Do You Really Need A Cover Letter?
It’s a question every job seeker asks themselves. Between informational interviews, applying to jobs and keeping your life in order, do you really need to create a cover letter for every job you apply to? Job hunting is a tremendously time-consuming task and if the process is streamlined in any way, often times the cover letter is nixed and job seekers simply submit a resume. This is a tough question to answer considering that many employers may not explicitly require you to submit a cover letter with your application.
The simple answer to this question is YES. If you’re serious and want to present yourself in the most professional way possible, you should include a customized cover letter with each job application. Why? Cover letters, as frivolous as they may seem to some, are a great snapshot and summary for employers. If you craft a clear, concise and informative letter, it can help employers not only evaluate your skills but your communication, goals and objectives for your career. Still not convinced? Here are a few reasons that might convince you to get writing!
- Including a cover letter can give you the chance to include more information that adds value to what’s on your resume. With a cover letter, you have the opportunity to reveal more about your background, passions and skills to an employer that they may not gather from your resume.
- When you customize each cover letter to the specific job you’re applying for, hiring managers can clearly see that the skills you’ve highlighted and the goals you’ve expressed in the letter match with what type of candidate they are seeking.
- Your resume is essentially just a list of accomplishments, skill and responsibilities. It’s not personal, it’s not incredibly exciting. With a cover letter you can exhibit your passion about your industry or this job in particular.
- From our recruiter’s perspective, with the high volume of candidates they see everyday, when they read a well-written and clear cover letter, they tend to remember more about the candidate. They have some background on the candidate besides just the resume and have more to speak about in their initial phone screen.
It’s an easy step to omit from the job hunting process, but in the end it can only benefit you to craft an outstanding cover letter. A hiring manager is never going to look negatively upon a cover letter, but they may not appreciate simply receiving a resume. Not sure how to write the proper cover letter for your next job application? Check back next week for tips and tricks to writing a winning cover letter.