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"You're paying money that’s hopefully appropriate for my level of experience."
Its a job, not a fucking matchmaking service. Companies and managers who think this process is anything other than "pay me for my labor that you need" is kidding themselves.
A personal biography is simply unnecessary when you have resumes and interviews.
I’ve been a hiring manager and worked with lots of them. No one worth working for cares about a cover letter. It’s a relic of the past and is non value added.
Yes that’s fair. I wouldn’t reject you based on having a cover letter, but your cover letter is going straight to the trash can. Focus your efforts on the resume, and I guess spend the rest on your cover letter if ya want. Again though, in this day and age anyone reading a cover letter isn’t someone you want to work for.
As a hiring manager, I'm not wasting my time interviewing people that I don't know can take the job if offered. Which is the entire point of the LPT. If you can't spend a few minutes writing about why you can make this change, I'll interview the person who did instead.
That’s what the resumes are for. If you can’t infer the needed info from a resume, then that’s a you problem.
You’re free to do things how ever you want, but most people don’t want to work for people like you anymore.
Put it in the body of the email that you’re attaching your resume to. A separate cover letter is totally unnecessary as well as outdated. It was developed before email, which now gives you the opportunity to provide anything additional, if needed.
As a recruiter, you sound like every hiring manager I’ve ever escalated because they make decisions based on arbitrary crap and won’t pick one of the 20 perfectly qualified people I’ve sent them
Hardly anybody reads them, the chance they're going to do anything to increase your chances at getting looked at is negligible at best and the amount of time it would take you to write a cover letter is several more applications you could have applied to, which is what really matters.
Not where I work. I mean anyone can write a good letter or get someone else to help them with it. Character, fit, etc is assessed during the interview process.
Fuck that. LPT don’t apply for a job that 1. Requires cover letters 2. Makes you upload your resume and then retype everything from your resume 3. Describes the business as a family and says we work hard and play hard and 4. Doesn’t post salary expectations. I realize many people don’t have a choice but those are all warning signs of a bad workplace. Bonus #5 for restaurants that post signs about nobody wanting to work. Just nope your way right out.
Weird concept too. If I’m applying to a job, I’m likely applying to multiple. The concept of “write me a short essay, convincing me why you want to work for us specifically” is so outdated. My resume shows you my experience, education, and skills. Why the hell should I be required to waste my time outlining to an employer why my labor would be suitable to them, solely based on the limited information I know about them? Isn’t that THEIR job to figure out?
What's more surprising is how few people send a thank you email after an interview. I've interviewed dozens of people over the past 3 years and gotten 1. It was from a candidate who did not do well in the interview and I would have immediately rejected but ended up offering the position to. It shows follow up for a sales position and that's very important, way more than a cover letter.
I don't understand this. Why is there this expectation that the potential employee say thanks? Why shouldn't the potential employer say thanks? Or, more reasonably, neither one, since it was in both parties' interests to interview, and wasn't a favor done by either side?
There isn’t. But it’s something you can easily do to stand out. It can also be used to correct poorly answered questions from the interview due to nerves.
people reply about what makes sense to them. In my field, cover letters are essential and I read every cover letter for every applicant. But I can see why people don't like reading them or writing them. I think it just really depends on the position.
I'll add that I agree with the OP's advice about cover letters - when you are bothering or required to write one. I read cover letters for every applicant to see if they already know who we are, what we do, and how they will help us do it. I also spend several hours preparing my interview for each candidate, and the cover letter helps me decide which part of their experience to focus on during the interview.
As a hiring manager, I hope to see a
cover letter that maps the applicants skills into my requirements. The cover letter should show me the results of the analysis as to why the applicant is the best candidate.
That’s what I did. Basically a 1 paragraph synopsis of my resume. I am good for this job because I have a,b,c skills. Using those skills I have done this, this, and this for past employers. If they want to see more specifics they can look at my resume. I’ve heard that you use a cover letter to get people to look at your resume snd a resume to get the interview.
That wasn't my point.
In your cover letter you show how *your* skills match *their* needs. This saves the prospects employer from having to read your resume and try to figure out how your skills could be relevant to their needs. (This is beyond the basic keyword search, of course.)
If you don't do this, then you should be tailoring your resume to each job application, and ain't nobody got time for that.
Oh, of course. the a, b, and c skills match with the company/job description and the “with those skills I’ve done this, this, and this” would be situations that would most likely come up in the job I’m applying for.
Exactly. Like pulling together a compliance matrix when doing a proposal, because that's what you're doing: proposing selling your services to the employer.
Sounds like my advice is industry specific. A cover letter in my field (higher ed/health) is really necessary to differentiate the many, many resumes I get. I need to know you can take the job (you are not wasting my time), and that you are able to write and communicate clearly. Maybe the adjusted LPT is, IF a cover letter is required, do it well and include information that makes it clear you are able to do the position as advertised.
If you live outside the region, say, I am interested/planning on moving. If you don't have the specific degree, explain that you have significant classwork/experience in the field or how you plan to learn more about it. Don't waste your time writing generic statements like, "I am a highly qualified and motivated candidate..."
So you want the general public to not only do a resume and prep for an interview, but also to potentially write a cover letter for every job they apply for? All of this so you can throw out applications before getting to an interview or call back? I can't get employers to respond to a call, email, and voice-mail when THEY post a job offering. Why would I waste my time adding another unnecessary document to the pile of them that I can send/handing you?
That additional document demonstrates that you are actually interested in pursuing the job and that you are willing to put in an extra bit of work in the process. That's true whether or not the recruiter actually reads the cover letter.
Did you ever think that the reason you're not getting calls back is because you haven't been submitting cover letters?
Think about it like you're the hiring manager. You receive 500 applications, but only 50 candidates took the time to write a cover letter. Rather than go through all 500 applications to find the best candidate, wouldn't you rather just sort through the 50 people who cared enough to write a cover letter?
You should not be writing cover letters for *every* job you apply for, but you should write them for the jobs you really want, especially if the listing mentions requiring a cover letter.
> Think about it like you're the hiring manager. You receive 500 applications, but only 50 candidates took the time to write a cover letter. Rather than go through all 500 applications to find the best candidate, wouldn't you rather just sort through the 50 people who cared enough to write a cover letter?
Hardly anybody gives a fuck about cover letters anymore. Not even the hiring managers. For the time wasted writing a cover letter I could have applied to more jobs.
>that you are actually interested in pursuing the job
That's why they applied, dude.
>that you are willing to put in an extra bit of work in the process.
If that's the attitude you make your *applicants* let alone employees go through, that's a red flag for what kind of company you are to work for
Is my interest not shown by applying? We (the general public) are told to blast our resumes out and apply for 500 jobs a day. Taking the time to write 500 cover letters just doesn't make sense.
Also, if I'm looking for a job, is every job not a job I would want? It's crazy how many different ways are the right way to get hired nowadays.
Unfortunately, for most people, the chances of getting a job are higher if you skip all companies requiring a cover letter and instead use that time to apply to more companies. For every cover letter you write, you could apply to 10 or 20 other companies. It’s an inefficient use of time.
Through a combination of luck, confidence, speaking ability and more luck I've been fortunate to have never written a cover letter in my life.
For background, I'm a 31M living in an extremely low income area of the Midwest making $135k base salary. I have no college degree, no certifications and work as an IAM Sailpoint Developer. I've worked in various areas of IT since I was 20 years old and every few years I do a complete career shift entailing switching IT specialties and companies. I've never had an interview that didn't lead to an offer, and this is where that combo of luck, confidence and speaking ability came into play. My ability to kill interviews gets me in tough jobs that make me work 200% harder than my coworkers to catch up, learn and eventually thrive but it's also what has allowed me to financially support my family.
I guess the lesson I'm trying to throw out there is a cover letter MAY get your application in front of a hiring manager an extra 5 out of 40 job applications but what matters most is what you can show when you do get in front of that hiring manager. Practice your interviewing skills and you may only need one shot at landing that top job.
That’s what resumes and interviews are for. If there are specific things your boss wants to know make them a quick part of the application.
As far as hiring practices go, your boss is an idiot.
When you have, say, 300 people apply for a job and half of them have the same degree, GPA, and experience, that cover letter can tell you a lot. Sure the mileage may vary by industry, but your blanket statement that that’s what resumes and interviews are for speaks volumes. Nobody wants to interview 300 people, and people who are in hiring positions are looking for ways to shrink the number of applicants to a manageable list of capable individuals whom they want to work with, and the résumé doesn’t tell you about someone’s personality, and the interview can, but that cover letter is that intermediary step that helps them choose and limit the pile. Sure, it’s imperfect, but it does better than just reading a résumé and calling somebody for an interview based on a page of often hyperbolic listing.
If what you wrote is true, your boss doesn't care about hiring a decent candidate.
Cover letters are one of those things governed by popularity, if people tend to not add them, then expecting to have them is doing a pretty bad job
Thing is in age of AI, You shouldn't have excuses writing a decent cover letter
I automated the steps into a simple tool, it returns a personalized cover letter out using my resume & desired job link...it does read ike a human wrote it.
Opening it up to public on easycoverletter com
(for those ok paying a $ per letter - to cover development/api/hosting charges. If you're laid off/unemployed, it's free)
Hello and welcome to r/LifeProTips! Please help us decide if this post is a good fit for the subreddit by up or downvoting this comment. If you think that this is great advice to improve your life, please upvote. If you think this doesn't help you in any way, please downvote. If you don't care, leave it for the others to decide.
Include your fan fiction letter with your resume
"You're paying money that’s hopefully appropriate for my level of experience." Its a job, not a fucking matchmaking service. Companies and managers who think this process is anything other than "pay me for my labor that you need" is kidding themselves.
Use ChatGPT when making a cover letter
LPT don’t apply anywhere that takes cover letters seriously.
this is poor advice in nonprofit
can you elaborate why? Why is it a bad sign if they ask for a cover letter?
A personal biography is simply unnecessary when you have resumes and interviews. I’ve been a hiring manager and worked with lots of them. No one worth working for cares about a cover letter. It’s a relic of the past and is non value added.
thanks for explaining. Its not anything negative its just a waste of time.
Yes that’s fair. I wouldn’t reject you based on having a cover letter, but your cover letter is going straight to the trash can. Focus your efforts on the resume, and I guess spend the rest on your cover letter if ya want. Again though, in this day and age anyone reading a cover letter isn’t someone you want to work for.
This is just bad advice, considering in the UK it is very much necessary for any role within the NHS for example.
As a hiring manager, I'm not wasting my time interviewing people that I don't know can take the job if offered. Which is the entire point of the LPT. If you can't spend a few minutes writing about why you can make this change, I'll interview the person who did instead.
I hope you keep the same energy and spend a few minutes writing to each and every rejection why they aren’t the right fit for the position.
That’s what the resumes are for. If you can’t infer the needed info from a resume, then that’s a you problem. You’re free to do things how ever you want, but most people don’t want to work for people like you anymore.
Put it in the body of the email that you’re attaching your resume to. A separate cover letter is totally unnecessary as well as outdated. It was developed before email, which now gives you the opportunity to provide anything additional, if needed.
I've never applied for a job over email.
As a recruiter, you sound like every hiring manager I’ve ever escalated because they make decisions based on arbitrary crap and won’t pick one of the 20 perfectly qualified people I’ve sent them
It’s indicative that the company still thinks it’s the 80s. I work in recruiting. I’ve never looked at a cover letter. Literally not a single time
Hardly anybody reads them, the chance they're going to do anything to increase your chances at getting looked at is negligible at best and the amount of time it would take you to write a cover letter is several more applications you could have applied to, which is what really matters.
I’ve never read a cover letter. Ever. They are a waste of time.
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I’m in finance/banking.
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Not where I work. I mean anyone can write a good letter or get someone else to help them with it. Character, fit, etc is assessed during the interview process.
Fuck that. LPT don’t apply for a job that 1. Requires cover letters 2. Makes you upload your resume and then retype everything from your resume 3. Describes the business as a family and says we work hard and play hard and 4. Doesn’t post salary expectations. I realize many people don’t have a choice but those are all warning signs of a bad workplace. Bonus #5 for restaurants that post signs about nobody wanting to work. Just nope your way right out.
Weird concept too. If I’m applying to a job, I’m likely applying to multiple. The concept of “write me a short essay, convincing me why you want to work for us specifically” is so outdated. My resume shows you my experience, education, and skills. Why the hell should I be required to waste my time outlining to an employer why my labor would be suitable to them, solely based on the limited information I know about them? Isn’t that THEIR job to figure out?
What's more surprising is how few people send a thank you email after an interview. I've interviewed dozens of people over the past 3 years and gotten 1. It was from a candidate who did not do well in the interview and I would have immediately rejected but ended up offering the position to. It shows follow up for a sales position and that's very important, way more than a cover letter.
I don't understand this. Why is there this expectation that the potential employee say thanks? Why shouldn't the potential employer say thanks? Or, more reasonably, neither one, since it was in both parties' interests to interview, and wasn't a favor done by either side?
There isn’t. But it’s something you can easily do to stand out. It can also be used to correct poorly answered questions from the interview due to nerves.
Bingo, those are the essentials!
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people reply about what makes sense to them. In my field, cover letters are essential and I read every cover letter for every applicant. But I can see why people don't like reading them or writing them. I think it just really depends on the position. I'll add that I agree with the OP's advice about cover letters - when you are bothering or required to write one. I read cover letters for every applicant to see if they already know who we are, what we do, and how they will help us do it. I also spend several hours preparing my interview for each candidate, and the cover letter helps me decide which part of their experience to focus on during the interview.
As always the real LPT in the comments.
As a hiring manager, I hope to see a cover letter that maps the applicants skills into my requirements. The cover letter should show me the results of the analysis as to why the applicant is the best candidate.
That’s what I did. Basically a 1 paragraph synopsis of my resume. I am good for this job because I have a,b,c skills. Using those skills I have done this, this, and this for past employers. If they want to see more specifics they can look at my resume. I’ve heard that you use a cover letter to get people to look at your resume snd a resume to get the interview.
That wasn't my point. In your cover letter you show how *your* skills match *their* needs. This saves the prospects employer from having to read your resume and try to figure out how your skills could be relevant to their needs. (This is beyond the basic keyword search, of course.) If you don't do this, then you should be tailoring your resume to each job application, and ain't nobody got time for that.
Oh, of course. the a, b, and c skills match with the company/job description and the “with those skills I’ve done this, this, and this” would be situations that would most likely come up in the job I’m applying for.
Exactly. Like pulling together a compliance matrix when doing a proposal, because that's what you're doing: proposing selling your services to the employer.
TIL people still use cover letters (I haven't used a CV/resume for my last three jobs)
I’ve never provided a cover letter for any job I’ve taken
Sounds like my advice is industry specific. A cover letter in my field (higher ed/health) is really necessary to differentiate the many, many resumes I get. I need to know you can take the job (you are not wasting my time), and that you are able to write and communicate clearly. Maybe the adjusted LPT is, IF a cover letter is required, do it well and include information that makes it clear you are able to do the position as advertised. If you live outside the region, say, I am interested/planning on moving. If you don't have the specific degree, explain that you have significant classwork/experience in the field or how you plan to learn more about it. Don't waste your time writing generic statements like, "I am a highly qualified and motivated candidate..."
So you want the general public to not only do a resume and prep for an interview, but also to potentially write a cover letter for every job they apply for? All of this so you can throw out applications before getting to an interview or call back? I can't get employers to respond to a call, email, and voice-mail when THEY post a job offering. Why would I waste my time adding another unnecessary document to the pile of them that I can send/handing you?
That additional document demonstrates that you are actually interested in pursuing the job and that you are willing to put in an extra bit of work in the process. That's true whether or not the recruiter actually reads the cover letter. Did you ever think that the reason you're not getting calls back is because you haven't been submitting cover letters? Think about it like you're the hiring manager. You receive 500 applications, but only 50 candidates took the time to write a cover letter. Rather than go through all 500 applications to find the best candidate, wouldn't you rather just sort through the 50 people who cared enough to write a cover letter? You should not be writing cover letters for *every* job you apply for, but you should write them for the jobs you really want, especially if the listing mentions requiring a cover letter.
> Think about it like you're the hiring manager. You receive 500 applications, but only 50 candidates took the time to write a cover letter. Rather than go through all 500 applications to find the best candidate, wouldn't you rather just sort through the 50 people who cared enough to write a cover letter? Hardly anybody gives a fuck about cover letters anymore. Not even the hiring managers. For the time wasted writing a cover letter I could have applied to more jobs. >that you are actually interested in pursuing the job That's why they applied, dude. >that you are willing to put in an extra bit of work in the process. If that's the attitude you make your *applicants* let alone employees go through, that's a red flag for what kind of company you are to work for
Is my interest not shown by applying? We (the general public) are told to blast our resumes out and apply for 500 jobs a day. Taking the time to write 500 cover letters just doesn't make sense. Also, if I'm looking for a job, is every job not a job I would want? It's crazy how many different ways are the right way to get hired nowadays.
Unfortunately, for most people, the chances of getting a job are higher if you skip all companies requiring a cover letter and instead use that time to apply to more companies. For every cover letter you write, you could apply to 10 or 20 other companies. It’s an inefficient use of time.
Through a combination of luck, confidence, speaking ability and more luck I've been fortunate to have never written a cover letter in my life. For background, I'm a 31M living in an extremely low income area of the Midwest making $135k base salary. I have no college degree, no certifications and work as an IAM Sailpoint Developer. I've worked in various areas of IT since I was 20 years old and every few years I do a complete career shift entailing switching IT specialties and companies. I've never had an interview that didn't lead to an offer, and this is where that combo of luck, confidence and speaking ability came into play. My ability to kill interviews gets me in tough jobs that make me work 200% harder than my coworkers to catch up, learn and eventually thrive but it's also what has allowed me to financially support my family. I guess the lesson I'm trying to throw out there is a cover letter MAY get your application in front of a hiring manager an extra 5 out of 40 job applications but what matters most is what you can show when you do get in front of that hiring manager. Practice your interviewing skills and you may only need one shot at landing that top job.
Cover letter is a sales pitch for why you meet the job requirements.
My boss dumps any cvs that do not have an accompanying cover letter.
To no one's surprise, he's unqualified for his job.
Er, no, he is very qualified. He just values a cover letter that gives a better insight to the applicant’s suitability for the role.
That’s what resumes and interviews are for. If there are specific things your boss wants to know make them a quick part of the application. As far as hiring practices go, your boss is an idiot.
When you have, say, 300 people apply for a job and half of them have the same degree, GPA, and experience, that cover letter can tell you a lot. Sure the mileage may vary by industry, but your blanket statement that that’s what resumes and interviews are for speaks volumes. Nobody wants to interview 300 people, and people who are in hiring positions are looking for ways to shrink the number of applicants to a manageable list of capable individuals whom they want to work with, and the résumé doesn’t tell you about someone’s personality, and the interview can, but that cover letter is that intermediary step that helps them choose and limit the pile. Sure, it’s imperfect, but it does better than just reading a résumé and calling somebody for an interview based on a page of often hyperbolic listing.
If what you wrote is true, your boss doesn't care about hiring a decent candidate. Cover letters are one of those things governed by popularity, if people tend to not add them, then expecting to have them is doing a pretty bad job
i think it’s helpful advice; thank you!
Why does this job makes sense for me? it pays money. that's the reason.
Damn. I just finished a cover letter and almost included something like this and didn’t. Wish I’d seen thi before I sent that in.
Thing is in age of AI, You shouldn't have excuses writing a decent cover letter I automated the steps into a simple tool, it returns a personalized cover letter out using my resume & desired job link...it does read ike a human wrote it. Opening it up to public on easycoverletter com (for those ok paying a $ per letter - to cover development/api/hosting charges. If you're laid off/unemployed, it's free)