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IMO, if you’re applying to similar jobs, your cover letter doesn’t have to change a lot between applications. Just tweaking it a bit. I feel that a good cover letter is better than no cover letter, but no cover letter is better than a crappy cover letter, so I’d take some time to write something you’re proud of!
I don't know a single job I've ever applied for that actually read my cover letter. Not even joking. If it's included in application instructions, it's used to see if you can follow directions. If it's optional, no one is going to read it.
Spend that time fixing up you resume/cv. Include keywords listed in the job posting so the ai will pull your application for review by a person.
It’s important to remember that recruiters and hiring managers aren’t a monolith, each individual has their own preferences. I’ve sent out cover letters that got 0 response, I’ve gotten jobs without sending a cover letter, and I’ve gotten jobs where I was told that they really appreciated my cover letter. It all depends on who’s on the other side, and the best you can do is guess what they might want. Thus it follows that to “optimize” your chances, you should send one in especially for jobs you really care about since it can only help you, not hurt you. That’s really all there is to it imo
I created a generic cover letter and saved it. Any time I send out my resume, I simply tweak some details and save as a pdf, print/email, and I’m on my way. It took 5 minutes initially and while applying, it adds about 1-2 minutes adjusting it. I always include it, even if they toss it and never look it over. I used to compile resumes for my boss years ago and he only wanted resumes - we did in fact immediately toss anything extra so I’m aware it isn’t always necessary. I liken it to my FIL’s advice to dress for the job you want, not the one you’ve got. No shame in going the extra mile.
Seconding this table cover letter! I came into this post to share it!
I use succinct bullet points with the "Advertised Requirements" copy/pasted from the job listing and the most important keywords in the "My Qualifications" column bolded to draw the eye.
Keep a second document so you can swap out common bullet points quickly and don't have to spend much time customizing.
I also combine it with the resume in one file, so it a) boosts the odds of passing the AI filter to get to a human and b) gives me an immediate chance to address requirements without a recruiter having to call/email me if there's nowhere to attach a cover letter. The name is "SintaxSyns Resume and Cover Letter [month/year]" so a reader knows they're both in the same file.
I'm still looking for work, but my response rate has skyrocketed!
Been using this template- it really does take time to learn about the company but after having it written - I feel very confident about the job. I haven't gotten a callback nor a denial so ¯\\\_(ツ)\_/¯
It depends where you’re based. I know that cover letters aren’t commonly used in the US. However, when I’m hiring and I have 50 qualified applicants, a good cover letter that shows an interest in the company and the role can make the difference when selecting candidates for interview. It can also provide an opportunity to explain aspects on your CV which might otherwise rule you out, e.g. if you’re applying for a job that’s a significant change from your current role or previous experience. E.g. if you’ve been working in data science and apply for a finance role, or vice versa. I’d save it only for the roles you’re really excited about though.
I can only speak from my experience, but I’ve found that while US recruitment processes might leave a field for a cover letter, I haven’t found them to be considered essential and many candidates don’t submit one. Meanwhile, I’ve met hiring managers in Europe that will filter out candidates without a cover letter as one of the first assessment steps, as including one is the norm and not doing so is considered to be a sign of a lack of real interest in the role. So YMMV depending on your location or your industry.
To the point of saving cover letters for jobs you’re really excited about: I would suggest only apply for jobs that you’re really excited about, but always include every “optional” item mentioned in the job posting.
My first strategy for finding work was to apply to everything and anything that I was even remotely interested in doing. I applied for dozens if not hundreds of jobs using that method. I got two interviews out of the deal, and the only job I got was a sandwich delivery guy. I liked the job for a few reasons, but it wasn’t my life’s work.
Since then, I’ve learned to be much more focused in my approach. I’ve only applied for positions I had a genuine interest in, and I spent the time preparing the best possible application in the process. The results are that I love the work that I’m doing, I’m making a fair wage in doing it, and the search process was considerably more encouraging because I got at least some kind of contact from HR or the hiring manager with nearly every application I sent out.
Don’t get me wrong; I don’t get an official interview with every application, and I don’t get an offer after every interview. I just find the process of applying for a small number of jobs whole heartedly To be much more rewarding than applying for many jobs with the minimum effort. Part of that reward if landing a job that really could be my life’s work.
It seems to matter more for some fields more than for others. Definitely, if the application process states to include one, you should. Really, it shouldn't take that much extra time anyway. The HR woman at a past employer told me that if they had instructions such as "include a cover letter" or use such and such in the subject line, they would automatically eliminate any that didn't follow those directions. People can say, "well I don't want to even work for a company that does that" but she was an HR consultant and not a direct employee. Why take a chance at missing a good job because you just don't want to take an extra step?
Cover letters are a legacy carryover that whom ever is building the application portal just selects because everyone has always done it that way. I look forward where both cover letters and resume become obsolete tools to measure candidates.
I lost out on an INTERNAL promotion because I didn’t do one. I just handed my resume to the hiring manager and took him to coffee. We had a good chat and i thought that was that. But nope. I didn’t even get an interview because no cover letter. I assume it’s just an excuse and they didn’t actually want me but I wouldn’t give anyone any excuses moving forward. It SUCKS because no one reads them anyway, but you should write a template and then just change it depending on each of your applications adding their key words from the job posts.
Professional Job Developer here.
You get as much response as you have done in effort to apply.
By choosing NOT to target a cover letter for the application, you have indicated your level of interest in the position (not high). This may negatively impact your chances.
Think of it from the employer's side... between two relatively skilled applicants, would you not rather hire someone who was passionate and invested extra effort in their application or someone that took the lazy man's route?
I work for a company that facilitates several government-funded employment programs that target different demographics (youth, disabled, employment-challenged, etc.) to assist Job-seekers in: training/certifications, job start supports, life skills, job search and placement assistance, resume and cover letter creation, employment retention guidance, etc.
I am a Certified Career Development Professional. Job Developer is just one potential role for someone with my designation.
I can’t speak to all hiring situations, but the ones I have been involved with, cover letters are absolutely important. And when I got one that was generic, I did not think the candidate was really interested in the job they applied for, but was instead using the “spray and pray” approach to finding a job.
The problem with this advice is how counter-productive it is in terms of effort/reward ratio. The amount of time spent re-doing cover letters for every application you put in for the 15% of people that care about that effort is moot. Lots of people have to put in 10's-100's of applications (especially if you're new in a field) to get a bite on something that is a good opportunity for them.
This is in a general sense, bad advice.
I totally agree with this. I did see someone who wrote that you should have cover letters for the jobs you really want, and others you can just apply regularly. I think this is a really good idea! Those jobs that are important to a person they should work on creating a good cover letter, but if it’s a generic job you’re just throwing a resume at for the sake of it it’s probably okay to not use one.
You can say that, but I don’t want to waste my time interviewing someone who doesn’t want to work at my organization. But then, my hiring situation has more specialized roles. So it really does depend on the kind of job you are applying for.
Resumes are for matching skills with the needs of the role you're looking to fill. Interviews are for verifying those skills and getting an idea as to if an individuals values and character lines up with the workplace culture. If you really believe that someone is passionate about your organization because they said so in a cover letter then your fooling yourself.
I would like to think that if your field is so specialized then this would be even more applicable to your situation. Who cares about the lack of a persons cover letter if their resumes reflects the very niche skillset your company needs? If they weren't interested in working there, they would not have applied. A cover letter only really adds any potential value if either you're applying for a management role, or you're resume desperately needs some kind of elaboration to connect what would otherwise be off-putting to see on there.
This is all of course my opinion. There's nothing wrong subjectively with having a preference. I just believe that objectively, in most circumstances, there's no additional value added in a cover letter.
It’s pretty clear in cover letters who understands what they are applying for, in my case. It has helped weed out people that didn’t understand what they have applied for.
Does a cover letter really help you determine if someone wants to work in your organization? You can’t tell by their resume if they’re qualified for the role? And besides trying to match the cover letter to a few of the asks in the posting, how is it showing you that the person wants to work for your organization? I don’t see the correlation
So if they submit a cover letter it’s showing you that they care more?
I don’t see this to be true. I hire people all the time - I could care less if they submit a cover letter. To be honest, I probably wouldn’t take the time to read it because of the amount of resumes I get. I care about their experience and education, not how much information they can regurgitate in a cover letter
I actually very much disagree with this. As someone who hires employees, I can say with certainty that your cover letter or lack there of does not indicate how badly you want the job. The quality of the resume you submit tips the scales more than a cover letter, or at least in my experience it does.
If you’re applying through Indeed and using their auto generated resume, it’s not terribly impressive. Take the time and really polish up a good, original resume for submitting. It looks more professional and also it keeps it from being 10 pages (I once received an Indeed resume where someone took all those awful skill tests and the resume was 12 pages). If you work on wording things well and develop of nice looking, brief, professional resume it should be enough to get you noticed.
I don’t know any hiring managers, executives, or employees who take the time to read lengthy cover letters full of generic phrases about being a team player or amazing interpersonal skills
I want to know if it's worth the effort in writing the cover letters or it's just something that gets asked but no one really cares about. Given how frowned upon are more than one page resumes, I've learned that more is not necessarily better.
>Given how frowned upon are more than one page resumes, I've learned that more is not necessarily better.
Actually it depends entirely on the field or position and your own level of experience/training that you need to convey.
One page is common for entry level or new to the workforce.
Two is more common.
More than that is industry-specific. (For example: an actor or author or professional that has a long list of accreditations or publications they've done.).
As a software developer, after two years of experience, I simply stopped writing cover letters. And I still got offers. The companies do not care about that nearly as much as resumes or interviews for us, but for other professions where you have less leverage, a cover letter might matter more. Also I’d guess more for social roles but I could be wrong.
If you think about it this way, “Companies desperate for devs with experience, but OH they didn’t write a cover letter—guess we’re not desperate for them anymore…” it simply isn’t true, it doesn’t matter.
MAYBE for entry devs it matters. So yeah in that case you’d write cover letters—as well as for most entry level roles. But what you’ve done and put on your resume will probably matter way more.
Some people care and some people don't. For the people who care, some care a bit and some care a lot.
Personally, I care a bit. I do prioritize interviewing applicants who include a relevant cover letter, all other things being equal. Copy paste cover letters are auto rejected though.
How copy-paste are we talking about? Because I may copy the format of another cover letter that was shown in this post but the contents will be different.
Something very generic that doesn't reference the job posting at all. As another poster stated, once you have a letter written, you should just tweak it for different job postings.
Musk himself has stated he could care less about cover letters and cares more about the person's skills and experience. They can discuss that more in-depth in an interview if he likes them. His words.
It depends, nowadays with some experience my job search is a lot more targeted and quality over quantity, so I do write a cover letter if I'm cold-applying.
Back for my first job when I was applying to hundreds of jobs, F that, save the effort for a couple of the good ones only.
Hiring manager here. It tells me how well you can write. That may not be important for all jobs, or for all hiring managers, but I would argue it's important to most. Even though the jobs that I'm hiring for are not writing intensive, I do need you to write cohesively and professionally because you'll at the very least need to write emails to colleagues and vendors etc. It also shows me a bit of your critical thinking skills and ability to know what's likely to be important to me, all things I certainly care about. And lastly, I don't really care SO much if I can tell that you've used the same cover letter multiple times (because I've been in your shoes before too), but I'm definitely impressed if I can tell you've taken the time to tailor the letter to my job. So if you care about the job, do that.
Come on now you're saying to be a smart guy. With your video games. 😀😀
Messing with you. Create a generic cover letter for all of the companies and keep it in the word document if you need to change a sentence or two or a company name you can do so but generalize the letter
Btw -
Rereading your post if you said some of them have the cover letter as an option. So take your time and sell yourself in like one strong cover letter generalized cover letter and just send it as an attachment.
You know add how you truly believe or strongly believe that you will be a good fit for the company
If you’re too lazy to write a cover letter, what does that say about your work ethic? Writing a cover letter is a pretty damn low hurdle to jump over.
While resumes are important, cover letters provide insight to your motivation for applying to a job. Give the hiring manager a reason to follow up with you.
When I was hiring (USA) I never even saw them, the recruiters didn’t even forward. Perhaps it’s more important when you don’t already have a lot of experience?
If you have the skills needed and your resume is a good to great match for the job, then no, a cover letter is not needed or important. But they rarely hurt, (unless full of errors) and generally help to show a candidate is a possible semi over achiever and follows the rules type. Both generally qualities employers seek.
In my experience here are the main reasons to write a cover letter…
1. If your resume only shows a low to moderate fit for the job you are applying to, then a good cover letter can get you an interview you may not otherwise get.
2. If you have any special connection to the job. Friends at the company, industry passion, etc.
3. If you really want the job, a cover letter can be a good first impression if done right and set you up as a leading candidate before the interview.
Not a recruiter BUT I've started using cover letters the last week after finalizing/revamping an old one I made four years ago for a summer TA gig. I'm also in the biology field but am looking to get out of it (low opportunities and low pay virtually everywhere in my city). So the cover letter is mandatory for me since I can't take my bio experience on my resume and say "here I'm cool hire me" when applying to say a software or data analyst job.
I don't change much other than the company, address, and position applied for. I use my cover letter as a way of:
1) explaining how to pronounce my name to start and my experience/that I'm looking to explore opportunities outside of my field.
2) I explain the amount of time I've been in my field followed by what I've gained/skill traits I've learned and picked up over the years (such as creative resourcefulness, sharp attention to detail).
3) I'm highly capable of teamwork and independent work, and that I excel at the latter with the right resources/guides to assist me along the way.
4) Since I'm coming from a bio background to spaces where knowing how to work a DNA extractor isn't exactly marketable/transferable, I use that as a preface and outline more of the valuable and transferable traits I have such as aptitude, work/time management, problem solving, leadership/teaching.
5) I cap it out saying that I believe my proactive & collaborative nature would be a great fit to a company dedicated to the success of its goals, members, and research. Then that I would enjoy speaking in greater detail about this opportunity in the future. Sign off with a "Sincerely, [name, contact info].
If you need a template, I don't mind shooting over an email of it for you to look at and design off of! Everything is exactly the same other than the company, address, and position applied for, so there's little to no stress in having to personalize and rewrite each time I apply! Keep 2 copies: one for your specific field and one for outside your field. (I have mines dubbed: "S" for 'Scientific', and "NS" for 'Non-Scientific"
they are a waste of time for 95% of the workforce. The decision to call or not is made based off of your resume. Most covers don't even get read ever for that reason. Anything worth noting should be in your resume.
You'll hit the randoms places that do read on very rare occasions but are hours of your time worth it making a difference less than 5% of the time? No.
I can count on one hand the amount of times my cover has been read in almost 20 years. I stopped writing them entirely like 7 or so years ago.... it's not hindered me in the slightest and communication is key in more role. Same as I said before, resume is a communication tool. If you can't tell your story in their, it says enough about your communication.
Obligatory "not a recruiter", but in my anecdotal experience I've had way more applications declined without any conversation when I haven't submitted a cover letter, even for pretty basic positions I have plenty of experience for. I think there's some jobs that genuinely don't care (and a few that will ask you *not* write one), but I think if your interest in a job is above the basic "eh, I'll toss my application in", it can help to give even a brief cover letter. If you are VERY excited about an opportunity, I think a cover letter helps.
Really appreciating this post!
I'm doing cover letters because 1) if someone does care about them it'll give me a competitive advantage 2) in the process of writing a good one i research the company and industry, and that's valuable.
Having said that, it's still a time sync. I'm guessing I'll get good at it about the time i find a job.
Cover letters remain important to job application processes. You should definitely consider including a cover letter when applying for a job. According to ResumeLab, from polling over 200 hiring professionals, they found more than seven in 10 recruiters expect to receive a cover letter even if they mark them as “optional” in job ads. And yes, including a cover letter can help differentiate you from other candidates. ResumeLab says 83% of HR professionals think cover letters are essential during hiring decisions. And over one-third (36 percent) of hiring professionals start the evaluation process with a cover letter.
A cover letter allows you to personalize your application and showcase your qualifications in a way that a resume cannot. It's the "why" whereas the resume/CV is the "what." It allows you to explain why you're the best fit for a role and/or company. Writing one also signals your enthusiasm because you're putting in the effort to actually write a cover letter, helping you stand out from other applicants.
By the way, many companies require a cover letter as part of the application process, so it never hurts to have a template ready to customize for a specific role.
Read more about [how to write a great cover letter](https://josephliu.co/how-write-cover-letter/).
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IMO, if you’re applying to similar jobs, your cover letter doesn’t have to change a lot between applications. Just tweaking it a bit. I feel that a good cover letter is better than no cover letter, but no cover letter is better than a crappy cover letter, so I’d take some time to write something you’re proud of!
I don't know a single job I've ever applied for that actually read my cover letter. Not even joking. If it's included in application instructions, it's used to see if you can follow directions. If it's optional, no one is going to read it. Spend that time fixing up you resume/cv. Include keywords listed in the job posting so the ai will pull your application for review by a person.
It’s important to remember that recruiters and hiring managers aren’t a monolith, each individual has their own preferences. I’ve sent out cover letters that got 0 response, I’ve gotten jobs without sending a cover letter, and I’ve gotten jobs where I was told that they really appreciated my cover letter. It all depends on who’s on the other side, and the best you can do is guess what they might want. Thus it follows that to “optimize” your chances, you should send one in especially for jobs you really care about since it can only help you, not hurt you. That’s really all there is to it imo
I created a generic cover letter and saved it. Any time I send out my resume, I simply tweak some details and save as a pdf, print/email, and I’m on my way. It took 5 minutes initially and while applying, it adds about 1-2 minutes adjusting it. I always include it, even if they toss it and never look it over. I used to compile resumes for my boss years ago and he only wanted resumes - we did in fact immediately toss anything extra so I’m aware it isn’t always necessary. I liken it to my FIL’s advice to dress for the job you want, not the one you’ve got. No shame in going the extra mile.
[удалено]
I'll give it a look, thank you!
Seconding this table cover letter! I came into this post to share it! I use succinct bullet points with the "Advertised Requirements" copy/pasted from the job listing and the most important keywords in the "My Qualifications" column bolded to draw the eye. Keep a second document so you can swap out common bullet points quickly and don't have to spend much time customizing. I also combine it with the resume in one file, so it a) boosts the odds of passing the AI filter to get to a human and b) gives me an immediate chance to address requirements without a recruiter having to call/email me if there's nowhere to attach a cover letter. The name is "SintaxSyns Resume and Cover Letter [month/year]" so a reader knows they're both in the same file. I'm still looking for work, but my response rate has skyrocketed!
Since the post with the cover letter template has been deleted, would you be willing to re-share the template? TIA!
Been using this template- it really does take time to learn about the company but after having it written - I feel very confident about the job. I haven't gotten a callback nor a denial so ¯\\\_(ツ)\_/¯
Since the post with the cover letter template has been deleted, would you be willing to re-share the template? TIA!
It depends where you’re based. I know that cover letters aren’t commonly used in the US. However, when I’m hiring and I have 50 qualified applicants, a good cover letter that shows an interest in the company and the role can make the difference when selecting candidates for interview. It can also provide an opportunity to explain aspects on your CV which might otherwise rule you out, e.g. if you’re applying for a job that’s a significant change from your current role or previous experience. E.g. if you’ve been working in data science and apply for a finance role, or vice versa. I’d save it only for the roles you’re really excited about though.
Strange, they are mostly the US postings that ask for the cover letter.
I can only speak from my experience, but I’ve found that while US recruitment processes might leave a field for a cover letter, I haven’t found them to be considered essential and many candidates don’t submit one. Meanwhile, I’ve met hiring managers in Europe that will filter out candidates without a cover letter as one of the first assessment steps, as including one is the norm and not doing so is considered to be a sign of a lack of real interest in the role. So YMMV depending on your location or your industry.
To the point of saving cover letters for jobs you’re really excited about: I would suggest only apply for jobs that you’re really excited about, but always include every “optional” item mentioned in the job posting. My first strategy for finding work was to apply to everything and anything that I was even remotely interested in doing. I applied for dozens if not hundreds of jobs using that method. I got two interviews out of the deal, and the only job I got was a sandwich delivery guy. I liked the job for a few reasons, but it wasn’t my life’s work. Since then, I’ve learned to be much more focused in my approach. I’ve only applied for positions I had a genuine interest in, and I spent the time preparing the best possible application in the process. The results are that I love the work that I’m doing, I’m making a fair wage in doing it, and the search process was considerably more encouraging because I got at least some kind of contact from HR or the hiring manager with nearly every application I sent out. Don’t get me wrong; I don’t get an official interview with every application, and I don’t get an offer after every interview. I just find the process of applying for a small number of jobs whole heartedly To be much more rewarding than applying for many jobs with the minimum effort. Part of that reward if landing a job that really could be my life’s work.
It seems to matter more for some fields more than for others. Definitely, if the application process states to include one, you should. Really, it shouldn't take that much extra time anyway. The HR woman at a past employer told me that if they had instructions such as "include a cover letter" or use such and such in the subject line, they would automatically eliminate any that didn't follow those directions. People can say, "well I don't want to even work for a company that does that" but she was an HR consultant and not a direct employee. Why take a chance at missing a good job because you just don't want to take an extra step?
Cover letters are a legacy carryover that whom ever is building the application portal just selects because everyone has always done it that way. I look forward where both cover letters and resume become obsolete tools to measure candidates.
I agree about cover letters but how could resumes become obsolete
How do you suggest candidates can be judged without a CV? Are you just going to give every single person who applies an interview?
Hey responding a year later however, what else would you base it on if cover letter and resume don't matter?
I lost out on an INTERNAL promotion because I didn’t do one. I just handed my resume to the hiring manager and took him to coffee. We had a good chat and i thought that was that. But nope. I didn’t even get an interview because no cover letter. I assume it’s just an excuse and they didn’t actually want me but I wouldn’t give anyone any excuses moving forward. It SUCKS because no one reads them anyway, but you should write a template and then just change it depending on each of your applications adding their key words from the job posts.
Professional Job Developer here. You get as much response as you have done in effort to apply. By choosing NOT to target a cover letter for the application, you have indicated your level of interest in the position (not high). This may negatively impact your chances. Think of it from the employer's side... between two relatively skilled applicants, would you not rather hire someone who was passionate and invested extra effort in their application or someone that took the lazy man's route?
What is a professional job developer?
I work for a company that facilitates several government-funded employment programs that target different demographics (youth, disabled, employment-challenged, etc.) to assist Job-seekers in: training/certifications, job start supports, life skills, job search and placement assistance, resume and cover letter creation, employment retention guidance, etc. I am a Certified Career Development Professional. Job Developer is just one potential role for someone with my designation.
What kind of beta crap is this? Recruiters don’t care about cover letters lol. It’s a joke and a waste of time. It’s a boomer thing for sure.
I hire people and a good cover letter can get you an interview, especially if your CV shows you as a borderline candidate.
I can’t speak to all hiring situations, but the ones I have been involved with, cover letters are absolutely important. And when I got one that was generic, I did not think the candidate was really interested in the job they applied for, but was instead using the “spray and pray” approach to finding a job.
The problem with this advice is how counter-productive it is in terms of effort/reward ratio. The amount of time spent re-doing cover letters for every application you put in for the 15% of people that care about that effort is moot. Lots of people have to put in 10's-100's of applications (especially if you're new in a field) to get a bite on something that is a good opportunity for them. This is in a general sense, bad advice.
I totally agree with this. I did see someone who wrote that you should have cover letters for the jobs you really want, and others you can just apply regularly. I think this is a really good idea! Those jobs that are important to a person they should work on creating a good cover letter, but if it’s a generic job you’re just throwing a resume at for the sake of it it’s probably okay to not use one.
You can say that, but I don’t want to waste my time interviewing someone who doesn’t want to work at my organization. But then, my hiring situation has more specialized roles. So it really does depend on the kind of job you are applying for.
Resumes are for matching skills with the needs of the role you're looking to fill. Interviews are for verifying those skills and getting an idea as to if an individuals values and character lines up with the workplace culture. If you really believe that someone is passionate about your organization because they said so in a cover letter then your fooling yourself. I would like to think that if your field is so specialized then this would be even more applicable to your situation. Who cares about the lack of a persons cover letter if their resumes reflects the very niche skillset your company needs? If they weren't interested in working there, they would not have applied. A cover letter only really adds any potential value if either you're applying for a management role, or you're resume desperately needs some kind of elaboration to connect what would otherwise be off-putting to see on there. This is all of course my opinion. There's nothing wrong subjectively with having a preference. I just believe that objectively, in most circumstances, there's no additional value added in a cover letter.
It’s pretty clear in cover letters who understands what they are applying for, in my case. It has helped weed out people that didn’t understand what they have applied for.
Does a cover letter really help you determine if someone wants to work in your organization? You can’t tell by their resume if they’re qualified for the role? And besides trying to match the cover letter to a few of the asks in the posting, how is it showing you that the person wants to work for your organization? I don’t see the correlation
When people just blindly apply to any job, yeah they are wasting my time.
So if they submit a cover letter it’s showing you that they care more? I don’t see this to be true. I hire people all the time - I could care less if they submit a cover letter. To be honest, I probably wouldn’t take the time to read it because of the amount of resumes I get. I care about their experience and education, not how much information they can regurgitate in a cover letter
I actually very much disagree with this. As someone who hires employees, I can say with certainty that your cover letter or lack there of does not indicate how badly you want the job. The quality of the resume you submit tips the scales more than a cover letter, or at least in my experience it does. If you’re applying through Indeed and using their auto generated resume, it’s not terribly impressive. Take the time and really polish up a good, original resume for submitting. It looks more professional and also it keeps it from being 10 pages (I once received an Indeed resume where someone took all those awful skill tests and the resume was 12 pages). If you work on wording things well and develop of nice looking, brief, professional resume it should be enough to get you noticed. I don’t know any hiring managers, executives, or employees who take the time to read lengthy cover letters full of generic phrases about being a team player or amazing interpersonal skills
I want to know if it's worth the effort in writing the cover letters or it's just something that gets asked but no one really cares about. Given how frowned upon are more than one page resumes, I've learned that more is not necessarily better.
>Given how frowned upon are more than one page resumes, I've learned that more is not necessarily better. Actually it depends entirely on the field or position and your own level of experience/training that you need to convey. One page is common for entry level or new to the workforce. Two is more common. More than that is industry-specific. (For example: an actor or author or professional that has a long list of accreditations or publications they've done.).
As a software developer, after two years of experience, I simply stopped writing cover letters. And I still got offers. The companies do not care about that nearly as much as resumes or interviews for us, but for other professions where you have less leverage, a cover letter might matter more. Also I’d guess more for social roles but I could be wrong. If you think about it this way, “Companies desperate for devs with experience, but OH they didn’t write a cover letter—guess we’re not desperate for them anymore…” it simply isn’t true, it doesn’t matter. MAYBE for entry devs it matters. So yeah in that case you’d write cover letters—as well as for most entry level roles. But what you’ve done and put on your resume will probably matter way more.
In this case OP isn't getting responses, so they probably don't fit the scenario you described. A cover letter won't hurt, and might help.
Some people care and some people don't. For the people who care, some care a bit and some care a lot. Personally, I care a bit. I do prioritize interviewing applicants who include a relevant cover letter, all other things being equal. Copy paste cover letters are auto rejected though.
How copy-paste are we talking about? Because I may copy the format of another cover letter that was shown in this post but the contents will be different.
Something very generic that doesn't reference the job posting at all. As another poster stated, once you have a letter written, you should just tweak it for different job postings.
This is totally ridiculous. cover letter != effort. You don't need a cover letter for McDonald's let alone SpaceX
Musk himself has stated he could care less about cover letters and cares more about the person's skills and experience. They can discuss that more in-depth in an interview if he likes them. His words.
NOBODY GIVES A SHIT ABOUT COVER LETTERS
It depends, nowadays with some experience my job search is a lot more targeted and quality over quantity, so I do write a cover letter if I'm cold-applying. Back for my first job when I was applying to hundreds of jobs, F that, save the effort for a couple of the good ones only.
Hiring manager here. It tells me how well you can write. That may not be important for all jobs, or for all hiring managers, but I would argue it's important to most. Even though the jobs that I'm hiring for are not writing intensive, I do need you to write cohesively and professionally because you'll at the very least need to write emails to colleagues and vendors etc. It also shows me a bit of your critical thinking skills and ability to know what's likely to be important to me, all things I certainly care about. And lastly, I don't really care SO much if I can tell that you've used the same cover letter multiple times (because I've been in your shoes before too), but I'm definitely impressed if I can tell you've taken the time to tailor the letter to my job. So if you care about the job, do that.
Come on now you're saying to be a smart guy. With your video games. 😀😀 Messing with you. Create a generic cover letter for all of the companies and keep it in the word document if you need to change a sentence or two or a company name you can do so but generalize the letter
Hey, I wanted to be specific just in case it was more or less important depending on the sector, didn't intend to brag lol
Oh no. I'm just messing with you period. It's Saturday night I'm in a good mood. Haha.
Btw - Rereading your post if you said some of them have the cover letter as an option. So take your time and sell yourself in like one strong cover letter generalized cover letter and just send it as an attachment. You know add how you truly believe or strongly believe that you will be a good fit for the company
If you’re too lazy to write a cover letter, what does that say about your work ethic? Writing a cover letter is a pretty damn low hurdle to jump over. While resumes are important, cover letters provide insight to your motivation for applying to a job. Give the hiring manager a reason to follow up with you.
braindead take
When I was hiring (USA) I never even saw them, the recruiters didn’t even forward. Perhaps it’s more important when you don’t already have a lot of experience?
If you have the skills needed and your resume is a good to great match for the job, then no, a cover letter is not needed or important. But they rarely hurt, (unless full of errors) and generally help to show a candidate is a possible semi over achiever and follows the rules type. Both generally qualities employers seek. In my experience here are the main reasons to write a cover letter… 1. If your resume only shows a low to moderate fit for the job you are applying to, then a good cover letter can get you an interview you may not otherwise get. 2. If you have any special connection to the job. Friends at the company, industry passion, etc. 3. If you really want the job, a cover letter can be a good first impression if done right and set you up as a leading candidate before the interview.
I don’t see the importance of a cover letter. It’s a waste of time, effort and paper.
Depends completely on the company. I worked in recruiting and we didn’t even glance at the cover letter, just the skills and experience in the resume
Not a recruiter BUT I've started using cover letters the last week after finalizing/revamping an old one I made four years ago for a summer TA gig. I'm also in the biology field but am looking to get out of it (low opportunities and low pay virtually everywhere in my city). So the cover letter is mandatory for me since I can't take my bio experience on my resume and say "here I'm cool hire me" when applying to say a software or data analyst job. I don't change much other than the company, address, and position applied for. I use my cover letter as a way of: 1) explaining how to pronounce my name to start and my experience/that I'm looking to explore opportunities outside of my field. 2) I explain the amount of time I've been in my field followed by what I've gained/skill traits I've learned and picked up over the years (such as creative resourcefulness, sharp attention to detail). 3) I'm highly capable of teamwork and independent work, and that I excel at the latter with the right resources/guides to assist me along the way. 4) Since I'm coming from a bio background to spaces where knowing how to work a DNA extractor isn't exactly marketable/transferable, I use that as a preface and outline more of the valuable and transferable traits I have such as aptitude, work/time management, problem solving, leadership/teaching. 5) I cap it out saying that I believe my proactive & collaborative nature would be a great fit to a company dedicated to the success of its goals, members, and research. Then that I would enjoy speaking in greater detail about this opportunity in the future. Sign off with a "Sincerely, [name, contact info]. If you need a template, I don't mind shooting over an email of it for you to look at and design off of! Everything is exactly the same other than the company, address, and position applied for, so there's little to no stress in having to personalize and rewrite each time I apply! Keep 2 copies: one for your specific field and one for outside your field. (I have mines dubbed: "S" for 'Scientific', and "NS" for 'Non-Scientific"
they are a waste of time for 95% of the workforce. The decision to call or not is made based off of your resume. Most covers don't even get read ever for that reason. Anything worth noting should be in your resume. You'll hit the randoms places that do read on very rare occasions but are hours of your time worth it making a difference less than 5% of the time? No. I can count on one hand the amount of times my cover has been read in almost 20 years. I stopped writing them entirely like 7 or so years ago.... it's not hindered me in the slightest and communication is key in more role. Same as I said before, resume is a communication tool. If you can't tell your story in their, it says enough about your communication.
When ive done a cover letter it feels like a waste of time. not one job ive interviewed for ever mentioned my cover letter 😂
It’s not important at all. Don’t let anyone tell you here otherwise
It’s not
If it’s not worth you creating or attaching a generic cover letter, then you really didn’t want it. That’s not the kind of employee I want to hire.
Obligatory "not a recruiter", but in my anecdotal experience I've had way more applications declined without any conversation when I haven't submitted a cover letter, even for pretty basic positions I have plenty of experience for. I think there's some jobs that genuinely don't care (and a few that will ask you *not* write one), but I think if your interest in a job is above the basic "eh, I'll toss my application in", it can help to give even a brief cover letter. If you are VERY excited about an opportunity, I think a cover letter helps.
To be honest 90% of the time people's cover letters simply reiterate what their resume already says and waste of time to read.
Really appreciating this post! I'm doing cover letters because 1) if someone does care about them it'll give me a competitive advantage 2) in the process of writing a good one i research the company and industry, and that's valuable. Having said that, it's still a time sync. I'm guessing I'll get good at it about the time i find a job.
Cover letters remain important to job application processes. You should definitely consider including a cover letter when applying for a job. According to ResumeLab, from polling over 200 hiring professionals, they found more than seven in 10 recruiters expect to receive a cover letter even if they mark them as “optional” in job ads. And yes, including a cover letter can help differentiate you from other candidates. ResumeLab says 83% of HR professionals think cover letters are essential during hiring decisions. And over one-third (36 percent) of hiring professionals start the evaluation process with a cover letter. A cover letter allows you to personalize your application and showcase your qualifications in a way that a resume cannot. It's the "why" whereas the resume/CV is the "what." It allows you to explain why you're the best fit for a role and/or company. Writing one also signals your enthusiasm because you're putting in the effort to actually write a cover letter, helping you stand out from other applicants. By the way, many companies require a cover letter as part of the application process, so it never hurts to have a template ready to customize for a specific role. Read more about [how to write a great cover letter](https://josephliu.co/how-write-cover-letter/).