What good is a Cover Letter to Job Seekers?
Job seekers often send a resume out without a cover letter. This occurs frequently in today's web search environment where resumes are sent out with a mouse click. This is perhaps because of the ease of sending out resumes quickly to many employers, causing an attitude or belief that a cover letter is unnecessary. Some Job seekers tend to wonder just how important it is to include a cover letter.
A cover letter is necessary for one simple reason: over 99% of resumes that are sent without a cover letter are discarded without even being read!
A cover letter differs functionally from a resume. While a resume is a document that provides a broad-based view of your entire career, the cover letter is much more specific and targeted. A cover letter is specifically designed to team up with your resume to get you an interview by highlighting your skills, experiences, and achievements; identifying your value to the specific organization; capturing the prospective employer's interest in you; and motivating that employer to invite you for an interview. It is an opportunity to sell your qualifications and successes, demonstrate your expertise, and create excitement and enthusiasm that places you above the competition.
The days of treating a cover letter as a mere formal request to review a resume and grant an interview are gone! Cover letters are an integral part of your self-marketing and branding to employers. Don't send a resume without one!
Michael Kelly,
Certified Advanced Resume Writer
Interiew/Employment Coach
PersonalandBizWriter.com
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Michael,
Regarding Cover letters, I would like your and others opinion on the following.
I have been treating job postings from companies differently then job postings from recruiters and recruitment agencies. I almost always send a Cover letter like you describe with my resume to companies but only send my resume to recruiters or to recruitment agencies. As you say above the cover letter should be targeted and show my value to a specific organization. I also use the Cover letter to express why I desire to be a part of their industry in general, their company in specific as well as how I would fit in to their business culture. Very little of this applies to a posting from a recruiter or a recruiting agency where generally nothing or little is know of the hiring company.
Dose this sound like a good practice or would you recommend that I should use a Cover letter to sell my self in all cases?
Best Regards,
Jonathan Snyder
Yes I would strongly recommend sending cover letters to recruiters. You need to be succinct and to the point with them. Explain your reason for contact (the job you seek), Your key qualifications, and how they can contact you. All this having been said, the letter must still build the readers interest in you and motivating that recruiter to invite you for an interview. You must demonstrate your expertise, and create excitement and enthusiasm that places you above the competition.