Do the Cover Letter & Resume Need to Be on the Same Paper?
Cover letters and resumes have the potential to propel you into an exciting and more profitable career. Employers sometimes receive hundreds of these documents for a single open position, particularly if an employer is engaging in a national employee search. Thus, you must set yourself apart and strictly adhere to professional standards with your cover letter and resume. Part of these standards is keeping the paper you use uniform for both documents.
Other People Are Reading
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General Rule
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In general, the paper you use for your cover letter should be the same paper as your resume. The only exception to this rule is if your potential employer specifically asks for a different paper type. One reason an employer might do this is that different paper types makes it easier to identify which document is which at a glance. Another reason would be if the cover letter and resumes are reviewed by separate individuals, at least one of which has a disability that makes it harder for her to read letters on standard white paper.
What Uniformity Says About You
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When you keep your resume and cover letter the same, you send a message to your potential employer that you pay attention to detail. Uniformity between paper types also shows the employer you're willing to take the time to plan and adhere to professional standards. If you do this, then the employer is more likely to look at the actual content of the letter and resume, where you set yourself apart.
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What Paper Should You Use?
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Walk into any office supply store and you'll likely find a whole section of different types of "resume" paper. Manufacturers claim using these "fancy" resume papers will get your resume or cover letter noticed. In realty, they turn most employers off, as many of these papers have colors that are hard on the eyes -- watermarks or other designs sometimes on these papers are distracting or create formatting issues. Use plain white or cream paper that is at least 24-pound weight instead. You'll look more professional and won't need to spend the extra money for the "fancy" paper.
Considerations
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Always accompany a resume with a cover letter unless the employer specifically asks you to omit the cover letter. Because "good" resume paper is slightly heavier than standard paper, you won't be able to send as many sheets in an envelope without adding extra postage. Don't view this as limiting. Instead, let it challenge you toward concise cover letter and resume writing. Ideally, your cover letter should be one page. The resume should be no more than two. Using active language in your documents -- for example, "performed task x" instead of "task x was performed" -- helps tighten content.
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