Build a resume and write the letters around it

An applicant tracking system is the software most employers use to receive and filter applications. It parses your resume into fields, and layouts it cannot read — multiple columns, text inside images, tables, unusual headings — can drop your experience entirely. A single-column layout with conventional section headings is far more reliable.

One page for early career, up to two once you have roughly a decade of relevant experience. Length is a symptom rather than a rule: if it runs long, the cause is usually old roles kept in full detail or responsibilities listed where results should be.

Send one when it is requested or when there is something the resume cannot explain — a career change, a gap, or a specific reason you want this particular role. A generic letter adds nothing; a specific one can carry an application that the resume alone would not.

Two weeks is the common professional standard in the US unless your contract says otherwise. Notice periods are often longer and contractually binding elsewhere, and senior roles frequently carry longer terms — check your contract before committing to a date.