Larry Wilson, MSW, LSW, Career Counselor, Social Worker
June 15, 2023
While some online job applications require you to submit a cover letter, many give you the choice of whether or not to do so. So if you have the option, is it worth it?
On the plus side, in favor of a cover letter:
1) A good cover letter shows that you took the time to review the job announcement and determine what is important to the hiring organization.
2) A good cover letter can summarize the key ways in which you are a good fit to the hiring organization’s needs.
On the minus side,
1) It takes time that you could be using on another application.
2) It seems awkward when you don’t have a specific person to address it to.
3) You’re not sure it will even be read, especially if it is a page or more of prose.
I will come right out and say that I think you should include a tailored cover letter whenever given the opportunity. Here’s why:
1) A boilerplate prose cover letter is not going to get read. But who said a cover letter has to be primarily prose?
2) I firmly believe, and experience has borne out for my clients, that applying to slightly fewer positions, and taking the time for basic customization, yields better results: more responses, more interviews.
3) A well-done cover letter can do the screener’s job for them. If it’s done well, who would not appreciate that, and read further?
So how do you build a cover letter like this? Here are the steps I recommend:
1) Review the job announcement.
2) Highlight the six or seven most important qualifications, skills or job functions that you are responsive to. Always be responsive to education requirements, and, where applicable, tech skills, environments, applications, languages that are specifically mentioned
3) Write a short bullet point for each, to be included in your cover letter.
4) You don’t have to list everything you are responsive to. Listing the top 6 or will give you the best chance of getting your resume read.
5) Start the letter with single sentences 1) expressing thanks for the opportunity to apply, and 2) saying here’s how I stack up against your requirements. Finish with a single sentence saying that you look forward to discussing further.
6) Once you’re used to it, you should be able to do a cover letter like this in 10 minutes or less.
There’s an added benefit to the approach I’m advocating here: Less time spent on resume customization. Beyond choosing the most appropriate professional summary for the particular position, there shouldn’t be much resume tweaking required. No changing the order of bullets, squeezing in extra content, and so on. That saves time and makes resume version management much easier!
Another thing I am often asked is whether or not the size of the organization matters. To that point: It certainly can. The experience of my clients suggests that:
1) This method is very successful with small to medium-sized firms.
2) This method will be particularly effective for technical and professional positions where proficiency with specific tools, environments or applications are essential.
3) For larger firms, it really depends on their process. Anecdotal evidence, at least, suggests that very few firms actually rely totally on automated screening for initial review of resumes and cover letters. Including a cover letter is not going to reduce your effectiveness, but it may not help in those cases where very large organizations choose target candidates purely through AI before a human lays eyes on their credentials.
Still skeptical? Give one a try and see what happens! If you need an example, contact me through the contact form on my website, www.wilson-consulting.net, or email me at larry@wilson-consulting.net. I’ll send you a prototype cover letter.
If you do try, let me know how it works for you!