Cover letters. I don’t know how many times I have heard people say “everything that they want to know about me is in my resumé, so I don’t think I should have to write a cover letter.” Well, probably not the first bad decision this theoretical person has made, and most certainly not the last!
So you don’t think you need a cover letter. That is your poor personal life choice, but having hired people before, I like cover letters. I can learn lots about an applicant just by requesting a cover letter in the ad. For example, I can infer that the applicant is only going to do the bare minimum, or does not like to follow directions if the ad explicitly says “send a resume and cover letter!”
Congratulations! You just failed the first test. Thanks for playing, and no, you don’t get a shitty home game version to take with you from backstage. You lose!
Think about it this way. The resumé tells the reader what you have done, where you have been and hopefully highlights your professional, educational, and civic accomplishments. The cover letter is the first audition before the interview. An effective cover letter is a tremendous opportunity to showcase your writing ability, your understanding of the position and how and why you would be a good fit.
Now there are some things that you should consider not putting in a cover letter. Your body dimensions, alcoholic tolerance and dating history should probably be left off for sure. Anything not relevant to the ad probably doesn’t belong on the cover letter. The hours you can work, salary requirements (unless explicitly requested), benefit discussions to name a few should not be addressed in the letter. Those come during the negotiation phase which is at the end of the hiring process.
A solid cover letter is always based around the advertisement for the position. Every ad has requirements, so what better to do than to repeat the requirement to show that you understand and then reply with your relevant experience?
Here is an example: “WANTED Chimpanzee House Custodian at local zoo. Req – 5 years practical experience and a college degree in Chimpanzeenery.
I would reply in the cover letter: “I am applying for the job of Chimpanzee House Custodian. I hold a BS degree in Chimpanzeenery from Primate State University. I also have 5+ years of experience picking my kids’ shit up at my house.”
Bad example, but you get the idea.
A final thing to check is that you have the name and address for whom you are sending the letter correct. If you are sending these out multiple times in the same day, it is so easy to overlook and retain the wrong name or address, or even the position referenced. A good practice, even though it may be tempting to save time is not to recycle cover letters and write each one from scratch.
So, the Cover Letter is your chance to shine and show your practical experience as it pertains to the job. It shows also that you know how to write a letter and be thorough. A good cover letter should help you in getting put in the “for consideration” pile. After all, the goal here is to try and get a phone interview or even better a face to face interview. We’ll talk more about those later.
I think that covers it!
