Does anyone read cover letters?

[JD159]

Getting mixed vibes from recruiters and professional development people in my MBA program.

Some say they toss them, others say they are essential.

Majority seems to say they don't make much of a difference.

What say ye pelican trust?

[Rick Lee]

I just got called for a second interview for a job I really want, and the original ad said to be sure to include my favorite color in the first line of the second paragraph of my cover letter. So I'm pretty sure he read it. When he first called me, he said that requirement eliminated about 60% of the applicants he heard from.

If a cover letter lists info specific to one's suitability for the job, then it certainly can't hurt to write one.

[legion]

I always viewed a resume as a fact sheet and a cover letter as my chance to explain how my resume applied to the position.

[MRM]

Yes. Cover letters are essential. They separate the ordinary from the extraordinary resumes. However, like writing resumes, an intriguing cover letter is a work of art.

Seriously, a good cover letter is really important and can set you apart. The cover letter needs to be short and to the point, punchy and convincing. It has to show the reader that the applicant has a real interest in the job and the company posting the job, not that the applicant is simply desperate for any job and applied for this one.

The perfect cover letter is a variation on the theme: Dear ____ please consider me for the _____ position of _______ with SUPERBIGHUGE Corporation. My education and experience are a close fit for what the position you need to fill. I have ____ experience in this type of job and I have always wanted to work for SUPERBIGHUGE Corporation (or supertinystartup company) because _____ (you are the greatest company in the world because you care about/don't give a rat's patukas about) all the real popular and important issues of our day.

Again, and seriously, hiring managers want to know two things above all else. 1) you know something about the company and job and you're applying for it because you want that job (as opposed to wanting just any job and this one looked available) and 2) you really have some skills that match the job they're posting.

If you can state in your cover letter that you know the company and want to work for it and you know the position and that's how you want to spend your career, you will have distinguished yourself from the vast majority of candidates.

So, yes, do do a cover letter but make it unique to that position and customized to that position and what that company is looking for. That will get your foot in the door for an interview. Where you go from there is up to you.

PS, Legion is right.

[astrochex]

It's an opportunity for you to explain why you are the best fit for the job.

You want to take advantage of that.

[JD159]

Good posts everyone

I have actually been writing cover letters like a madman applying for all these co-op term jobs. I've got it down to a science and my writing heavy undergrad has given me some decent chops for crafting a cover letter, or so I am told by the HR people at my school.

I've actually got an interview lined up for next week. Very few people have one yet so my structure is working.

Just wondered from a recruiters perspective if they are actually read or not. I submit a cover letter with every application !

[cstreit]

I do, but I rarely get them anymore. I like it if they tell me why they want the job and what they bring to the table.

[unclebilly]

Yup. These are as important as the resume. As resume withou one gets scanned but won't make the top of my pile.