Do You Need a Cover Letter in 2021?
Hi friend,
If you’re here, you’re probably sick and tired of writing and wondering: Do I really need a cover letter? Spoiler: Yes, you should write a cover letter. In fact, I believe everybody should write a cover letter first, before working on their resume (more on that next week). Cover letters might seem dated or pointless if you haven’t mastered them yet, so here’s the answers to common cover letter questions I receive from people who don’t want to write them:
What is the point of a cover letter?
A cover letter is a cohesive narrative about you and your career. Your cover letter frames all of the information on your resume so that a hiring manager or interviewer understands how to interpret what they see there. It also answers obvious questions, like: why you are switching career paths, or what caused that gap.
Isn’t a cover letter repetitive?
Bad cover letters repeat the information in your resume in paragraph form. Good cover letters:
Answer questions (i.e. gaps, career switches)
Explain the common themes of what has made you successful in each job you held
Talk about what you’re looking for at the next stage in your career
What if a cover letter isn’t required?
If there is an option to attach your cover letter or paste the content into an “Anything else you’d like to tell us” box, include your cover letter. When a cover letter isn’t required, many applicants won’t bother; even if your cover letter is bad, this shows incrementally more effort and could make the difference on how you get sorted in initial application review.
Do I need a cover letter if my industry or field doesn’t use them?
Yes, cover letters are extremely useful for proactively reaching out to people about potential job openings that are unposted or to pitch someone on opportunistically hiring you (also called networking to get a job) .
Will a cover letter help me get hired?
I’ll be honest, I have seen very few excellent cover letters, and many mediocre ones. It is unlikely that a mediocre cover letter will make the difference on getting you a job, but an excellent cover letter can definitely get you into the interview pool, especially if you are less experienced or have a nontraditional career or education background. An underrated benefit of a cover letter is that it can make your interviews easier, because the interview may feel like they already know you a little bit and be excited to talk to you.
Do I have to write a cover letter for every application?
Definitely not. If you are writing a unique cover letter for every job you apply to, you are wasting a lot of time. Most job seekers I work with write two versions (occasionally three) of their cover letter with me, and customize only a few key words or phrases going forward. I know this goes against conventional wisdom, but it has a strong track record of success because we spend a lot of time crafting a specific narrative and only apply to jobs that strongly align with that person’s strengths and career goals.
Ready to get started? It’s not so bad- head over to my blog on How to Start Your Cover Letter, and I’ll walk you through it.
Happy Tuesday,
Karissa
