Cover letters are one of those application requirements everyone seems to have an opinion about. Some people feel that cover letters are important, that they demonstrate a sense of professionalism and offer applicants an opportunity to provide information that a resume may not adequately communicate. Others see them as a waste of time, the sort of requirement that has little benefit but opens the door to an applicant accidentally making a poor impression.
Related:Does Your Cover Letter Make These 5 Critical Mistakes?
To put this discussion into perspective, here are some answers from employment experts to the question, "Do cover letters matter?"
Cover Letters Let Applicants Express Themselves
Lisa McQuery of Demand Media believes that cover letters matter because of the way they enable job applicants to set themselves apart from the rest of the pack. She explains that the introductory portion of a cover letter “can be used to express a genuine interest in aspects of the company to which [the applicant] is applying.” Demonstrating that kind of knowledge can help an applicant appear well researched and invested in the company right off the bat.
Cover Letters Reveal More Than Resumes
Over at Forbes, Carolina Ceniza-Levine offers similar advice, noting how “the cover letter... can speak to the reader differently than the list structure of a resume.” This is significant since resumes are generally designed to give potential employers a sense of breadth, as opposed to depth. That is, the resume doesn't offer readers what the cover letter does: the opportunity to explain the specifics about employment history.
Ceniza-Levine says that a cover letter “doesn’t have to be chronological like a resume, so you can talk about things in a different order or emphasize different points of your career.” This selectivity can be useful to elaborate on relevant experience in greater detail than a resume might indicate or to call attention to particular career developments.
Cover Letters Are Expected
Finally, CareerBuilder’s Anthony Balderrama acknowledges, while some jobs might not require a cover letter, most employers will expect one. He offers up the example of communications internship advisor, Angela Ruggiero, who describes what effect cover letters have on her hiring process: “I see red flags when there is no cover letter along with a resume. The absence of cover letters translates to me that the candidate is lazy and is sending resumes in masses, rather than customizing to each individual company of interest.”
For Ruggiero, a missing cover letter indicates that a job applicant is unprofessional, lacking in the knowledge of what a cover letter can do and what most employers expect. Cover letters communicate a specific, detailed interest in a potential employer, giving them the impression the applicant has an understanding and appreciation for the particular position to which he or she is applying.
It would appear the general consensus is cover letters matter, though the reasons for that are varied.
The cover letter puts a face to a name, a person to a resume and communicates to the employer that the job applicant has done his or her homework and taken the time to write a letter specific to the position. This investment, this level of commitment, does a lot to convince an employer that the applicant would be a worthwhile addition to the organization.
This article was written by Melissa Woodson, the community manager for @WashULaw on behalf of CAREEREALISM-Approved Partner, 2U – an education technology company that partners with Washington University in St. Louis to offer a premier LLM degree. In her spare time, she enjoys running, cooking and making half-baked attempts at training her dog.This post was originally published at an earlier date.
Is your job search turning into a grind with no end in sight? It may be time to take a step back and reevaluate your entire approach.
In cold weather climates, the beginning of spring is a time to clean the house and get organized—a practice known as spring cleaning. Through the years, spring cleaning has taken on a larger meaning with people using the time to organize and declutter things in their lives.
For professionals on the job hunt, a little spring cleaning (metaphorically speaking) could be a great way to reinvigorate your job search. Here are a few strategies your job search spring cleaning should include.
Reevaluate Your Job Search Approach
Bigstock
Make a list of the last handful of jobs you applied for and see if you can identify any positive or negative trends. Consider things like:
How did I learn about this job?
How did I apply for the job?
Did I earn an interview?
What was the ultimate result?
A lot can be learned about your job search approach just by answering these questions and identifying patterns. For example:
Negative Trends
You discovered five jobs through job boards, applied to all of them via the job boards, and never heard back from any of them.
The common pattern here is applying through job boards. This isn't to say that job boards don't serve a purpose in the job search process, but they have their limitations, and you can't run your job search entirely off of them. When you apply through a job board, there's a good chance that your materials will never get past the applicant tracking system (ATS) and never be seen by an actual person.
One simple fix is to research who the hiring manager or recruiter is that posted the position and email your materials to them directly.
The more efficient fix would be to take a proactive approach by putting together a bucket list of companies that you want to work for and start making connections on LinkedIn with people who work at those companies. You may already know some people who work there or have connections that can refer you to some individuals.
This is a great way to network your way onto a company's radar.
Positive Trends
You applied to three jobs via referral, were invited to two job interviews, and made it through multiple rounds of interviews for one of the jobs before being passed over for someone with a little more experience.
The pattern here is that getting referred to a job by a professional acquaintance is a great way to land a job interview. This indicates that you're leveraging your network well and you should continue to focus on your networking efforts.
The next step is to review the interview process and determine what went well and what needs to be improved. Sometimes the interviewer will provide feedback, and that feedback can be valuable. However, not everyone is comfortable with giving feedback.
Chances are you probably have a good idea about areas of improvement and the skills you need to gain. Put together a plan for addressing those shortfalls.
The good news in making it deep into any interview process is that it indicates that the company likes you as a potential employee (even if the timing just wasn't right) and the experience could be a roadmap to a job with that company at a later date, or another similar opportunity elsewhere.
Give Your Resume & Cover Letter Some Much-Needed Attention
Bigstock
Are you continuously sending similar resumes and cover letters to each job opening with only minor adjustments? If so, your strategy needs some serious spring cleaning.
The reason why it's so important to tailor your resume is that throughout your career, you acquire numerous skills, but the job you're applying for may only be focusing on 6-8 of those skills. In that case, those skills must rise to the top of the resume with quantifiable examples of how you successfully used those skills at previous jobs.
Remember, recruiters go through hundreds of resumes. They need to be able to tell from a quick glance whether or not you're a potential candidate for the position.
While updating your resume, you could also spruce up your LinkedIn profile by highlighting the skill sets that you want to be noticed for by recruiters.
As for writing a good cover letter, the key to success is writing a disruptive cover letter. When you write a disruptive cover letter, you're basically telling a story. The story should focus on how you connect with the particular company and job position. The story could also focus on your personal journey, and how you got to where you currently are in your career.
If your resumes and cover letters aren't unique, now is the time to clean things up and get on track.
Build Your Personal Brand
Just because you're looking for work doesn't mean that you don't have anything to offer. Use previous career experiences and passions to build your personal brand.
Ask yourself, "How do I want other professionals to view me?"
Pick an area of expertise and start sharing your knowledge and experience with your professional network by pushing out content on your LinkedIn and social media accounts. Good content can include blogs, social media posts, and videos.
By sharing content about your experiences and passions, you slowly build your personal brand, and others will start to notice. The content could lead to good discussions with others in your network. It could also lead to reconnecting with connections that you haven't spoken to in years, or making new connections.
You never know when one of these connections could turn into a job lead or referral. The trick is to get on people's radars. So, when you're cleaning up your job search, be sure to build a plan for personal branding.
Maintain Healthy Habits During Your Job Search
Bigstock
Your job search is important, but it's even more important to know when to pull back and focus on personal health and spending time with family and friends.
There are actually things that you can do for your own enjoyment that could help your job search in the long run, such as:
Grab coffee with a friend - It's good to engage in light conversation with friends during challenging times. And if your job search does come up, remember that most people have been through it themselves and you never know when a friend may provide you with a good idea or lead on a job.
Volunteer - Volunteering is a great way to get involved in the community and help others. In addition, if you develop a little bit of a career gap while looking for a job, you can always talk about how you filled that time volunteering, if you're asked about it during a job interview.
Continue to focus on other passions - Are you a fitness nut? Blogger? Crafter? Continue to do the things that bring you happiness. And if you're in a position to profit from your passion through a freelance job or side hustle, even better!
Spring is the perfect time to clean up and improve your job search so you can land the job you want. If you're struggling to find a job, follow the tips above to reinvigorate your job search—and watch your career blossom!
Need more help with your job search?
Become a member to learn how to land a job and UNLEASH your true potential to get what you want from work!
This article was originally published at an earlier date.
Bigstock
Bigstock
Bigstock
