The importance of cover letters continues to be debated among job search experts and job seekers alike. We question whether they have any impact at all . . . or whether they are even read.
Although you may see or hear recruiters and other hiring professionals say that they don’t care about cover letters and never read them, enough of them DO want to see them and DO read them.
And you’ll never know if the person you’ve just sent your resume to, without a covering letter or email, is someone who expects them and reads them.
Similarly, when a job listing you want to respond to says “cover letter optional”, you’d be wise to take the time to write and send the best possible cover letter.
It simply makes sense to always include a cover letter because you can never go wrong doing so.
If someone never reads them, they’ll just put your cover letter aside and go right to your resume. But if someone else DOES want to see one, there it will be.
First a little history about cover letters
According to Stephen Lurie in an article in The Atlantic:
“Leonardo da Vinci is said to have created the first CV when applying for a job from the Duke of Milan.
Starting in the 1930s, the idea of a “cover letter” became popularly used for a descriptive document that would precede some form of previously unaccompanied data.
In its original incarnation, the “cover letter” provides an explanation for what can’t be found in the raw substance. Dotted throughout the 30’s and 40’s are other examples of the “cover letter” as in introduction to business, economic, or political matters—particularly between associates. Much like today’s cover letters, the original intent was to paint a picture that might not easily emerge from the denser material that was, well, under cover.
The first use of “cover letter” in the context of employment is on September 23, 1956. It’s in a New York Times classified ad for Dutch Boy Paints for an opening to be an industrial paint chemist.”
Research backs up the importance of cover letters
Maybe you’ll be convinced by these statistics from a ResumeGenius 2023 survey of 625 hiring managers from a range of small businesses (less than 100 employees) to large companies (1000+ employees) across the US, plus data from other studies:
- 78% of recruiters prefer applicants to submit a cover letter.
- 87% of hiring managers surveyed by ResumeGo read cover letters.
- According to ResumeGo, 59% of hiring managers believe a cover letter can provide valuable insights into an applicant (compared to 22% and 16% of hiring managers who only read cover letters out of habit or to be thorough, respectively).
- Of the hiring managers we surveyed, 83% frequently or always read cover letters. In contrast, 4% never or infrequently read cover letters.
- 45% of hiring managers surveyed read an applicant’s cover letter before their resume.
- 36% of hiring managers spend less than 30 seconds reading a cover letter.
- 48% of hiring managers spend between 30 seconds to 2 minutes reading a cover letter.
- 15% of hiring managers will even spend upwards of 2 minutes on a cover letter.
- Among companies who don’t require applicants to submit a cover letter, 73% said they frequently or always read the cover letters they do receive.
- 74% of hiring managers surveyed by ResumeLab said they read cover letters when the job posting requires applicants to submit them.
- 72% of hiring managers expect applicants to submit a cover letter even if the job posting says doing so is “optional”.
So you can see, cover letters really do matter.
Things a cover letter can do that a resume doesn’t
A cover letter, of course, is not the same as a resume, in many different ways.
First, it’s much shorter than the typical executive resume.
A resume may be 2 or 3 pages long, but a cover letter shouldn’t exceed one page.
Even though it’s longer, a resume is a more confining document, with more extensive requirements. Basically, a lot more goes into a resume than a cover letter.
But a cover letter is meant to be more specific than a resume.
Cover letters give job seekers an opportunity to provide specific information about themselves and how they’ll specifically help that particular employer they’re writing to.
A cover letter allows the job seeker to position themselves not only as the right fit for the job, but also the right fit for the company.
And cover letters are where job seekers address employment gaps or other potential red flags in their resume, plus things like whether they’re open to relocation or why they’re making a career change.
Also, your job search strategy should include reaching out and sending your resume to people who are not recruiters or hiring professional.
They may be employees at the companies you’re targeting or people in your network who have some connection to your target employers.
That is how you network your way into the goldmine of hidden executive jobs.
A cover letter/email is especially necessary in these cases because it will explain why you’re reaching out to those people.
The importance of cover letters from the experts
Ever since cover letters mainstreamed and became a requirement, they have generated discussion.
Anytime I post anything about cover letters, pretty much anywhere, conversation ensues.
Not surprisingly, I received a number of comments and thousands of views on a LinkedIn update of mine a few years ago about cover letters.
Here are some of the comments my LinkedIn update received:
Job Search Strategist Virginia Franco
“There’s literally no downside to having them – and a great letter can make all the difference.”
Social Media Strategist Isabella Reed
“If you can say that it won’t hurt your chances, you should totally dive in! What’s to say it won’t help your chances when there is someone with the exact same resume as you, but no cover letter? I think a cover letter also shows you’re willing to take that extra step. Regardless of if you know it’ll benefit you or not. Something employers should look for.”
Job Search Strategist Madeline Mann
“I’ve seen not having one ruin someone’s chances. More than anything, it’s an opportunity for an executive to explain why they are passionate about the company they are pursuing.”
Recruiter Angela Watts
“While there are certain positions where I don’t read them, I always do if writing or presenting will be involved in the role. Cover letters also give insights into personality and organization skills. Like you said, “not having a cover letter may ruin your chances”. So why not write one?
Career Coach Shelley Piedmont
“The cover letter can add specifics to your case for being hired at a particular company that the resume can only cover in a bullet point. That being said, please take the time and care with a cover letter. I have seen beautiful resumes that are not matched with well-written cover letters (typos, grammatical errors, etc.). It becomes pretty obvious which is the true gauge of the writing skills of the individual.”
Career Coach Tami Campbell
“I often hear from job seekers that “no one sends cover letters anymore.” Exactly why you want to send one. The goal is not to do what everyone else is doing but to stand out. A well written, customized, addressed-to-an-actual-person cover letter can do just that for you.”
Career Consultant Juliana Rabbi
“I always tell my clients it’s better to have one, than to NOT have one. You stop the recruitment process at some point because you have to send one and you don’t have it done. It’s a typical case of ‘better safe than sorry’, right?”
Executive coach Phillip Wong
“The cover letter is just like a handshake. It helps to introduce yourself with a firm introduction and with a smile. Written well the cover letter can provide a concise headline and a great lead-in to the CV. Both need to be congruent and consistent in language, tone and layout. Be professional, it will get you noticed.”