No I do not owe you a cover letter

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I make my decision about whom to interview based on the cover letter. It’s invaluable.

+1.

+2 - I toss all resumes without cover letters. If you’re too lazy to write one, I don’t want to hire you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It depends on the jobs. The biggest skill for the work in my office is writing ability. A great cover letter can mitigate a weak resume. But a great resume isn’t going to overcome a poorly written cover letter or one with lots of typos.

+1 also if the job/industry is not exactly in line with what you are doing now a cover letter lets you explain why the pivot and how your skills relate.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's nice that PP takes 5 minutes to write a cover letter, but my husband, my best friend, my son and myself agonize over our cover letters and they do indeed represent a burden when applying widely. Each of them needs to be tailored specifically for the job, and each position is sufficiently different that it takes more than 5 minutes to retool a previous one.

The ability to write well and also quickly is a key component of many of the jobs I hire for, so in that sense I view cover letters as a good way to filter applicants. Anyone who would agonize over the letter would not be a good fit for the job.

[Anonymous]

IME the cover letter is irrelevant for initial resume screening but when it comes down to the pool of people I'm considering interviewing, the cover letter is very important. I can't interview the whole pool so the letter is your chance to make your pitch about why you should get some of my limited time

[Anonymous]

ChatGPT. I'm an engineer and it write so much better than me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I make my decision about whom to interview based on the cover letter. It’s invaluable.

+1.

+2 - I toss all resumes without cover letters. If you’re too lazy to write one, I don’t want to hire you.

I think of it as an employer who does not respect employee time.

[Anonymous]

As a hiring manager, I would much rather spend 2 minutes on your LinkedIn profile over reading a cover letter. But I do think there are times where what I have written in a cover letter landed me an interview. If there is a personal connection to the place your are applying, a cover letter is a great place to mention that. For example, I applied for a job at the hospital where I delivered my kids and the interviewer mentioned it in the interview. I actually got an offer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's nice that PP takes 5 minutes to write a cover letter, but my husband, my best friend, my son and myself agonize over our cover letters and they do indeed represent a burden when applying widely. Each of them needs to be tailored specifically for the job, and each position is sufficiently different that it takes more than 5 minutes to retool a previous one.

DP
I spent 5 hours on my coverletter last week. I can't see how 5 min would produce something that represents my attention to detail, which is my strength.

Wow, attention to detail AND efficiency are my strengths. I can write a flawless, well-crafted and customized cover letter in 5-10 minutes. Even without AI. You would not be a good fit for my organization or industry if it takes you 5 hours to draft a cover letter. That's not a sign of attention to detail; it's a sign of inefficiency.

"Jim Halpert. Pros: Smart, cool, good-looking. Remind you of anybody you know? Cons: Not a hard worker. I can spend all day on a project, and he will finish the same project in half an hour. So that should tell you something." --- Michael Scott, The Office

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's nice that PP takes 5 minutes to write a cover letter, but my husband, my best friend, my son and myself agonize over our cover letters and they do indeed represent a burden when applying widely. Each of them needs to be tailored specifically for the job, and each position is sufficiently different that it takes more than 5 minutes to retool a previous one.

DP
I spent 5 hours on my coverletter last week. I can't see how 5 min would produce something that represents my attention to detail, which is my strength.

Wow, attention to detail AND efficiency are my strengths. I can write a flawless, well-crafted and customized cover letter in 5-10 minutes. Even without AI. You would not be a good fit for my organization or industry if it takes you 5 hours to draft a cover letter. That's not a sign of attention to detail; it's a sign of inefficiency.

"Jim Halpert. Pros: Smart, cool, good-looking. Remind you of anybody you know? Cons: Not a hard worker. I can spend all day on a project, and he will finish the same project in half an hour. So that should tell you something." --- Michael Scott, The Office

And who was manager? Michael Scott was a genius, getting paid more to be terrible and slow at his job.

[Anonymous]

If the job has any sort of competition why not write the cover letter?
I applied for a night-shift healthcare job that I could see had been posted for a year. I didn't bother with the cover letter and asked for maximum pay and they still called me the next day begging me to come in. I knew I could get away with it under those circumstances. But if it was a newly-posted job that people might actually want, distinguish yourself.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's nice that PP takes 5 minutes to write a cover letter, but my husband, my best friend, my son and myself agonize over our cover letters and they do indeed represent a burden when applying widely. Each of them needs to be tailored specifically for the job, and each position is sufficiently different that it takes more than 5 minutes to retool a previous one.

DP
I spent 5 hours on my coverletter last week. I can't see how 5 min would produce something that represents my attention to detail, which is my strength.

Wow, attention to detail AND efficiency are my strengths. I can write a flawless, well-crafted and customized cover letter in 5-10 minutes. Even without AI. You would not be a good fit for my organization or industry if it takes you 5 hours to draft a cover letter. That's not a sign of attention to detail; it's a sign of inefficiency.

"Jim Halpert. Pros: Smart, cool, good-looking. Remind you of anybody you know? Cons: Not a hard worker. I can spend all day on a project, and he will finish the same project in half an hour. So that should tell you something." --- Michael Scott, The Office

And who was manager? Michael Scott was a genius, getting paid more to be terrible and slow at his job.

It doesn't mean I want to hire Michael Scott though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's nice that PP takes 5 minutes to write a cover letter, but my husband, my best friend, my son and myself agonize over our cover letters and they do indeed represent a burden when applying widely. Each of them needs to be tailored specifically for the job, and each position is sufficiently different that it takes more than 5 minutes to retool a previous one.

The ability to write well and also quickly is a key component of many of the jobs I hire for, so in that sense I view cover letters as a good way to filter applicants. Anyone who would agonize over the letter would not be a good fit for the job.

What field are you in? I'm a writer and editor who recently got laid off from a nonprofit - I've been in the same field for over a decade, and am trying to look around at what else might be out there for someone with my skills and experience. I don't mind writing a cover letter - I won't agonize over every word.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:From an employer perspective, they’re not interested in people sending out a high volume of applications. Write a letter or not. I’ve seen plenty of good resumes that tailored the summary well enough to avoid needing a cover letter. I’d be more concerned with hiring someone who is going to complain about every policy and process, since that’s just part of having a job.

Conversely, I'm very interested in people who challenge "the way we've always done it" because they will move my department forward.

Not converse. Whining is annoying for a manager, period. Norm breakers still need to be able to work within the system. Actually, even more so.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I make my decision about whom to interview based on the cover letter. It’s invaluable.

+1.

+2 - I toss all resumes without cover letters. If you’re too lazy to write one, I don’t want to hire you.

I think of it as an employer who does not respect employee time.

Hmm, I view that as an employee who doesn't pay attention to critical details. Another example is making eye contact when shaking hands - not a deal breaker - but it gives me pause.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:From an employer perspective, they’re not interested in people sending out a high volume of applications. Write a letter or not. I’ve seen plenty of good resumes that tailored the summary well enough to avoid needing a cover letter. I’d be more concerned with hiring someone who is going to complain about every policy and process, since that’s just part of having a job.

Conversely, I'm very interested in people who challenge "the way we've always done it" because they will move my department forward.

Not converse. Whining is annoying for a manager, period. Norm breakers still need to be able to work within the system. Actually, even more so.

You must work for the Fed.