Cover letters – why bother?

Signing your cover letterAt a recent seminar I announced something that unsettled the jobseeker audience.  I tore up their cover letter efforts in one sentence.

“People rarely read your cover letter”

The audience gasped.

Jobseekers work so hard to get their message across in a letter.  They think this is the wrapper for their job application.   The icing on the cake that makes them stand out from the other applications.

Let’s consider a few things here from the receiver’s point of view:

  • When sending your resume jobseekers tend to send this as ‘Resume.doc’ or similar and then also attach as a separate file ‘Cover Letter.doc’.  So you have already given the reader the power of choice….which document do they want to open when verifying your suitability for the role?
  • The Recruiter or Hiring Manager receives 100 responses to a job advert.  They are looking to interview maybe 5 people for the job.  They have to read through the 100 resumes (and cover letters?)  They skim read the resumes online and maybe print the ones they are interested in for when they call.  Still no cover letter.
  • The job description is a list of responsibilities for the role and the brief of what skills the ideal candidate will have…this information is typically in your resume?  So initial assessment is a matching game.

Some people argue that they need to use the cover letter as an introduction to their resume or an opportunity to point out their soft skills relevant for the role.  I argue that this again can be achieved with a Career Objective in your resume and clever use of document title.

The one thing this controversial statement did do was unify people on was this – job seekers need to tailor each and every application to the job they are applying.  So, amend your Career Objective paragraph accordingly.  Be smart when giving your applications a document title eg:
“ Joe Bloggs – Resume for Sales Manager Role with Apple.doc”

Some employers do request a cover letter – in this case you should most certainly produce one.  Show off your written communication skills as well as your suitability to the role.

One final challenge – spend the energy and time you would usually spend in your cover letter – by also adapting and tailoring your resume.  Your efforts should pay off.

Let me know how you go.

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3 Comments to “Cover letters – why bother?”

  1. Ullash says:
    May 3, 2010 at 1:15 pm

    Hi also a good read is:
    http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2010/03/25/what-makes-a-great-cover-letter-according-to-companies/

  2. Alex says:
    May 18, 2010 at 11:57 pm

    Does this still apply to today’s job market where 80% of the roles are filled by a handful of outsourced recruiters ?

    Since the rejected candidates might have already been recognised by a recruiter. Will that recruiter ever be bothered to give you another go?

    Sally-Anne Blanshard Reply:
    May 28th, 2010 at 8:05 am

    Hi Alex thanks for your comments. Your question raises 2 key points.
    - Multiple recruiters are often engaged on the same job
    - Your details, if registered by a recruiter, will be on file

    So let’s look at this in more detail, the 1st point – you need to establish who is the recruiter that is prepared to spend time talking you through the brief, has been instructed by the client, the recruiter could be (should be?) happy to say they are not the only agency working in the role as they will want to put you forward if you are also working with competitor recruiters. So ask lots of question of the recruiter when enquiring about the role, perhaps this is in advance of sending your resume.

    The 2nd point – your details are usually updated or registered on the recruiter or internal recruiter’s database. When recruitment consultants are briefed on roles they have a few options: a) search on the database/their contacts, then b) look through LinkedIn or similar c) PAY for an advert on a job board and d) be paid BY the client to advertise in the newspaper. More often than not Option C is to ensure the recruiters capture those people that have just decided to start looking for a job and Option D is when the recruiter is the sole agency working on the role and has been retained by the client to identify the best person for the job.

    With regards to the cover letter? Option D would be most relevant – the recruiter will be working a lot of their time on this role over competitive roles and an introduction of your resume could be useful. One more tip – send your application both online and in print/by mail. We do not get a lot of traditional post these days and it will certainly make an impression.

    Hope this helps.