Are cover letters still important?

In this day and age, it appears that cover letters seem to have almost been given the flick. With the convenience of online job posting, resulting job seekers being able to post their resumes to multiple jobs in next to no time – maybe the importance of cover letters is lost?

While cover letters may no longer be seen as of much importance to job seekers, perhaps they are still of importance to Recruitment Agencies and Employers? For a resume to be submitted to an Employer via a Recruitment Agency without a cover letter, it could be considered poor form.

To understand the role of cover letters, an inside peek at the life of a Recruiter and/or Employer is required.

A Recruiter/Employer can have any amount of roles attached to their email address at any one time. 15 roles is a good average, depending on the size of the agency/employer. In the recruitment phase, the Recruiter/Employer spends the majority of their time reading resumes. Recruiters/Employers are experienced in the recruitment process, although (for example) in industries such as IT – the Recruiter/Employer may have a firm grasp of IT related terminology and their roles requirements, although they are generally not technical themselves. Let’s also add to the mix that each and every resume that will land in the Recruiters inbox is different, in regard to lay out, information provided and many other factors. Hence it is likely that they will 'skim' resumes for the valid points. Job titles and dates are usually first, previous and current employers are second, and then specific skill sets follow. As mentioned, not all resumes are the same. In fact, quite a few are very difficult to read and understand. The harder a Recruiter/Employer has to work to understand your skill set, experience and career aspirations, the harder it will be for you to be considered for the role.

Where do cover letters come in to this process? A short, concise cover letter providing details pertaining to applicants experience next to the job description will probably grab the Recruiter/Employers attention. It encourages them to read on. It lays out the salient points, right then and there – which creates a over-view for the Recruiter/Employer to pin point the ‘good stuff’ in the resume.

Further more, cover letters offer applicants a chance to really 'sell' thier skill sets and attributes. Resumes don't really offer this opportunity.

Therefore here at Cyber Placements, we think that individual cover letters are recommended for each job application an applicant submits because ultimately, it sets the applicant up with the best chance possible in obtaining a call back and that is what we are here for – to help it work for you!