Cover letters are the unsung heroes of a successful job application. Although many recruiters don’t specifically request cover letters during an application, people who submitted one alongside their CVs often saw better results than those with just a CV. They were like a secret cheat code back in the day – anyone who really wanted the job would make sure that they included a customised letter with their application. Sure, it was a lot of extra work, but it was also a sign of passion and were handy for recruiters to get a better picture of the applicant.
Are cover letters still golden tickets today? Or have recruiters wizened up and diminished the cover letter’s value? Let’s take a deeper look!
Shifting trends?
When Rachel Wells (a Forbes contributor and career coach for millennials and Gen-Z demographics) held a LinkedIn poll to determine whether or not cover letters were still used to shortlist applicants, the results were unexpected. With respondents hailing from both sides of the hiring process – including applicants, hiring managers and recruiters – more than 70% voted that cover letters were unnecessary.
Among the featured respondents was Emily Meekins’ (CEO and Founder of Workstrat), and this was her opinion:
“85% of the time, I can learn enough from your resume and LinkedIn profile,” Meekins answers. “The application/interview process is time-consuming enough without a cover letter. I’d prefer candidates save their time and reapply it to other areas of their search.”
Indeed, recent job trends have shown that job competition was at an all-time high. According to NBC News’ analysis in America, “there are now two job applicants for every role on average being advertised”. Their LinkedIn findings have also shown that job intensity has increased by 35% in June – meaning each prospective job applicant was also applying to more jobs in general, thus creating increased job demand across the board. Even on the opposite side of the globe, Reuters reported that China’s job market was in its worst state since in decades, with fresh graduates facing a hiring glut due to the weakened economy, COVID-19’s effects and the imposed restrictions to fight it.
Considering how stressful it is to be a recruiter or an applicant, tacking on extra work to either side seems counter-productive… but is it actually counter-productive? We think not.
Although 70% of recruiters don’t think cover letters are necessary for their decisions, there’s no reason not to include one if you are an applicant. It’s not like the cover letter will spontaneously combust and torch the recruiter’s desk, they can simply choose to ignore the cover letter and focus on the CV only. So why should an applicant still write one when there’s a good chance it’ll be ignored? Think of a cover letter as supplementary information that briefly shows who you are – it’s an extra opportunity to demonstrate who you are (before the interview stage), and it may help the recruiter get a better idea of your personality and talent. Yes, it’s a lot of work to write a customised letter tailored to each business you plan to apply to, but the information you provide may be what sways you from reject to interview.
Despite her confidence in plucking information from CVs and LinkedIn profiles, Meekins adds that cover letters will still be looked at if she is “on the fence” about an applicant and needs more details for an informed decision, or to check for quality of writing and communication skills.
This tells us two things:
Cover letters need to provide insights to your character that are not available from your CV and social media pages
Cover letters help reduce extra steps in the initial hiring process – instead of having to reach out to applicants to gather more information (and taking up an extra day of back and forth communication), the information is already conveniently available
The second point is especially important, since the modern hiring process has become an absolute slog to get through. Remember when it used to be just applying, then sitting through an interview (and maybe a written test) before hearing the decision? Today, the process can include multiple rounds of interviews and tests with different levels of management – it’s an exhausting new trend for prospective applicants, as the process can drag on for weeks and even months. Taking a few hours to work on a good cover letter seems like a great trade when you can potentially shave off days from this new job hunting standard!
What should a cover letter cover?
The length of an acceptable cover letter ultimately depends on who will be reading it, but the general consensus is between (i) three to five paragraphs, (ii) 400 words or less, and; (iii) less than a page.
It’s a small quota, so you need to be selective about what you write here.
Where your CV recounts your education and career history, your cover letter (like your LinkedIn "about me" section) needs to sing a different tune about yourself. We’re sure you have many stories and experiences to share, but 400 words really restricts what you can and can’t tell – to better tailor what you write, you should consider its relevance to the business you are applying to.
For example, approaching Google vs a small-time tech start-up requires completely different approaches. With Google, a quick search online would reveal the company culture, their values and the sort of people that are working within. On the other hand, a new business would be more difficult to scope out – you may have to do a bit of digging on the founder’s history, why they started their own business, and so forth – but most importantly, don’t forget about the details in the job posting!
Good job postings usually include several things:
· What the job’s responsibilities are
· The qualifications of the ideal candidate
· Some background on the business and/or the team you’ll be working with
Aside from the usual “why you want to work at the company” and “what you can bring to the table” (a smarter thing would be to also mention what the company can do for you, as this is a common interview question now), the job posting gives insight on what topics you should cover on your cover letter. Consider the following posting for an IT job:
Relevant work experience is important, but interpersonal relationships and ability to manage projects/tasks are also crucial since you will be directly reporting to the IT manager and IT head – some of the things you can talk about on the cover letter may include a specific project you led or had an important role on, the impact of that job on you and your team, any challenges you faced and how you addressed them, followed by the results for the client and/or your company.
Cover letters are an opportunity to give a case study relevant to the job posting – it’s more effective to use case studies to illustrate your skills that it is to plainly list them out – but do be sure that you don’t make up or blur any details, because many recruiters won’t hesitate to contact your references or give out tests to check your story!
Lastly, be sure to personalise the letter. This means addressing the letter to the recruiter or HR person in the company and to write to them as if you were directly speaking to them. “As a recruiter, I appreciate it when candidates address their cover letters to a specific individual or mention a mutual connection within the company,” says Thomas Codevilla (Co-Founder and hiring manager at SK&S Law Group and one of the respondents of Well’s LinkedIn poll). “It not only shows that they’ve done their research, but also increases the likelihood that their application will catch my attention.
Although recruiters rely on cover letters less than before, they are still useful additions to your application. Even if recruiters don’t feel the need to look at your cover letter, the process of drafting the letter is a great opportunity to learn more about where you are applying to and how to tailor content – not much of a downside if you ask us!