Cover Letter or No?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I personally always do it unless there's no way to do so through a computerized application system.

This is for attorney jobs, btw.

I work for a fed agency and hire attorneys. We require a cover letter, and I can't tell you the number of people we have rejected based on the cover letter alone. A cover letter is your opportunity to show us your personality, why you believe you would be a good asset for our office, and that you know how to write a letter without typos. You would think this is easy, but usually people fail at one of those three.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I personally always do it unless there's no way to do so through a computerized application system.

This is for attorney jobs, btw.

I work for a fed agency and hire attorneys. We require a cover letter, and I can't tell you the number of people we have rejected based on the cover letter alone. A cover letter is your opportunity to show us your personality, why you believe you would be a good asset for our office, and that you know how to write a letter without typos. You would think this is easy, but usually people fail at one of those three.

+1. Attorneys need to know how to communicate in writing, and a cover letter is way to test that. If the person can't even do that properly, why should I waste time interviewing?

[Anonymous]

I never read them when they’re attached to a resume. ever. They’re phony and don’t provide me with any useful information - I want to speak with you and learn if you’ll fit within my organization or not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I personally always do it unless there's no way to do so through a computerized application system.

This is for attorney jobs, btw.

I work for a fed agency and hire attorneys. We require a cover letter, and I can't tell you the number of people we have rejected based on the cover letter alone. A cover letter is your opportunity to show us your personality, why you believe you would be a good asset for our office, and that you know how to write a letter without typos. You would think this is easy, but usually people fail at one of those three.

This.

I read a cover letter as least as carefully as a resume, sometimes more carefully and a well-crafted cover letter gets my attention. It's your chance to show you're really applying for THIS job, not just sending resumes out willy-nilly. It's a chance to respond directly to what was in the ad, to show you can write and organize your thoughts, and an easy, obvious way to stand out.

Write a thank you note also.

I hire a ton, and it's true that lots of people don't do cover letters or thank you notes anymore. Those that do have a huge advantage when I'm reviewing resumes or considering candidates.

[Anonymous]

Not writing a cover letter for an attorney posting is like not realizing how you do well on the exams. In law school, you get an A on an exam if you repeat back to the professor what they are saying, including even using their own words. Worked very well for me, including repeating nonsense.

On a cover letter, you repeat back to the reviewer portions of your background that specifically match the posting. Otherwise, you may have trouble making past the "recruiter" who is not an attorney and is only an interface to the actual decision maker.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not writing a cover letter for an attorney posting is like not realizing how you do well on the exams. In law school, you get an A on an exam if you repeat back to the professor what they are saying, including even using their own words. Worked very well for me, including repeating nonsense.

On a cover letter, you repeat back to the reviewer portions of your background that specifically match the posting. Otherwise, you may have trouble making past the "recruiter" who is not an attorney and is only an interface to the actual decision maker.

OMG, yes, this!!

Let's say my job posting asks for:

2 years widget manufacturing experience
Experience with widget quality control
Experience with widget planning process

I have a spreadsheet with a column for each one of those. I am literally assigning points to each applicant based on these criteria. A cover letter that provides evidence, one by one, aligned to the job posting will get you an interview ASAP!

[Anonymous]

If you don't include a cover letter explaining why you would be good for the job I won't even look at your resume. I'm shocked that anyone would think that it's good form yo just send a resume with no explanation or introduction.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I do send them- but it seems kinda phony. I like my resume to speak for itself.

+1
Cover letters are just rehashed resumes; completely redundant.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our application process requests a cover letter and resume. If I don't see a cover letter, I don't move the applicant forward to the hiring committee.

This is the kind of formality and box-checking that is so obnoxious. I always send a cover letter but they are next to useless. So, I don't know why you would toss it aside. Don't the credentials matter?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our application process requests a cover letter and resume. If I don't see a cover letter, I don't move the applicant forward to the hiring committee.

This is the kind of formality and box-checking that is so obnoxious. I always send a cover letter but they are next to useless. So, I don't know why you would toss it aside. Don't the credentials matter?

If the application says to send a cover letter and you don't send a cover letter, you have demonstrated that you do not read carefully, that you cannot follow simple instructions, or that you think you are so special that you don't need to follow instructions. None of those are good things to reveal to a potential employers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I personally always do it unless there's no way to do so through a computerized application system.

This is for attorney jobs, btw.

I work for a fed agency and hire attorneys. We require a cover letter, and I can't tell you the number of people we have rejected based on the cover letter alone. A cover letter is your opportunity to show us your personality, why you believe you would be a good asset for our office, and that you know how to write a letter without typos. You would think this is easy, but usually people fail at one of those three.

OMG--typos! We advertised for a job that involved writing and editing. Typos in the cover letter resulted in an instant rejection. Proofread your letter. (Spellcheck is not proofreading.) Have a friend proofread your letter. Proofread your letter again.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would hold it against an applicant if they didn't include one. It would read to me like they weren't willing to take 15 minutes to compose a personal note explaining why they were specifically interested in the job. Not at a large corporation, though.

+1

I start by reading the cover letter. It tells me if an applicant is able to communicate effectively.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I do send them- but it seems kinda phony. I like my resume to speak for itself.

+1
Cover letters are just rehashed resumes; completely redundant.

It the cover letter is redundant, you're not writing a good letter.