Matching your resume and cover letter involves aligning visual design, the information they convey, and the style of storytelling across both documents. Since only 2% of applicants typically reach the interview stage, we prepared a list of tips to help you match a resume and cover letter and create a cohesive application package.
We’ll teach you how to create a consistent design language for your documentation, align content across your resume, cover letter, and any supporting materials, ensure uniform formatting, and avoid common mistakes.
Why Is Matching Your Resume and Cover Letter Important?
Before we explore the specifics, let’s explain why matching your resume with a cover letter is essential in the first place.
How Do Recruiters Read Applications Today?
Recruiters, on average, spend 7.4 on their initial review of a resume. During this brief period, they assess the general suitability of a candidate, scan for relevant keywords, and analyze the overall presentation of the document.
Additionally, 83% of hiring managers refer to a cover letter when making a decision. Almost half of them look at a cover letter before analyzing a resume to assess a candidate’s drive, motivation, and communication skills.
Any discrepancy between a resume and a cover letter can be a red flag, raising concerns about a candidate’s qualifications and the authenticity of their application.
ATS Risks of Inconsistent Details
More than 98% of Fortune 500 companies, 66% of large companies, and 35% of small firms rely on ATS in their hiring processes. This software screens both resumes and cover letters to filter through qualified candidates before human review. It examines relevant keywords in job titles, skills, and accomplishments, and looks for discrepancies across the documents.
For instance, if your resume states that you held a position as a Marketing Coordinator in February 2022, but your cover letter states March 2022 for the same role, that discrepancy can result in your application being rejected automatically.
What Are the Benefits of Brand Storytelling?
Consistency that comes from making your resume and cover letter match results in improved personal branding. Maintaining a consistent voice, aligning your values with the company’s, and describing your achievements in a uniform manner across all documents used for the application helps you leave a more memorable impression.
In fact, consistently echoing company values increases the likelihood of being hired. Many companies will ask cultural fit interview questions to determine whether you align with their values. For example, organizations that emphasize open communication via their culture have 46% improved retention rates.
How Can You Match Resume and Cover Letter Design?
To match your resume and cover letter, let’s take a look at three core design aspects for customization.
#1. Fonts, Colors, and Spacing Rules
Here are the essential resume and cover letter formatting tips regarding font, color, and white space:
Category | Rules & Tips |
Font Family | Use one font family Some of the best fonts for a resume and cover letter include Arial, Calibri, Helvetica, and Times New Roman |
Font Size | 10–12 pt for text 14–16 pt for headers (optional bold) |
Color | Use black or dark gray text on a white background for legibility Accent colors can help with branding, but it's best to stick to one additional color for your resume and cover letter (e.g., navy or charcoal) |
0.5 - 1 inch, consistent on all sides | |
Line Spacing | 1.15 - 1.2 |
#2. Header and Contact Info Alignment
The headers of your resume and cover letter should match closely or be identical.
The essential information should be written in the same order in both documents, and you want to include at least:
Header Section
Your name
Job title
Email address
Phone number
Following that, it’s optional but highly recommended to add:
Optional Details
LinkedIn profile
Location (but only city and state)
Portfolio or personal website (if you have one)
One of the best resume and cover letter tips is to make any links, including your LinkedIn profile and email address, hyperlinks in soft copies of these documents. This demonstrates attention to detail and increases the likelihood that recruiters will visit them.
#3. Which is Better: One-Page vs. Multi-Page Layout?
The vast majority of resumes should be one page long. You should limit your application to two pages if you have more than ten years of experience and numerous achievements to showcase. There are exceptions, such as when writing a federal resume or when the job ad requires a longer document.
Cover letters should always be one page, regardless of resume length. They should be concise and no longer than 400 words.
How to Align Your Resume and Cover Letter Content
Apart from the design aspect, another way to align your resume and cover letter is through storytelling. The goal for the two documents is to supplement one another and function as two halves of a whole.
#1. Translate Resume Achievements into a Narrative Context
The same achievement you add to your resume as a bullet point can be included in your cover letter, along with additional details. To do this, take an accomplishment from your resume and use the CAR structure (Challenge, Action, Result) to expand on it.
Let’s start with an example of a resume bullet point from the work experience section:
Resume Bullet Point Example
Reduced churn by 18%.
Here’s how you can elaborate on that accomplishment in your cover letter:
Cover Letter Version
“In my previous role, we experienced a post-launch churn spike. I built feedback loops to discover the issue, ultimately reducing the churn rate by 18%.”
To avoid raising red flags with recruiters and ATS, ensure that the numbers and KPIs you use remain consistent across all documents.
#2. Mirror Keywords for Both ATS and Human Readers
To optimize and tailor your resume and cover letter for Applicant Tracking Systems and human readers, you should include the most relevant keywords from the job ad.
Analyze the advertisement and identify 5–7 most prominent keywords (e.g., required skills or job description), ensuring they are included in both documents precisely as written.
However, avoid adding too many keywords, as this can result in keyword stuffing. That will reduce your score with the ATS and make your writing appear inauthentic to hiring managers. In general, you should aim to have one keyword per 100 words at most.
#3. AI Prompts to Speed Up Personalized Cover Letters
Artificial intelligence is a great tool that can help you quickly and efficiently generate a personalized first draft of your cover letter. However, you should use it with caution, as 80% of hiring managers discard AI-generated applications.
A smart way to utilize AI is to feed it your skills and achievements, and then use a prompt to draft relevant sections of your cover letter.
Here is a reusable prompt you can use:
Reusable Prompt
“Using the provided achievements, draft an introduction paragraph for my cover letter that also emphasizes the company’s [value example].”
The output will already be personalized due to your achievements, but you should further edit the writing. That way, you’ll give your letter a personal touch and avoid having generic AI phrasing.
What’s the Best Way to Send and Combine Your Files?
The best way to send your resume and cover letter as files depends on whether you’re applying via email, corporate portals, or LinkedIn Easy Apply. Let’s examine a few scenarios:
#1. One PDF vs. Separate Files Scenarios
Using a single PDF to combine your resume and cover letter is ideal when submitting via email. It maximizes the chances that hiring managers will review both documents simultaneously.
On the other hand, if the job ad requests individual uploads, you should submit your resume and cover letter separately. Make sure to name the files following the same structure, like in the following example:
Resume & Cover Letter File Names
“Lastname_Firstname_Resume”
“Lastname_Firstname_CoverLetter”
#2. Email Body vs. Attachment Etiquette
When sending your cover letter via email, you can attach it or include it in the body of the email.
If you’re sending your letter as an email body, simply paste your writing and use a clear subject line, like “Product Manager—Jane Doe Job Application.” This increases the chances hiring managers will read your cover letter as they’ll see it the moment they open your email.
When attaching your cover letter (e.g., a PDF or a DOCX file), you can still write a couple of sentences in the email body. Treat the body as a mini-cover letter and write three sentences to introduce yourself and state your interest in the role.
#3. Rapid Update Workflow for Multiple Roles
To efficiently apply for multiple roles, you should keep a master resume and a modular, cloud-based cover letter. That way, you can quickly customize parts of your cover letter so that the writing matches the tone expected by the company you’re applying to.
3 Common Mistakes to Avoid When Matching Resume and Cover Letter
Here are the three most common resume and cover letter mistakes applicants make that can snowball into serious credibility issues.
#1. Redundancy and Copy-Paste Pitfalls
While the contents of your resume and cover letter should match, they shouldn’t be word-for-word copies. To avoid sounding redundant, you should not copy more than 25% of your resume wording into the cover letter.
The best way to achieve this is to vary the verbs, use synonyms for non-essential keywords, and leverage narrative to craft a brief but compelling story.
#2. Design Exceptions for Creative Industries
Avoid using too many design elements and colors in your resume and cover letter. The exception is when applying to creative industries, where you may be able to get away with more than using basic resume templates. Even then, the main focus should be a clean and legible design.
Always keep ATS in mind, as it can have difficulties parsing complex graphical elements. Additionally, it is recommended to have a plain-text version of your documents as an alternative when applying through online forms.
#3. Addressing Employment Gaps Consistently
If your resume indicates an employment gap, your cover letter needs to address and explain it. Instead of trying to obfuscate the details and hide gaps, focus on the positives (e.g., highlight that you used the time off for parental leave, upskilling or reskilling, or other relevant purposes).
Want to create a matching resume and cover letter with ease?
Use Our Resume Builder!Final Thoughts
Follow the tips outlined in this article to match your resume and cover letter, create a cohesive application package, and stand out from the competition. This is a simple but powerful strategic move that strengthens your branding and highlights your willingness to go the extra mile.
That way, you won’t just impress hiring managers and leave a lasting impression on them, but you’ll also pass strict ATS requirements, ensuring your documents reach human eyes in the first place.
Tips to Match Resume and Cover Letter FAQ
#1. Do recruiters read the cover letter or resume first?
Most recruiters first skim through a resume, but 36% of them check the cover letter before deciding between candidates of similar qualifications. This makes both documents important in your application process. Moreover, it’s essential that the two documents match in style and content.
#2. Can AI-generated cover letters pass ATS?
Yes, AI-generated cover letters can pass ATS screening as long as they are correctly formatted, include relevant keywords, and align with the corresponding resumes. However, they can run into issues with human readers if the writing is too generic and lacks personalization.
#3. Should the dates and job titles match word-for-word?
Yes, the dates and job titles should match word for word in your resume, cover letter, and any supporting documentation. Any mismatch in dates, titles, and even employer names can lead to automated rejection by the ATS. Discrepancies will also raise concerns with recruiters, even if they pass ATS screening.
#4. How long should the cover letter be if my resume is two pages?
Your cover letter should always be one page long, regardless of the length of your resume. Moreover, the writing should be between 250 and 400 words to show respect for the recruiter’s time. Only mention your most relevant qualifications, as well as your motivation for applying to this position.
#5. What file name format looks most professional?
The most professional file name format follows this template or its variation: “Lastname_Firstname_Position_DocumentType.” Here is an example for a resume: “Doe_John_Marketing_Specialist_Resume.” This logical arrangement enables recruiters to understand the document's content at a glance. Plus, it helps the ATS sort it in its folders.
