It's something job seekers often wonder: Do you really need to submit a cover letter with your résumé?
Some hiring managers confess to ignoring these introductory notes, while others say they read them attentively. Hiring managers say that despite the vast advice available on writing cover letters, many job hunters don't submit them. But applicants who take the time to craft a cover letter stand a fair chance at setting themselves apart.
And given the stiff competition for jobs these days, career experts say writing an introductory note may be worth the effort, especially for career-changers and individuals whose résumés show a red flag, such as an employment gap.
To make a favorable impression, hiring managers say job hunters should craft different letters for every application and tailor them to both the employer and position they're targeting. Cover letters should be brief, says David Loeser, executive vice president, human resources, for baked-goods company Hostess Brands Inc. in Dallas.
One way to customize a cover letter is to reference an employer's products or services or point out content on its Web site. Another is to comment on a trend within the organization's industry. If you know the name of the hiring manager for the position or a human-resources manager at the firm, you should address him or her directly and—whenever possible—acknowledge something personal about the individual.
High-Priority Candidate
Last spring, a job hunter wrote in a cover letter to Chris Willis, vice president of human resources and general counsel for Dallas-based distributor Interstate Battery System of America Inc., about how he had just graduated from Mr. Willis's alma mater. The job hunter, who was seeking a legal position, also noted Mr. Willis's involvement in the Texas General Counsel Forum, a trade group. Mr. Willis says Interstate Battery didn't have any legal jobs open at the time, and still doesn't, but the writer will "be top of mind" whenever one is available. "We'll keep him on file in a database of high potentials that get higher priority when it comes to recruiting," Mr. Willis says.
To customize a letter for a particular position, applicants should show how their backgrounds line up with the requirements outlined in the job description.
"With a cover letter, you can get more context than you might get in a résumé," says Craig Campbell, director of staffing for Dolby Laboratories Inc., an entertainment-technology company in San Francisco.
A recent applicant for a director of business-development position at Dolby described how his background matched the four qualifications listed in the ad for the job, says Mr. Campbell, adding that the applicant was granted an interview.
Cover letters also are ideal for clearing up anything in a résumé that might confuse or concern recruiters. Clare Shanahan, senior director of talent acquisition for Fireman's Fund Insurance Co., a high net worth insurer in Novato, Calif., says she recently received a cover letter from a job hunter that explained why his résumé didn't list an employer after 2008: He had spent the past 18 months unsuccessfully trying to launch a business.
"It showed that he was honest and entrepreneurial," she says, adding that she extended this person an interview invite for a senior-level sales and marketing position at Fireman's Fund. "Had he not done that, there would've been too much room for doubt."
Similarly, Natalia Schultz, chief talent officer for Grey Group, a New York-based advertising firm, says she granted an interview to an industry outsider after reading the person's cover letter about why she wanted to change careers and join Grey in particular. "It was such an incredibly compelling note that I had to meet her," she says.
No Mistakes
Make sure every cover letter is error-free or your hard work could backfire. About 20% of applications for jobs at Fireman's Fund include introductory notes, says Ms. Shanahan. Of those, she estimates 30% contain mistakes, most commonly because they're addressed to the wrong company or recruiters' names are misspelled.
Sloppiness can automatically eliminate an applicant from consideration, says Ms. Shanahan. "The person's résumé and credentials would have to be really outstanding to compensate, and many recruiters may not look past the cover letter to make that assessment," she says. Factual, spelling and grammatical gaffes indicate "a lack of attention to detail," she adds.
Cookie-cutter cover letters also can derail an applicant's shot at landing an interview. "I can tell if it's a form letter and they just inserted my name or my agency," says Ms. Schultz. "I'm immediately turned off." An original, but lackluster cover letter will likely generate the same reaction, she adds. "If it's boring, I don't want to meet you," she says.
Job hunters should further keep in mind that many employers use tracking software to store and share information about applicants and can therefore tell if someone submitted the same exact cover letter for more than one position.
And while mailing handwritten cover letters through the postal service may be a way to avoid this, recruiters say doing so is unlikely to win their favor anyway.
What's more, even sending a well-crafted note this way, rather than via email, also may not be wise since doing so prevents recruiters from forwarding it to other decision makers.
Wall Street Journal
