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The Premature Death of the Cover Letter
By Julie | February 22, 2008
I have maintained for several years, and can probably find industry study to support me, that the rise of online job sites has driven both an increase in applications to positions, and a decrease in cover letters written to support said applications.
Some might say: “Oooh, increased pool to choose from!” They’re generally wrong, simply in the sense that the ability to clicky-click and send a resume often leads to a larger pool of unqualified applicants to slog through in search of the future company rock-star you wish to hire.
Cover letters are a part of this. In a deluge of applications, a decent cover letter can be the difference between an interview and rejection - especially if you’re stretching a bit to apply for something (ex: traditional marketer trying to crack online marketing). Intern candidates really need to include cover letters, as most online application systems just barely ask your college major - leaving a hiring manager knowing that (a) you’re a college student, and (b) you work at the grocery store part-time. While internships don’t generally require a lot of specialized skill, the effort of telling a manager your major and that you have any related coursework goes quite far. It’s an applicant’s best chance to market himself - and if you’re applying in any form of marketing field, I happen to think failure to take advantage of the opportunity says poor things about an applicant’s potential!
Across the board, I have some advice:
- Cover letters matter.
- Be careful about copying and pasting a ’standard’ letter. Cover letters don’t count for ‘full credit’ if they’re full of vague platitudes and no reference to the characteristics sought in the job ad.
- GET THE COMPANY NAME RIGHT. Nothing warms the heart of a hiring manager to et a cover letter referring to another local company as a swell place one might want to work.
- Check your spelling. And your grammar. Egad. Now, not everyone is going to be a rhetorical genius, but for professional positions, reasonable communication skill is a must.
- Be a realist. If forced to give a salary number, be aware of the general range such positions or such experience tend to compel - it’s not heinously difficult to research, and if your salary figure is daft, all the other work on the resume and cover letter will be wasted.
I’ve become grumpy in my old age, but back when I was a wee sprout (cane shake!), WE WROTE COVER LETTERS. And people LIKED them! We also had to send them in ENVELOPES on PAPER with POSTAGE. Don’t get me wrong - I like online application. But it’s made people lazy.
Topics: business management, day job, hiring and job hunting, marketing, meta-post, nostalgia, the road to hell |
