How long it takes to write a cover letter depends on:
- how comfortable you are with writing
- if you have experience writing cover letters
- how much you want the position (you should devote more time to jobs you’re more interested in)
If the deadline to submit your cover letter is soon, you can write a cover letter in as little as 20 minutes, for example, if writing a short cover letter or using AI to write your cover letter.
But to maximise the number of cover letters you send out while making sure each one is well-written and customised, plan to spend roughly 1 hour per cover letter. One way to write a cover letter in 1 hour is to split your time evenly among researching the company, writing the first draft, and editing your cover letter.
