Are cover letters necessary?

Let’s face it, we have all been in this scenario: You know, the one where we pour our blood, sweat, and tears into crafting the perfect CV, and just as we’re ready to attach it to our job application and hit that send button, we’re faced with this line: Cover letter (optional).

Talk about a pull-your-hair-out kind of moment. Right? It leaves us all anxious and wondering: ‘’Should we submit a cover letter? Will it hurt our chances if we don’t? Seriously, does anybody even bother to read these anymore?’’ Well, ask, and you shall receive.

In this article, we’re going to talk about whether cover letters are still relevant in today’s world, If you really need one, and when not to send a cover letter.

Let’s dive right in.

Are Cover Letters Still Relevant?

Regardless of what you may have been told, cover letters are not just a useless formality. Whilst the incredible rise of social media recruiting through platforms like LinkedIn changed the job hunt game a little, we’re not at the stage of complete cover letter obsoletion. Not yet anyway!

Cover letters for resumes are usually looked into by hiring managers, not recruiters. Recruiters often focus on ensuring you have the required skills to get the job done, and this can easily be found through your resume and LinkedIn profile.

Hiring managers, on the other hand, try to figure out who you are as a person, and how well you’re going to fit into their existing team and culture. In consequence – the main reason why writing a cover letter is still relevant in today’s world.

So, Do I need a Cover Letter?

Here at Cowrite, we deal with many career experts, and over the years, we’ve come to learn that they all agree on one thing – writing a cover letter is almost always the best decision.

In a world of job application automation and 1-click applying, a well-written cover letter provides you with the opportunity to show your personal side. It’s your way of demonstrating exactly why hiring you is a smart move, and how you can add value to the company. It’s also a way to set yourself apart from hundreds of other candidates as it shows your willingness to personalise your application for each job.

So, all in all – yes, you do need a cover letter for resumes. However, there are also some instances when it’s not appropriate to send one. In order to avoid any confusion, let’s explain.

When Not to Send a Cover Letter

 In some rare cases, employers will specifically not request a cover letter. Or, the job application software you’re using does not allow additional document attachments. If you do ever come across this, make sure you follow the employer’s instructions as stated.

Furthermore, ensure that you don’t submit a cover letter if:

• You don’t have anything new to say – Those in recruitment want to read a compelling and impressive cover letter, not an exact replica of your resume.
• You have no interest in personalizing the cover letter – Trust us, they can tell if you just copy and paste from Google.
• You only have ideas on how to improve the company – As you’re definitely going to be asked these questions, save the problem-solving suggestions for the job interview.

The Conclusion

Taking all of the above into account, the principle of a successful cover letter for resumes is simple: it needs to be sufficiently interesting, and it needs to leave your future employer feeling compelled to find out more about you, ultimately, inviting you to a job interview.

If you find yourself stuck on writing a cover letter, we’ve got you ‘covered’. We make it easy for you to achieve superior quality in no time. With a fast and easy way to build the ultimate cover letter that you can customize to suit every type of job and every type of employer, we help you increase your chances of landing your dream job.

Interested? Click here to find out more.

We wish you the best of luck in your job hunt!

Karen Maristani

Karen invented writing, the airplane, and the internet. She was also the first person to reach the North Pole. She has flown to Mars and back in one day, and was enthusiastically greeted by Aliens. She has also worked as a copywriter and journalist for many years and has helped hundreds of people writing the perfect cover letter.