters Fonts

• Arial
• Avenir
• Calibri
• Cambria
• Constantia
• Corbel
• Franklin Gothic
• Garamond
• Georgia
• Gill Sans
• Helvetica
• Veranda

Best Cover Letter Font Size

When selecting a font size, you have three options: size 10, 11, or 12. Factor in that your cover letter should be only one page. If your content is spilling over to the second page a smaller font is better.

Update Your Cover Letter Font Choice

You’ll want to have your cover letter parts completed. They don’t have to be finalized, but having content in your document gives you a better representation of what the final result will look like.

• Select the text in your cover letter. You can do this by holding down you mouse left-click and highlighting the text or more easily, Command key + A in Mac or Ctrl key + A in Windows
• Select your font choice
• Select your font size
• Proofread your cover letter
• Before sending, always print a copy to proofread. This gives you one last chance to ensure the formatting is right, spacing is properly done, and you also avoid any grammatical mistakes you didn’t notice while proofreading on a computer screen.

White Space in Cover Letters

If you have a lot of room and recognize the importance of white space-that’s the area of the page that doesn’t have text-you’re cover letter is more likely to be read. White space separates your content into digestible chunks. White space also gives the reader a place to begin and end throughout your page. When your text is all mashed together it requires more effort from the reader to maintain concentration and note where they are on the page in case they are distracted. White space gives the reader a visual marker.

Avoid Using More Than One Font

Once you’ve chosen your font, keep it simple and easy to read by only using one font style. You don’t want to distract or confuse the reader. It’s also a good idea to use the font throughout your cover letter and resume.

Save Your Cover Letter In The Correct Format

Word or PDF? Save your cover letter as a PDF file to preserve its original appearance and font style. If you don’t have Adobe Writer, don’t sweat it. You can save your cover letter as a PDF within your word processing software. Choose Save As, select the PDF file format within the dropdown menu and click Save. When you save file formats in .doc or .docx, they may display incorrectly on your hiring manager’s computer.

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