Firstly, a quick ‘did you know’.
The cover letter is so called because it was the cover page for resumes. Its purpose was to entice the reader to continue reading and seek out more detail contained in the resume. Back in its day (the 80s and 90s) the cover letter was a detailed self-promotion of career history and skills for the writer – a work life history.
Now a days, the resume is the hero! And the focus on the cover letter has dropped away, with it being more the support act to supplement your resume story
What this means for you
When you submit a cover letter it has to be relevant and highlight your specific skills and experience. It is also a useful tool to explain any exceptional circumstances such as gaps in employment, career transitions or something relevant that isn’t stated on your resume. Your cover letter should also be a solid example of your written communication skills AND your attention to detail. So this means, you have to get it right – the grammar, the spelling and the layout. Your resume will get you over the line if it is well written, nicely laid out, contains relevant skills and experience and highlights your work accomplishments. If the recruiter or hiring manager reviews your resume and believes you are a good match for their job, they will then review your cover letter to reinforce their opinion; so essentially, your cover letter has a stronger chance of being read if you are a close fit for the vacancy. At this point you don’t want to spoil your chances by having irrelevant or duplicate detail in your cover letter. It is necessary to make sure that it is tailored and customised to the specific job. It is important that it looks and reads professionally.
So, back to the question – should I submit a cover letter?
To answer this question you get your first clue by reading the advertisement. If it asks for a cover letter then provide one! Otherwise it appears that you don’t follow instructions and this creates a poor impression.
If the advert is silent – then you need to use your judgement. Ask yourself ‘what value (to the business) am I adding if I include a cover letter’? If you want to differentiate yourself, show off your communications skills, explain something unique about you or highlight some relevant experience or skills in more detail than that contained in your resume – then the answer is probably ‘yes’.
Just be sure to write it well, read it twice or more and polish it before you hit the submit button.
Don’t know where to begin? Writing a cover letter too hard? No time? Let me help you! Please contact me now.