Cover Letters – A Waste of Time?

I’ve heard a lot of opinions from people about cover letters over the years, both in the recruiting business and from “regular Joe’s.” Some hiring authorities say it’s not needed, and some job seekers just don’t want to take the time to write one. But most people agree it’s worth it and it can set you apart from your competition. (Trust me, as good as you may feel you are, you always have competition.)

Cover letters can explain things in your resume and be more precise as to why you’d be a great hire. Just remember a few things so you achieve that goal, rather than hurt yourself in the process.

1. Try to address it to a specific person rather than “Hiring Manager” or “To Whom It May Concern.” Don’t have a name? Look online or call the company.

2. Do not have spelling or grammatical errors. Just like errors in your resume, the reviewer will view you as sloppy, lazy, unprofessional or just not very bright (code for dumb, either literally or dumb to miss that). You should NEVER have errors in either document since these are two of the most important descriptions of yourself you will ever have.

3. Explain away. Tell why you’re looking/leaving your current company, why you have gaps in your resume, why you’re open to lower-level positions, etc. Look at your resume objectively, then explain anything you would be concerned with if you were the hiring manager.

4. Express why you are interested in their job/company and why you are a fit. Use bullets to highlight accomplishments that would apply to this job as well.

5. Don’t repeat your resume. They are in a hiring position presumably because they are smart, so assume they can read and put two-and-two together.

6. Keep it to one page.

7. Reiterate why you’re a great fit and then ask for an interview. Tell them times you are available, and be sure to include your contact info.

8. Wrap it up by telling them you’ll follow up with them. Name a specific day, and stick to it.

Most of this is pretty obvious, but when it comes to whether or not to even write a cover letter, apparently it’s not so obvious. But, hopefully you now see the importance and advantage you will have if you do.