Do You Need a Cover Letter With Your Resume - Career Sidekick

Do You Need a Cover Letter With Your Resume - Career Sidekick Do You Need a Cover Letter With Your Resume? Cover Letters / https://www.edenscott.com/blog If youre wondering, Do I need a cover letter with my resume? then this article is for you. And youve probably been told some bad information about this topic in the past! Ill explainThe reality is: There are only a few specific cases where a cover letter is necessary and important.And many job seekers are wasting HOURS sending cover letters their job applications when its not needed.So in this article, Im going to walk you through exactly when you need a cover letter, and when you can send your resume without one.Lets get startedThe Truth: Are Cover Letters Necessary?Many people on LinkedIn and other sites will tell you that you should include a cover letter every time because it cant hurt, but thats not trueHeres how it CAN hurt youWriting a great cover letter takes a LOT of time and mental energy. So if its not making a difference, or not even getting read, then itis hurting you in terms of wasted time and energy (Id argue that writing a cover lette r is the toughest and most time-consuming part of the process for many job seekers).Writing a resume is tough, sure. But once you get it, youre done. You spend 5-15 minutes tailoring it for each specific job you apply for, but thats it.Cover letters take a lot of time EVERY time (at least when done right).When You Need a Cover Letter With Your Resume:There are a couple of specific scenarios where cover letters matter, and you should send one. This article by Harvard Business Review says it best:In those cases, according to Harvard Business Review, you can boost your chances of getting the interview by writing a short letter to point out similarities between your resume and the job requirements (e.g. why youd do well in their job) rather than leaving the analysis entirely up to the hiring manager.But this is only worth doing if you meet one or more of the criteria above, or a few other situations Ill explain belowTwo more cases where it makes sense to send a cover letter:First, you s hould send a cover letter if an employer specifically says its required on their website or job application form (however, having an optional field to include it is not the same as asking for it or saying its required).And second, you should send a letter if you have a large gap in employment or something unusual in your background that you feel the need to explain, and you dont feel your resume explains it well enough on its own.(Although I do like addressing gaps in employment directly on your resume employment history section when possible. For example, if you took a year off to raise a kid, you could say: 2018-2019: One-year break from work to raise first child. So do try to explain this type of thing on your resume if you can!)When You Dont Need a Cover Letter:If you dont fall into any of the situations we looked at above, then a cover letter is not needed.For example, if youre just applying for jobs online via job boards, via LinkedIn, on company websites via their careers pag e, etc., then Id skip it! Send your resume and let it speak for itself. (And if you dont have a great resume yet, you can get help here.)In my opinion, the extra time and effort just isnt worth it when youre applying online with no prior relationship, no referral, and no special knowledge of the hiring manager or job requirements that you can use to make your case for why they should interview you.This is one reason I love LinkedIn EasyApply as a part of an online job search because a cover letter is not required or even expected.Of course, the final judgment call is yours!If youre applying to your dream employer and you dont mind spending an hour writing up a great cover letter, then go ahead! It cant hurt in a one-off scenario like this.But the main point Im trying to make here is:You should be selective about when to send a cover letter, rather than feeling obligated to send it by default.Conclusion: How Important is a Cover Letter?There isnt a one-size-fits-all answer to: do yo u need a cover letter?Cover letters do matter in some cases. But that doesnt mean that you always need one. And after reading the information above, you should have a good blueprint to follow for when its needed and when to skip it.And as mentioned earlier, the main benefit of this approach is time savingsWhen you look at how much time and effort goes into writing each of these letters, it can add up to hours or days of wasted time if youre sending cover letters without analyzing whether its necessary in the situation.Tips for Writing a Good Cover Letter:Here are some tips and resources to help you in situations where you decide a cover letter is needed:First, Id always recommend keeping it brief, easy to read (no huge paragraphs or blocks of text without spacing), and personal.It should feel like youre talking directly to them! That means start with Dear Bethany, (for example), not with, Dear Hiring Manager or Dear Recruiter.(Recruiters almost never care about a cover letter anyway . It should be for the hiring manager).Also, make sure youre saying the word you at least as often as you say the word I. Talk about their needs and their company, not just about yourself.The purpose of your cover letter is to point out similarities between your background and the employers job requirements. You want to demonstrate why youre likely to succeed in their specific role, to sell them on interviewing you! And you cannot do this without researching their job and understanding/discussing their job. So this letter isnt just about you, its about them just as much.To help you further, weve published two articles here on Career Sidekick with great cover letter info:3 steps to writing a cover letter that stands outHow to write a cover letter with no experienceIf you follow the steps above, youll save time in your job search and maximize the number of interviews you get for the effort you put into your job applications!