I think it is very important to make a positive impression using other means in addition to your resume. A good example is meeting company representatives during a career fair where you show your colors, explain your qualifications, and interact face-to-face. When not given this kind of opportunity, a cover letter is your best chance to push your resume to greater lengths with the same respect.
I think the most valuable article on cover letters is “Junk Cover Letters Kill Good Resumes.” It begins by explaining how poorly cover letters get attention because of the lack of work they typically represent. They suggest that 40% of cover letters aren’t read because they are too bland and give no more help to their ultimate decision. It gives great advice like making your cover letter more personal, treating it as a simple conversation, and how to target your audience.
I am not the biggest fan of cover letters and to my understanding; most students feel the same way. I think the reason for this is because we don’t know how to create an effective cover letter or have seen one that takes the opportunity very far. In my past cover letter submissions, they will typically represent my resume in paragraph form without offering any more valuable information which is the same reason 40% of cover letters are neglected.
So why write one? The article puts it in the best general perspective: “With a less than favorable job market, we're definitely in a company market versus a jobseeker's market from the 1990s.” We must prepare everything to give us the best chance at landing a career. If we do not offer a cover letter, that is another variable that plays against us and we’re in no position to ignore opportunity. Therefore, it is important to learn the strategies offered in these articles for a well prepared cover letter.
Hating Cover Letters
To put it lightly, I too am not the biggest fan of cover letters. My hatred of them is to the point where in the past, I skipped applying for a position because it required a cover letter. Don't get me wrong here; these were companies that I did not truly desire to work for. I think this decision came from pure laziness. After spending countless hours applying for jobs and creating cover letters for companies I had a strong desire to work for, I had very little motivation to put effort into tailoring a cover letter for these other companies. With the current job market however, I see that it is now imperative to create an effective cover letter.
Reply - Hating Cover Letters
I will agree with both of you; my dislike in cover letters is growing. I feel that most people hate doing this because it seems as if it is non essential, an extra. My first feeling wasn’t good when I noticed that we had to write a cover. I have dreaded this week’s assignment due to I didn’t want t write a cover letter. After reading the importance of a cover letter I have found it necessary to have one. Especially with today’s economy having more people competing for the same job. We need to use this project to learn how to write a proper cover letter rather than avoiding it and dragging on the dislike.
Zebulon Rouse
Dumb-Founded
I have to admit shock and awe at that the idea of not applying for a job because it required writing a cover letter. Although, this perspective might shift in response to the news that 600,000+ jobs were cut in January 2009. The specter of unemployment may make writing a one-page letter less of a burden.
extra step
I guess with the thoughts here that a company could see a person who is willing to write a cover letter as one who is willing to go that extra step. If writing a cover letter is keeping people from applying for that position I would think it shows more commitment for those who are willing to write the cover letter. I do agree though that it sounds much easier to just hand your resume to a few companies and not have to take the time to personalize the a cover letter for each company you are interested in but hey that cover letter may just pay off.
-Chris
Filters
Alas, the golden age of the 90's has come and gone. But this in interesting with regard to these cover letters. See, all of these 'hoops' that we have to jump through to get to a job (like the job fairs, resumes, cover letters, interviews, ect) are filters that people use to find the right person for the job. Each filter has a different purpose, and while the cover letter as a filter maybe wasn't so important fifteen years ago it is now due to the lack of relative job abundance. The cover letter, I think, is a filter for personable traits. The resume is so formal almost nothing about the individual is expressed on a personal note, but the cover letter can achieve this by expressing interest in the company and by being more conversational.
Similar thought
I was totally the same way. Why take the time to write a cover letter for Company A when I could just give my resume to Companies B, C, D who didn't require a cover letter. While part of this was out of ignorance I would have to say that most of it was actually out of laziness as well. I didn't know what a cover letter was and since it wasn't always required why should I take the time to write one when I could easily avoid it. However as HiggsBoson says below it is really just another filter, one more hoop to jump through to land that job. And with the drastic loss of jobs I can guarantee that I'll be more willing to jump through more hoops in the future if it means being gainfully employed.
Andy
Replacing Face-to-Face Conversations
I find it kind of interesting that you hinted the idea that cover letters can replace face-to-face conversations. There seems to be quite a bit of truth in that, especially since cover letters are usually written in a speech style. However, unlike a conversation, the cover letter allows you to speak concisely and uninterruptedly – something which can be of great use to people who are too nervous during interviews.