The question may seem surprising at first, but now more than ever it deserves to be asked.
According to a survey conducted by personnel recruiting firm Addison Group last month, only 18% of managers still believe the cover letter is an important part of the hiring process. And the younger the managers, the less important it is to them. Some people will have noticed that when it comes time to apply online for a job, many forms do not have a field to attach a cover letter and that in many cases, only the resume counts.
There are many other ways to assess applicants these days. The flowers you throw in your cover letter can now be invalidated with a snap of a finger by a compromising Facebook photo or awkward statement on Twitter. According to the study cited above, 45% of managers born between 1980 and 2000 actually see social media as relevant to the hiring process.
Finally, 55% of all recruiters see grammar, spelling or even typing errors as enough to reject an application.
Does this mean that you are wasting your time writing a cover letter or that sending it puts you at unnecessary risk? In short, yes. That said, if you are specifically asked to do so, be sure to follow these tips:
1) At the outset, forget the "To whom it may concern". If you aren't resourceful enough to find the recruiter's name, it certainly won't work in your favor.
2) Take advantage of any connection you have with the recruiter. If you met him at a conference or your application followed a conversation you had, mention it up front.
3) State why you would like to join the company. All candidates want the job, of course, but clarifying why you want to work for this company rather than elsewhere will usually increase your chances of getting an interview.
4) Underline the main elements of your CV that correspond to the demands made in the job posting. Now is also the time to include skills that are not on your resume like your ease of learning, your ability to work independently, or your willingness to work long hours depending on the needs of your future employer.
5) Most importantly, never use your letter twice. One of the things that infuriates recruiters the most is receiving a generic letter that the candidate seems to use for all the positions they apply for. Not only will this end up in the trash, but it will inevitably be followed by your resume.
