Cover Letters - explain, please?

[sraun]

For reference - I'm applying for jobs in computer support in a large metropolitan market. Usually these jobs will be with large companies - over 1000 employees.

I don't understand why I should write a cover letter. In a reply to a post of norabombay, someone pointed to a web-site that had a sample letter, and some rules to follow. The rules started with 'address the letter to the hiring manager - if you don't know who it is, use his title or functional position, NEVER use 'To Whom It May Concern'. They went on to discuss what kind of content you should put in.

This makes no sense to me. Or rather, it makes very limited sense to me. If I'm applying for a position at a small firm (unlikely, but possible) where I know someone, then I could see this. However, practically all of the positions I'm applying for are with large companies, with HR departments which have at least one person who's full-time job is to deal with incoming applications and/or resumes. According to all the HR people I've spoken with who work in such environments in the last 5-7 years, they throw away any cover letter, take the resume, scan it in, and usually OCR it so they have searchable electronic format. If I'm applying using e-mail, the application goes straight into their database - again, any cover text / cover letter is tossed.

So, why am I writing a cover letter? Is my understanding of what's happening in HR departments of large companies for their IT staff that broken? If so, exactly how is it broken?

Comments

The cover letter...

[lsanderson.livejournal.com]

The cover letter can certainly be stored as well in the database. I know that PeopleSoft does.

[kalmn.livejournal.com]

you're writing a cover letter because you're supposed to write a cover letter. some companies may use it as a guage of whether or not you can jump through hoops.

i've been on a few search committees where i am recently, and we do get the cover letters. (medium size university, i believe one of your family members went there until just a bit ago.) i read all of them, and i paid a lot of attention to how they were written. (for the love of god, don't use the blink tag. that's all i'm saying.)

[countrycousin.livejournal.com]

Yeah. What they said.

In a large company, they are screened. But one of the minor factors the screener should use is communication and social skills as reflected in the cover letter. It shows a personal, particular interest in this position. You should write it so it does just that. A resume can be more general.

I recall getting cover letters from screeners. I have been through several hiring cycles, both in large companies with assistance from HR; in smaller ones with assistance from an outside firm, and doing the whole thing with a couple of colleagues. IMHO, an HR dept. that discards them is doing a mediocre job at best.

An appropriate cover letter won't get you the job; an inappropriate one might lose you the opportunity of an interview.

[dd-b.livejournal.com]

I think, for the large companies, that it's a checkbox. You have to write it, and they can then check off that you did. I think you can lose points by not doing it, or by doing it stupidly, but I don't think you can possibly gain points by it.

It's like submitting a manuscript, actually, in that regard. (Unless you're an unknown name with some publication credits worth pointing out.)

The correct manuscript cover letter says "Here is the manuscript of my book. I hope you buy it." in *slightly* less blunt terms.

[azurelunatic]

From what (sadly little) I understand of the process, it's also a chance to say anything that you can't fit into the resume. The experience may speak for itself. It may not. If it doesn't, the cover letter should be really speaking. If it does, then the cover letter is probably more token.

[windtear.livejournal.com]

Here's how it was explained to me:

A cover letter is a mini-interview. It basically says, "Hi, I'm X, here's why I'm perfect for the position, here's why I'm just plain great to have around, wanna know more? Here's my resume and contact details."

Not having a cover letter implies:
a) you don't care enough about a job with them, particularly, to show them why they should hire you;
b) you're sending out your resume so you can tell Social Security you sent your resume to Y companies and, again, you don't really want a job with them;
c) you will do only the bare necessities and no more, so you won't be a valuable employee, so hiring you will basically be putting a warm human weight doll in the cubicle, and that's something no company wants;
and
d) you aren't willing to have your writing scrutinised, which makes them ask why, which makes them decide it must be not-good, so out your application goes.

A good cover letter shows that you're good at communicating, good at addressing their needs, and that you care enough to research the company (because you addressed it by name). Also, if one is requested, it shows that you have reading comprehension.

So cover letters are a necessary part of your jobsearch. They are annoying and may not have as much to contribute as your resume but the impression you give when you don't include one is absolutely murderous to your prospects, especially in this employment market.

[jbru.livejournal.com]

For what it's worth, in my recent job search (from the comfort of having a job, though a sucky one) I never bothered with a cover letter. All my resumes were being submitted through monster.com and they only let you store 5 of them anyway so to write a "standard" cover letter, I'd have to go through the hassle of deleting one to write another. When I would get interviews, I often saw the interviewer flipping through a printed e-mail with the contents of my Monster resume. Particular attention was paid to the "skills" section it seemed with secondary interest in the work experience section.

That said, if I was sending a paper resume, I'd send a cover letter simply because it's expected.

[drsulak.livejournal.com]

Does a cover letter do anything? Nope. Not for resume bombing runs, but then again, neither does it hurt. Yes, a lot of HR/contract shops throw them away - but not all.

If you have additional info about the position and hiring manager, it may give you the edge when the top five resumes are being selected. More of a tie breaker.

Never underestimate the power of small gestures. Often, there is a top choice, followed by two close backup candidates. If the first does not accept the offer, then which one of the two? Often, the tie breaker is references, cover letters, interview thank you note, etc, as to which one gets called next.

[rmeidaking.livejournal.com]

Back when I worked in a job where I had influence over hiring decisions, we used the Cover Letter as a sorting tool. You want it MORE in a large company, rather than less.

With your cover letter, you're demonstrating several abilities, including:

- The ability to find out who is the head of that department; i.e. you can do research outside your field.

- The ability to write a cover letter. (You'd be amazed how many otherwise intelligent people can't do it, even with samples to crib from.)

- The ability to use proper grammar and punctuation.

- The ability to use a computer word-processing program. This was especially crucial back in the late 1980s when management personnel were starting to lose their secretaries. There were a couple of good managerial candidates who lost out when it turned out they'd always had secretaries, and now they were helpless in front of a computer.

- The ability to follow directions. In one instance, I put "Fax your resume to ..." in the newspaper ad. This was actually a test: Could they find a fax machine? Could they use it? Yes, the job was for a clerical assistant's position. (We later upped the ante: they had to email the resume!)

Once in for the interview, we would have them fill out an application form. Test: Can you fill out a form? Is your handwriting legible? If they failed on these, there would be problems down the road....

So, Yes, absolutely include a cover letter. It gives you an opportunity to separate yourself from the other 500 resumes they'll get this week.

[trixtah.livejournal.com]

I don't understand these "rules" that say not to address the letter to "To Whom...". Sounds like a USAan fad to me. If a specific person is mentioned in the job ad, I address it to them. If not, I assume that a committee (most likely in my line of work) or anonymous HR pleb will be dealing with it. Addressing a letter to the HR HoD seems like an unnecessary conceit.

However, I find cover letters to be VITAL. What you're saying in it is why you'd be suitable for that particular job. Your CV will have all your skills and experience; your cover letter will say things like "As I am a private pilot, I naturally have an interest in aviation. Due to my work at the Dept. of Blah, I have an indepth knowlege of regulatory and compliance requirements. Any administrative requirements that are likely to present themselves there at the CAA would be well within my purview".

Ok, not as stiffly as that, but the cover letter should be specifically addressing the requirements in the job ad, highlighting the areas of your skill-set that fit the requirements, and showing you know something about the organisation or industry at which you're applying for the job. And, as others have mentioned, that you have a reasonable grasp of English and can express yourself well.

I certainly haven't heard of an HR dept that disregards cover letters. In all my jobs, it's been included (with my CV) in my employment records.