Complete letters at 100–150 words · Word & Google Docs

Short Cover Letters

A short cover letter isn't a long one with pieces missing — it's a different, disciplined form: name the job, land your single best number, connect it to their top requirement, ask for the conversation. Done in 120 words. These six templates carry exactly that letter, and when the posting says 'cover letter optional' or the recruiter reads on a phone between meetings, this form often outperforms the full page.

Six templates

Three designs, two colors each.

Minimalist for the purest short-form statement, Classic for conservative fields, Contemporary for modern teams. Each carries the same complete 120-word letter: role, evidence, fit, ask.

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Minimalist — Graphite

The purest match of form and message — an airy, understated page where 120 words look intentional, not thin.

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Minimalist — Slate

The minimalist letter with a cool slate name — same whitespace confidence, slightly softer register.

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Classic Centered — Pine

The traditional serif letterhead in deep pine — brevity in a formal wrapper for conservative fields.

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Classic Centered — Currant

The classic layout in warm currant — a short letter that still walks in dressed for the occasion.

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Contemporary — Dune

The modern layout in warm dune gold — for teams where getting to the point IS the culture fit.

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Contemporary — Iris

The contemporary design in iris violet — crisp, current, and finished before the coffee cools.

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Example \u00b7 A complete short letter

A complete short cover letter, read in full.

Read it in full

ALEX RIVERA

[City, State] (000) 000-0000 your.email@email.com

[Month Day, Year]

[Hiring Manager Name]
[Title]
[Company Name]
[Company Address]

Dear [Hiring Manager Name],

I am applying for the [Position Title] role at [Company Name]. In [X years] in [field], my headline result is [one quantified achievement] — the rest is on the attached resume.

Your posting emphasizes [top requirement]; that has been the core of my work at [Current/Previous Company], where I [one matching result].

I would welcome a conversation — I am available at [phone / email], [days and times].

Thank you for your consideration. I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

Alex Rivera

This is the actual text inside the ALEX RIVERA template above — every [bracketed prompt] is a spot you replace with your own detail. Copy the template to keep the letterhead, or use the text as a sample for your own letter.

The discipline

What a short cover letter must still do.

Short is a constraint, not an excuse. The letter still has four jobs — it just does them in one pass each:

Name the job — exact title, first sentence.
Land one number — your single best, most relevant result. One. The resume carries the rest.
Connect to their need — one line mirroring the posting’s top requirement.
Ask — availability and a direct invitation to talk.

Sending by email instead of attaching? The email letter is this form’s sibling — same brevity, with the subject line doing the letterhead’s job.

Make it yours

Fill it in and send.

Open a template and fill the [brackets] — the hardest part is picking your one number; pick the one closest to the posting.
Read it aloud once — anything you stumble on, cut. Target 100–150 words.
Keep the company-specific line fresh per application; it’s the only part that changes.
Export a PDF and send it with a matching resume doing the heavy lifting.

Brevity questions

Short Cover Letters FAQ

Is a 100-word cover letter too short?

Not if it's complete. The test isn't word count — it's whether the four jobs get done: the exact role named, one concrete piece of evidence, a line connecting you to their stated need, and a clear ask. A letter that does all four in 100 words reads as confident; one that does two of them in 400 reads as padding. Where 100 words genuinely is too short: roles that ask you to address criteria point-by-point (government, academia) — match their expected depth there.

When is a short cover letter the right call?

Four situations: the posting marks the letter optional (a tight letter beats both no letter and an obviously dutiful one), high-volume hiring where recruiters skim hundreds of applications, any application likely to be read on a phone, and roles where concision is the job — support, operations, executive communication. The full-length letter earns its space when the job needs narrative: career changes, returns, complicated fits.

What do I cut first to get a letter under 150 words?

In order: the paragraph that retells your resume (the reader has it), the throat-clearing opener ('I am writing to express my sincere interest…'), adjectives about yourself ('passionate,' 'dynamic' — evidence replaces them), and any second or third example. What survives every cut: the role name, your single best number, the company-specific line, and the ask. That's the skeleton these templates hand you.

Do hiring managers actually prefer short cover letters?

Most read short ones fully and skim long ones — which means a short letter gets 100% of its words read and a long one gets its first paragraph plus luck. Stated preferences vary; reading behavior doesn't. The practical rule: make the letter exactly as long as your genuinely relevant material, and no longer. For most applications with a solid resume attached, that's shorter than people write.

Can I send a short cover letter for a senior role?

Yes — arguably especially then. Senior hiring runs on evidence density, and executives signal seniority by respecting the reader's time: a five-sentence letter with one commanding result reads more senior than a page of narrative. The caveat: if the posting asks for a leadership philosophy or point-by-point criteria responses, give the depth requested — brevity is a choice, not a loophole.