Why You Need A Cover Letter

If you want proof that nobody knows anything in the world of Recruitment, look no further than the Cover Letter.

There is not a single document in Recruitment with more question marks surrounding it than the Cover Letter.

 

And every dime store philosopher has a spin they think your Cover Letter needs to land you the interview.

 

 

Unfortunately, You Need One.

 

 

I know what you're thinking. I already said that Recruiters don't like to read.

 

I'll admit, my approach to Cover Letter's is kind of like Boarder Security. I'll check randomly or when suspicions arise.

 

But by and large they go unchecked.

 

Here's the thing though. Whether they read it or not, statistics show that the vast majority of Recruiters will not even bother to open a resume unless it is accompanied by a Cover Letter.  

 

When I get a resume that doesn't come with a Cover Letter, I start making assumptions:

 

Does this person think they are too good for Cover Letters?

Did they forget to attach it? That was dumb.

Maybe they were too lazy to write one?

 

Whatever the case, there is only one reason to write a Cover Letter and it's the only one you need:

 

Because It Looks Better  

 

There are other reasons. It provides a more detailed explanation of why you're the best person for the job. It lets you personalize your resume. It shows that you know how to effectively communicate in sentences and paragraphs. We could go on all day.

 

But at the very least, if there are two resumes that are about the same and an offer needs to be made to one of them, it doesn't matter what the Cover Letter says, the one who wrote it is getting the job.

 

Period.

 

Because they did a little bit more. Because it looks better.     

 

Now that you know you have to write a Cover Letter, next we'll talk about how to.