Do You Need a Cover Letter?

After working in the recruiting industry for almost 4 years, I’ve realized that most firms barely have time to review cover letters. Typically, finance firms require candidates to submit a copy of their resume. Have you checked out OneWire.com? OneWire is a new finance related job site that does not require candidates to upload a cover letter. Candidates are able to create a profile and put in more info than they would ever be able to fit on a resume.

Subscribed to your blog, thanks

After working in the recruiting industry for almost 4 years, I’ve realized that most firms barely have time to review cover letters. Typically, finance firms require candidates to submit a copy of their resume. Have you checked out http://www.OneWire.com? OneWire is a new finance related job site that does not require candidates to upload a cover letter. Candidates are able to create a profile and put in more info than they would ever be able to fit on a resume.

As someone who interviewed & hired for a help desk for the last few years, I never read any of the cover letters because I didn’t have the time. I jumped straight to the resume and did my weeding based on that. However, I could see how in certain industries (non-technical) a cover letter would be considered extremely important. Fortunately, though, I work in IT where your skill and technical knowledge is valued more than how well you can type a business letter.

In todays competitive job market, I agree that cover letters are vital. I recommend that a job seeker do research prior to applying for any position and that information can be used in the cover letter to specifically point out – with examples – why the applicant is right for the job!

Walking into a job opening without a cover letter is like not tying up the bathrobe. You may have nice stuff, but you want to control the rate of exposure.

I am in the process of hiring an administrative assistant/receptionist. The cover letters I have received are a very important piece of infomation in the hiring process. Many people have their resume professionally created. The cover letter allows me to see the sender’s grammar, spelling and mostly their personality. I believe it is especially important to send one if you are answering an ad that specifically asks for a cover letter and resume.

I work as an HR Manager for a Large non-profit agency. Part of my many responsibilities is recruiting for every job opening in the org. I do not have the time to read a cover letter. I sometimes have up to 600 resumes for 5 different jobs to read.
However, If I were looking for a job, I would write a cover letter in short but detailed message of my abilities.

I interview more than 300 new direct marking agents wanting a Travel Job. It does help when you see a nice cover letter.  It really shows the perspective agent took that extra minute to get what He or She was out to get.  At MyTravelJob.com we have 30+ Travel Jobs a month. I will always look for the agent that took the extra time, to impress me.

I handle all of the recruiting for our agency. The best cover letters have 2 columns following a brief intro paragraph. Column 1 has the qualifications we’re looking for and column 2 has the candidates matching qualifications, if any. For example:

Your Requirements My Qualifications
* Bachelor’s degree * Associate’s degree
* 3 years experience * 5 years experience

and so on. Makes scanning and matching a lot easier for us and that’s good for the candidates. Follow with contact info, anything else we should know, and you’re done! Also – make sure to put the following in the cover, resume’, and application:
* Your name (yes, some people actually don’t!)
* The job you’re applying for (we have several open and don’t take “generics”.)
* A CORRECT e-mail address (we contact first by e-mail, so check it!) It bounces, you go to the bottom of the ‘will contact’ pile.
* Phone #.

All of these go at the top so I can find them easier.

Thank you for a great tip.

Sincerely,
Natalie

thank you so much! it made it really simple. it s almost too simple after stressing the cover the letter for so long. i hope this is correct, because i m taking this tip and running with it! God Bless.

maybe, maybe not – but if you really want the job – why chance it. Sure people don’t read cover letters when thinning down the pile, but once shortlisted there is a much greater chance it will get read. Boilerplate is better than nothing – sometimes anything will do, and sometimes not having at least a token cover letter will eliminate a resume

When in doubt, include the cover letter. Some hiring managers will read it and some won’t.

In my opinion, a cover letter provides an opportunity to explain gaps in employment or address some other important point that could not have been included in the resume. It’s also a chance to further market oneself.

The cover letter is important to me. I’ve been on a number of search committees, and while the resume speaks to the general qualifications, the cover letter speaks to why the applicant wants to work HERE, rather than taking just any ol’ job. The cover letter is courting and wooing.

I must add that a bad cover letter can also be a weeding tool. when one gets 70 applicants for one job, a bad cover letter, one with numerous typos (though the resume is pristine) probably will sink an application.

There are only a few things in life that never change. One is the rule for writing a resume. One white heavy bond page, front only. A cover letter makes it two pages, a big NO NO. If you feel compelled to write a cover letter then simple write. Thank you for taking the time to read my attached resume for position XYZ. Sincerely, Joe Smith. As mentioned above, time is important to recruiters, so give them what they want to hear in the resume. Taylor your resume to the employer you are sending it to, but keep it to one page.

A cover letter is what can make or break your resume once a recruiter screens through the basics from your job experience. As a recruiter with 10+ years experience from entry level to VP level positions, yes we are busy but once a bunch of resumes is filtered through, cover letters help a great deal. If your cover letter is addressed to the wrong company, shows that you feel you are too good for a role, is over promising or over eager, or any number of other issues, your resume will quickly go to the bottom of my short list.

I am the owner of a web design firm and cover letters are very effective ways to catch my attention. As we look at your writing skills as much as we do your technical skills, it’s highly important to knock my socks off and show me you did your homework. If anyone’s interested, I have a post on just this subject written last year – http://onwired.com/blog/the-importance-of-a-cover-letter/ It covers snippets of a few of my favorite cover letters received.

Always write a unique cover letter. It sets you apart from the job search drones and often accidentally has information that you forgot to put on your resume. In the idea of keeping a resume under 2 pages, it is also a good way to purposely give details about parts of your resume.

As a Senior Recruiter and additionally a professional resume writer and job search coach, I believe an applicant is doing him/herself a disservice to forego sending along a cover letter. Think of it this way: a cover letter is like an invitation to a party. The cover letter should not rehash all or even most of what is on the resume. Rather a well-crafted, specific to the job cover letter is a sales tool, an enticement if you will, to read the resume much the same that an invitation entices you to attend a party. A cover letter can do much to set you apart in a positive way from those who just send their resume. Even for those recruiters who don’t read cover letters, you should send one because you won’t know if they are the ones who want one truly or do not. Many recruiters read the resume first, then go back to the cover. This is a tough market: give yourself every advantage, write and send a cover letter!

thanks! very informative. and true!

Cover letter is basically the first impression you give to your prospective employers so I feel its quite important.

I receive many CVs as I work at a school. I have to say that I am indignant when there is no covering letter, as I have to open the person’s CV to see where to send it, i.e., secondary, primary, kindergarten, counseling, etc.)

I don’t bother sending cover letters. With the amount of time I would be spending tailoring it to a specific job, I could be sending out many more resumes, thus increasing my chances another way. I refuse to spend that much time writing to someone who won’t even give me the common courtesy of some sort of response; I don’t care how many applications they have to deal with.

I certainly agree. I write with much care and precision. So, tailoring the letter takes a lot of time. When I have written specific cover letters, I hear back from the company like never. I have had much better outcomes by writing a paragraph summary of what I can for the company.

It’s basic communication. You give someone something (a resume), and the letter serves to tell them why you’re doing it and thank them.

Cover letters are certainly ignored in some companies and they’re certainly picked over in others. Don’t assume that you know what they’re thinking or what they want.

Don’t make it complicated. Remember it’s purpose and be succinct. You’re better off including it than leaving it out.

If you send a resume without a cover letter, chances are I wont read it. It looks lazy and like your not that interested in working for the company. Its all about making a good impression.

i thought the best way to make an impression was in person…

AGREED. Why should I spend extra time marketing when I won’t even get a response from you? If you want to note my speaking and grammar, by all means GIVE ME AN INTERVIEW.

WELL SAID! I can’t tell you how many hours I put in applying to jobs online. On top of cover letters, today’s online job searches require you to submit all of your information which is already on my resume and then to submit my resume at the end? What’s the point? Looking for a job online is a second job. Don’t get me wrong, I’m no where near lazy but putting in 2-3 hours a night after a 45 hour week day is tedious.

I feel that a cover letter is an absurdity if the reasoning from the hiring manager is to see the candidate’s qualifications in narrative form. My resume contains all of my work experience with dates and duties included. As some others have written it seems that most hiring managers do not have time to even read all of the resumes that they receive. If a hiring manager finds interest in my resume then they should contact me to discuss it further. That is what a resume is for. Can we please dispense with the fruitless time and effort to compose a cover letter in today’s world.

My opinion is that a cover letter is really unecessary! I am a current manager so I do alot of hiring. I can’t tell you how annoyed I get when a get a long resume with a lenghty cover letter. Most of the time I just toss it in the trash! I’m way to busy to read all that crap. I like simple and to the point! Like most people with common sense if I’m concern with about grammar I would interview the individual. To each its own, but I still think its pointless to write the same stuff twice and a cover letter doesn’t guarantee you the job either. So really if an employer is sweating a cover letter that much then maybe you should look else where! I sure as hell would!

I had to smile when I read Keith’s description of a “T-format” cover letter. The format has been around for more than 25 years and is as applicable today as it was 25 years ago. You find 3 of the key components in the ad….match/exceed your ability to do those skills. One of the few times I encourage someone to bold anything in a letter – - if you “bold” the T-part of the letter it can grab their attention and increase your odds that your resume ends up in the “I’ll-look-at-it-later” pile.

Covers letters are a complete waste of time. Many times, we don’t know enough about the job we are applying for in order to compose a decent cover letter…..therefore, why bother?

You are only giving the screener a reason to reject your application.

A superior covering letter speaks for the candidate. A good resume and covering letter can boost chances of getting a better job.

It comes down to this.
Write the cover if you REALLY want that job. If you come across “THE” job, company you want. Write the cover letter. In large corps, the resume will first go through an HR dept. They will weed out for the actual hiring manager (department or manager who is actually looking for someone). They may or may NOT read the cover, based on what specifically the manager asked for: IE., IF the manager says “oh, I want someone with a Masters Degree in picking up acorns, then HR will first scour the resume for that degree. You have it? great, go to pile #2. You don’t? go to file – (usually filed under “T” – trash). Now you’re in pile # 2, they will next look for the second qualification the manager asked for, & so on…. IF you’re in the final pile, they will either forward your resume (and cover letter) to the manager or they will read it and put you on the top of the list, and the hiring manager will read it when he/she is trying to narrow you from 10 applicants.
However, it all boils down to this: how bad do you want it? Is it a CAREER (the thing you love to do) or a “G.O.O.D.” (Get Out Of Debt) job that you’ll end up leaving to pursue that thing you DO love to do?
Remember, there is no guarantee that you’ll love the company after you’re hired, nor does the company have a guarantee they’ll love you after you’re hired. The cover letter is a pain, yep. But you are trying to smooze over the other 500 applicants, just to get that perfect job interview.

While I come down firmly on the side of YOU MUST have a cover letter, I accept that there may be some industries for which the quality of a cover letter is not part of the first cut.

That said, I wonder:

If an applicant for a technical job simply lists his or her technical skills, will that be enough in the end? In this competitive environment where the combination of superb technical skills and finely honed communication skills makes the ideal employee, might not a well-crafted cover letter make the difference at the hiring stage.

Many highly-technical jobs require more than just the skills of manipulating bits and bytes. Employees must create reports and manuals which are understandable and coherent to the non-technical people who may be paying for their services.

A cover letter addressing the kind of work that the employee will do can accomplish more than one thing:

1. Assure the prospective employer that the candidate really understands the nature of the technical work; and
2. Assure the prospective employer that the full range of non-technical work required is within the candidate’s grasp.

Write the letter.

As the HR manager of an outdoor clothing company we to get sometimes 300 resumes for one position. However my weeding process starts with the cover letter or lack there of. If you cannot be bothered to write a letter stating why you really want to work for our company when 299 other people do as well I do not even look at the resume. I chose which resumes to look at based upon the quality of the cover letter. You can tell a lot from what a person writes about themselves and their interest in a job.
We just recently had someone apply for the marketing manager position and not include a cover letter. As marketing manager communication skills are key. However only submitting a resume does not give me much demonstration of those skills. Nor does it make me think you really want the job.
Perhaps it’s different for larger companies but I agree that if you REALLY want want a particular job you should include everything possible to give yourself the edge. If the person sorting through resumes doesn’t care about cover letters and you include one they likely won’t view you in a negative light. However if the person who does the sorting does care and you don’t include one you have likely disqualified yourself.

Being 19 and applying for your first job after education is tough since most vacancy’s require some sort of experience one way of the other.

Cover letters for me are a must for me. if sending an email you need to catch the attention of your employer and tell them 1) what position your actually applying for and 2) a short summary of why.
Even if the employer doesn’t manage to read the cover and skips to the CV.resume. at least you made the effort to thank them for considering and inform them of what this emails is actually for.

Also after selection process it might actually be read or used as a quick reference to your details.

I think of it this way: When sending a unexpected item through the post unrelated to anything in which the recipient has handled that day. there just going to open it and think….What?

Providing a explanation and the extra information really helps ^.^

There are many good comments here. As a recruiter for many years, I can tell you how many cover letters I have submitted to my clients: 0.

I work with CEO’s and Principals, typically emailing resumes in bunches of 5, to their smart phone. They simply do not have time for cover letters.

Also, I rarely read cover letters. I do however, read short emails.

As a career coach, I recommend that my clients send a cover letter, just make it short and sweet. I can’t hurt, can it?
Kristi Enigl, global Career Coach

I submitted a cover letter along with my resume and landed two phone interviews with the company’s recruiter. At the conclusion of each call, I also sent out follow-up thank you notes. The recruiter has now requested I send a “narrative” on why I should be selected for the position. How is this different from my original cover letter (I’ve never encountered this request before)? Any suggestions on how to proceed would be greatly appreciated.

Bunk. The only people recommending cover letters are out of touch, anachronistic HR people who need a reason to justify the mostly useless and often counter-productive work that they do. Guess what, the candidates your hiring manager wants to interview are too busy to write a cover letter. If you’re turning away top talent because they’re opting out of your outdated game, then you’re doing your firm a major disservice.

HR should not be involved in culling candidates when they have zero subject matter knowledge. It’s much easier to discredit a candidate for not jumping through your bureaucratic hoops than to take the time to understand the open req and try to match up real talent.

Big business will be brain-drained by incompetent HR.W

it really doesnt matter, cover letter or not. No one is hiring so no one really looks at either resume or your vocab skills. Good luck to all out there i know i realy need it. the most screwed up economy yet (LOL)

The times I have wrote cover letters, I don’t even get confirmation of receipts. I wasted time and effort into writing the cover letters. They don’t read them, then they request salary history in the cover letter; they don’t provide salary information in job posting. I don’t get it, you want a cover letter but never even acknowledge the receipt. I can stomach rejection, I hate to be willfully ignored. As someone who have a Business Degree it’s frustrating that you expect a cover letter to a job that pays $12-14/hour. Really??? Is it even necessary, when you are expecting candidates to answer phones, interact with the public, and schedule meetings. How hard do you think the jobs is? The jobs that expect cover letters don’t even need them because they are really simple. These jobs are task driven not goal-driven.

Today, most people will apply through talent management systems. Occasionally you’ll be able to add a cover letter. But because most HR recruiters are time constrained, they will often not review them. Secondly, if they review it, it will only be after they have done a seach on the talent database that meeting specific criterias. So, if your CV did not come out a the top relevancy list, there is absolutely no chance for you to distinguish yourself! That is where today’s world of recruiting is very different from the past! Automation has its drawbacks.

Today, most people will apply through talent management systems. Occasionally you’ll be able to add a cover letter. But because most HR recruiters are time constrained, they will often not review them. Secondly, if they review it, it will only be after they have done a seach on the talent database that meeting specific criterias. So, if your CV did not come out a the top relevancy list, there is absolutely no chance for you to distinguish yourself! That is where today’s world of recruiting is very different from the past! Automation has its drawbacks.

As a hiring manager and a resume/cover letter expert, I liken a cover letter to the synopsis one sees on the back of a book.

The cover letter should provide details about the product (in this case, the candidate) that compels the hiring manager or recruiter to read the resume.

One of the best covers letters I’ve found is the T-style that employs two columns. The one on the left is titled “What You’re Seeking” (or something equivalent). The column on the right is titled “How My Skills Match” (or something equivalent). The candidate then dovetails his or her expertise to the job description. The format is visually arresting and tells a hiring manager at a glance whether this individual is a good fit. Saves so much time and is so effective when done well.

Thanks for the great informative post. Actually I had some confusion regarding cover letter but the post solve my most confusion about cover letter.

And saying in the lower part of the post gives me clear concept about cover letter.

Thanks again for the informative post.

It is frustrating when you put lots of effort into writing a professional cover letter, only to not hear back from recruiters. It’s like a kick in the teeth that your professionalism wasn’t noticed.

I’m applying for jobs tonight and for the first time I am NOT going to send cover letters. I would assume it may not be that necessary when looking for temp work through recruitment agencies.

Cherie.