Cover Letters - Should You Use Them in Your Job Search?

Are cover letters useful anymore? There are a variety of opinions throughout the internet. One of the most compelling comments came from Edith Reese, an Insurance and Risk Management Professional and Attorney, saying that "There are blogger's with HR backgrounds who state that a cover letter is outdated, but the comments on this site (LinkedIn poll page) from HR professionals indicate otherwise. For a variety of the following reasons listed here (distinguishing yourself from the other candidates, showing the company how you add value, showing interest in the position, creating a connection with the hiring manager, etc.) a well written cover letter remains an important element of the job hunter's arsenal.

After exhaustive discussions with over 240 job seekers, many of them from the professional networking website Linkedin.com, and posting a poll on LinkedIn with the following title, "Do You Use a Cover Letter in Your Job Search", I found some pretty interesting and relevant responses to the poll question.

Why should you use a cover letter when you are submitting your resume for a position? Edina Cole, an HR Professional says " In this economy, you MUST add a cover letter. Even a short one will do. Recruiters have so many resumes to weed through. Yours needs to stand out!"

As you can tell by reading the data collected below, most people think it is very important to do so. Our poll taker's are people at all levels of job function (including Human Resource professionals), several different age groups and job titles. Some of their comments are quoted within the reasons you should send one. These reasons will give you the information you need to create cover letters to go along with your resume.

1. You Need To Tell Your Brief Story with a Cover Letter!

Getting the word out, about how you fit the job description is the whole point of a cover letter and you should take advantage of it. "The best advice I have seen about this is to find one element of the job description and tell a specific story about what you've accomplished when you had a similar responsibility. That will be your "hook" to get someone to take the next step and look at your resume," says Russ Knight, a Salesman for a major Technologies firm. If you briefly state how you "fit" the position, it will go a long way toward getting a call from the recruiter or hiring manager.

2. Your Cover Letter Will Show the Company That You Care!

Some recruiters and hiring managers that read cover letters will tell you that if you don't care enough to send one, spelling out things like, who you are, what you're about and that you've done your research on the company, they may not even read your resume!

"I just received an email back from a potential employer stating he enjoyed my letter and resume. I believe my cover letter got his attention to write me back" says Susan Haynes, a Marketing Professional.

A Human Resources Assistant, Edina Cole, indicated that " In this economy, you MUST add a cover letter. Even a short one will do. Recruiters have so many resumes to weed through. Yours needs to stand out!"

So, if you want your resume read, send a cover letter that shows you've done your homework.

3. Your Cover Letter Will Leave a Good "First Impression."

A well written cover letter will show the company that you want to leave them with a good first impression of you. One of our poll takers, a Human Resources Student, Cheryell Romere says, "This week's Business Communication class assignment was to create a cover letter or an application message. The purpose of an application message is to persuade the prospective employer to read your resume. Furthermore, it is a form of formality, an item traditionally expected. In this current economic time, it becomes a way of going the extra mile to prove you want the job; after all first impressions only come once."

In summary; tell the hiring manager your story, show the company that you care, and leave a good impression. All too often we hear generalized statements that recruiter's or hiring manager's do not want to waste their time on a cover letter. Don't risk the chance of loosing a possible interview with that kind of thinking! Send a cover letter every time you submit your resume, if possible.

Here's the data collected from the poll:

Poll Responses for the question - "Do you use a Cover Letter in your job search"?

Overall Results: 241 Respondents
Yes, it's an important tool = 67%

No, it's a big waste of time = 5%

Only if I'm asked to send one = 27%

By Job Title:

Yes, it's an important tool = Owners (100%), C-Level and VP (43%), Management (70%), All Others (69%).

No, it's a big waste of time = Owners (0%), C-Level and VP (14%), Management (3%), All Others (4%).

Only if I'm asked to send one = Owners (0%), C-Level and VP (43%), Management (27%), All Others (27%).

By Company Size:

Yes, it's an important tool (Enterprise) = 39%

No, it's a big waste of time (Enterprise) = 14%

Only if I'm asked to send one (Enterprise) =48%

Yes, it's an important tool (Large) = 57%

No, it's a big waste of time (Large) =14%

Only if I'm asked to send one (Large) =29%

Yes, it's an important tool (Medium) =100%

No, it's a big waste of time (Medium) = 0%

Only if I'm asked to send one (Medium) =0%

Yes, it's an important tool (Small) = 68%

No, it's a big waste of time (Small) =6%

Only if I'm asked to send one (Small) =26%

By Job Function:

Yes, it's an important tool = Business Development (75%), Consultants (71%), Engineers (67%), HR (100%), Operations (60%), Sales (75%).

No, it's a big waste of time = Business Development (0%), Consultants (0%), Engineers (0%), HR (0%), Operations (20%), Sales (0%).

Only if I'm asked to send one = Business Development (25%), Consultants (29%), Engineers (33%), HR (0%), Operations (20%), Sales (25%).

By Gender:

Yes, it's an important tool = Male (66%), Female (72%).

No, it's a big waste of time = Male (8%), Female (1%).

Only if I'm asked to send one = Male (26%), Female (27%).

By Age Group:

Yes, it's an important tool = 18-24 (77%), 25-34 (71%), 35-54 (63%), 55+ (86%).

No, it's a big waste of time = 18-24 (0%), 25-34 (3%), 35-54 (8%), 55+ (4%).

Only if I'm asked to send one = 18-24 (23%), 25-34 (26%), 35-54 (29%), 55+ (10%).