Responding to a job-seeker who says she doesn’t use cover letter because she sees no advantage in doing so, corporate recruiter Bill Meiers says (on the RecruitingBlogs site):
I couldn’t disagree more. A cover letter is your first chance to make an impression on the employer — good or bad, so there is an inherent risk there. I think with a little work, it is a risk well worth taking. In the Internet age, where applying for a job is almost too simple, the well-written cover letter is your way of telling the prospective employer that you carefully read the job posting, understand the duties and requisite skills and can quickly make a pitch to them on why you are a good fit. What it also tells them is that you are not shooting resumes out a firehose at every posting you see and you are serious about their opportunity. So, without hesitation, send a cover letter.
In future entries, we’ll take a look at more of Meiers’s thoughts on cover letters — as well as some of the comments his blog posting got from other recruiters.
