Cover Letters - essential or useless
Big discussions about cover letters. Are they a waste of time or a cool way of getting an edge on your competition. My view is that a lot of the time they are filed in the round circular file marked Garbage. But sometimes, if they get read, then you can say your grandma used to date the CEO or other such hooks into the position. What do you think? Anyone got a job from their cover letter?
Yes, I found the best job ever and one which spearheaded my career for the past 10 years. I included the hiring manager's name, described in one paragraph accomplishments that would transfer to practically any market, and concluded with how I'd be in contact (and followed through). The hiring manager appreciated my writing style, clarity and brevity, and attention to grammar and spelling. I landed my dream job as a special events coordinator at 21, just fresh out of college.
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That's great. Special events is kind of competitive so good for you. I am curious what precentage you thought was the letter and what was your resume. Your experience is different from what I've heard from recruiters so that makes me interested.
Thanks
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Hi David,
I did not have much work experience at the time I applied for the special events job. My resume was one-page long and I used bullets to list my work experience. The cover letter was my only opportunity to convince the hiring manager that I could do the work. I also think that recruiters look at CLs differently than hiring managers; recruiters are more interested in key words, whereas hiring managers are observant of written and oral communication skills. I've received many CLs and resumes from recruiters with spelling errors, incorrect word usage, and grammar mistakes. I would assume the recruiters would have caught those errors before passing on the resume to me. Recruiters have also passed on resumes/candidates who did not meet the job requirement. It seems that if the resume includes keywords such as "Flash" then the candidate is perfect for the job, when in fact there is a major difference between "attended Flash workshop" and "experience creating X with Flash and ActionScript." Of course, not all recruiters are this eager to fill a position, but unfortunately, this has been my experience.
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Hi Kim
It's unbelievable that recruiters would send out cover letters and resumes with spelling errors etc. But I see that a lot of recruiters are throwing as many candidates as possible at the client without really doing the necessary due diligence. I guess because it is so competitive at the moment. Thanks for your thoughts they are very insightful and illuminating.
David
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That was an inspiring post,
Keep up the good work,
Thanks for writing about it
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