Do I Actually Need a Cover Letter With My Resume?
- Jun 14, 2015
- 3 min read
Do I Actually Need a Cover Letter With My Resume?
A recent post from the University of Kent’s showed that according to a recent survey, 43% of employers expected candidates to submit a cover letter for each job position. From this survey alone, the answer is a staggering “Yes, you need a Cover Letter”. According to the same survey, 45% of US employers wanted to see at least a half page cover letter; this is normally around 300-400 words. Employers do not want to see a template, watered-down cover letter that has generic information. For these employers, what matters most are the candidates’ talents, skills, core competencies, and experience which they would want to read on their professional cover letter.
Why not just use a free sample cover letter found online?
These days, you will encounter a plethora of cover letter samples online, most of which are intended for certain professions or careers. But even if they are free samples, there’s another problem for most job seekers. First off, these free cover letters that you can find online are generic and do not speak volumes about your specific background. Secondly, choosing which template is the right one to use is oftentimes becoming a daunting task. Like employers, some candidates often feel that concentrating more on the resume would be much better instead of composing an impactful cover letter. From the perspective of a resume writing company, this situation is quite confusing. Despite having free templates to choose from, initial content to edit, and a few minutes of polishing activity required, job seekers are still hesitant on composing their cover letters. But why?
Well, let’s consider this another survey.
Another survey conducted by Robert Half focused on the importance of cover letters, pointed out that about 91% of employers still consider cover letters extremely important in assessing the candidates’ qualifications. Why do you think so?
Consider these explanations from our Tempe Resume Writers.
Setting aside the style or format, the most important aspect of sending a cover letter to an employer is that opportunity of telling them that you know what specific job you are applying for. Similar to processing and analyzing data from an online survey or HR database like Applicant Tracking System, cover letters summarizes a candidate’s full potential for the job. At a glance, the cover letter tells the hiring manager why he or she should hire the candidate. In 500 words or less, an employer can decide whether the candidate is qualified enough to attend the interview process.
Our Resume Experts from Phoenix AZ added this:
In essence, cover letters are equivalent to your elevator pitch which you must put your best words and sentences to convince employers to meet you – and then hire you.
Can you write that perfect pitch cover letter on your own?
You need an incredibly powerful and impactful cover letter!
Remember that a cover letter is your passport to that dream job. The same as your resume, it is one of your ultimate credentials in the job haunting world. Without a cover letter, consider yourself sending a product to your consumer without a packaging label. You’ll give them a lot of guess works. Employers hate doing that. As the old saying goes, “first impression lasts”. If you want to earn a positive impression, then provide a powerful cover letter. Seek resume and cover letter help or ask a resume pro to enhance both your cover letter and professional resume.
Surveys tell us that cover letters are as important as our resumes and most employers want to read a piece of that document. Send one together with your resume but make sure it can grab their attention.
Attention-grabbing cover letters?
Well, our resume writing company can help you on that. Many of our clients get back to us and say “I got hired within 30 days all because of my powerful cover letter you wrote for me.” So if you’re looking for resume and cover letter writing services, then contacting our professional cover letter writers today is the right thing to do first.
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