Cover Letters - Worth It?
Many consider cover letters to be unnecessary in modern recruiting. Why you should take advantage of writing them, while you still can.
When applying for jobs online, you will likely see a space to upload your résumé marked with a little red asterisk, indicating that the field is mandatory. Most of the time, there will be a second field that appears to be optional, titled Cover Letter. More often than not, students will skip this field, simply because it seems tedious, and they are not required to fill it out. They had dedicated hours to perfecting their résumé, so what do they have to gain by submitting yet another document? They are focused on submitting their applications as quickly as possible, in order to start the next one. After all, a job search is purely a numbers game, right? Wrong.
While a résumé conveys your background, a cover letter tells your story. Instead of sharing a highlight reel with a recruiter, you are letting them know why you play the game. Cover letters are not pre-written because they are unique to each company and position you apply for. They serve as your introduction to the organization and explain why you are eager to work there, in addition to the single page that informs them of your skills and experience. An effective cover letter demonstrates to a recruiter that you would be the right fit for a position, or at least convinces them to invite you in for an interview.
In recent years, there has been an ongoing debate regarding whether or not cover letters are necessary in recruitment. Many organizations feel that they can make accurate candidate assessments from screening résumés, or that there is simply not enough time in the day to read each and every cover letter across open positions. Some feel that they can draw the same conclusions from a cover letter that they would from a first-round call with a member of Human Resources. However, if a company does offer a field to attach a cover letter, you should submit one anyway. In fact, while about 1 in 4 recruiters actively read cover letters, more than half of recruiters admit that they would still prefer them to be included in the hiring process.
Even if a recruiter never reads your cover letter, they can see in their system that you submitted one. This makes them more likely to take a closer look at your résumé because they recognize that you have invested more effort into your application. When prompted to submit a cover letter, only approximately 3 in 10 candidates will take the time to do so. As a student, your main priority is to land a career opportunity that you can further leverage into your next experience. A strong cover letter has been proven to translate “flaws'“ in a résumé to the reader 83% of the time, increasing a candidate’s chance to land the coveted interview, even if they may not seem like the best fit based on an 8.5x11 sheet of paper. For example, this can be particularly helpful in explaining that GPA mishap from first semester or that one time when you took on a few more classes than you could handle.
The more you can show a recruiter who you are and what you have to offer the organization, the better your odds of landing your dream job will be. The world is changing, and the next time you find yourself applying for a job, you may not have the option to.