Cover Letters

Problem Of Motivation

Cover letters are by far and away the main nuisance in job applications. Career coaches are very quick to say "oh the cover letter is crucially important, be sure that nothing is left unsaid". That sounds all well and good but then when I'm writing such a letter I just feel like I'm boasting about things that aren't credible to the reader, or else I feel like I'm just repeating everything that's already in my CV. When it comes to whether a cover letter should be brief and to the point, or whether you should make sure you mention everything, I really don't think there is any right or wrong answer. You simply never know what sort of person is going to read it. I think it's better to keep a cover letter brief.

I've been recommended something like below for writing a cover letter before:

"My name is John Doe and I write in response to your advertisement of the 'X' position. It would be a pleasure to meet with you so that I could demonstrate how my skills, experience, and attributes could be of value to your organisation. As you will see from my attached Curriculum Vitae, I have accumulated valuable laboratory experience in this sector. In particular, I would like to bring your attention to my degree in X from the university of X."

Isn't writing "skills, experience, and attributes" a little redundant? And then finishing it off with something like:

"Should you require any additional details, please do not hesitate to contact me. I trust that you will give me an opportunity to discuss this matter further."

Obviously they're not going to hesitate in contacting you if they want any additional details, and someone who writes in such a way will obviously have included every bloody detail there is to include anyway!

In reality one has to be practical about how much time they're going to put into a cover letter. Taking the time to look through every criteria listed in a job spec and contemplate how you could talk that up, and then having to bring it all together in such a way that it flows, is all very tiring. I always base any cover letter I write on an existing cover letter. But of course the career counsellor will say "oh no you shouldn't do that". And in an ideal world maybe you should. But what the career counsellor doesn't realise is that you could have applied for many more jobs in the time you'd have spent perfecting a cover letter. On the other hand I think it's also very much a numbers game.

On a lot of applications I notice that the cover letter is optional. It is really tempting to just leave it out. Has anyone had experience on the other end of these things? What do people think when they see no cover letter in the application?

Staph

I think a cover letter gives you an opportunity to highlight the skills you think you have that suit the role. I always try to particularly reference the essential and desirable skills that they mention in the job specification and mention my experience in relation to these. I also think it allows you to demonstrate you written skills, which is important in most jobs.
For instance, if the job mentions that you need a technical degree -state in your cover letter that you have a degree in engineering/science/whatever.
If it says you need experience in report writing or data analysis, tell them specifically that you have been doing this in your current role for example.
All of this shows that you have read the job spec and understand the requirements for the role.

whippet

a cover letter to me is something what highlights your strongest one or two points from your CV which is relevant to the role and a very quick statement as to why you think you are a strong candidate.

Leave out the waffle and generic stuff - its boring and shows very little imagination.

I had 5 CVs all with the phase 'I'm a dynamic highly motivated blah blah .... ' when I was phone screening them I asked each of them to give me an example of where they showed how they were dynamic and highly motivated ... not a single one could give a relevant answer.

Session2019!

I have never used a cover letter in any job application. If theres a attachment box for one i jus attach my CV twice. Never saw the point of them.

Problem Of Motivation

Session2019! wrote: »

I have never used a cover letter in any job application. If there's an attachment box for one iI just attach my CV twice.

Well if you write like that then it's just as well!

But have you had success without including the cover letter?

BrokenArrows

If your CV is a great match for the role then I don't think a cover letter is necessary.

If you are lacking in the CV then a cover letter can be used to try and stand out from the crowd.

OMM 0000

Cover letters are vital. I've gotten job interviews based on my cover letter alone.

It is a really good opportunity to:

a) show you've made an effort and are interested in the role.

b) quickly summarise your best skills / qualifications / whatever you think is most relevant.

I remember receiving over 100 applications for a job. I needed a way to filter them, so the applications with no cover letters got dropped first. Was that ****ty of me? Maybe, but I'm sure there are many employers who do the same.