What’s in a Cover Letter?
In some way or the other, we all have gone through the time when we had to mention a cover letter along with our resume. The HR dept of every small and big organization probably sorts through the materials of thousands of job applicants every day. Sometimes it’s for a full time work and sometimes it is for a profile on a contractual basis. Sometimes the resume is for a challenging position, whereas, at other times, it involves just the basic profiles. But no matter what the nature of the hiring may or position is, one thing remains the same: if your cover letter doesn’t impress, your resume won’t be looked at.
Most of the job postings today lists clearly that it requires a cover letter. While a handful of job postings simply state that they require a cover letter, the other lot clearly explain why they need a cover letter.
A survey from leading job portals says that more than 60% of applicants don’t include a cover letter at all. Another 20% include a cover letter that simply informs the reader that they’ve attached their resume with it. Another 10% include a cover letter that is clearly a template they use for any old job application. Only 10% of the total applicant pool makes the effort to write a cover letter that answers the necessary questions correctly.
That means that near about 90% of the people who wants to get hired falls flat from meeting the application requirements. It is nothing less than a first impression going terribly wrong. A bunch of senior employees from HR dept all over the country have stated that if the cover letter misses anything that is desired, no matter if the resume inside is a story of dozens of awards or great experiences, they just miss the catch. Why? Here is what they had to say:
If the cover letter goes wrong with the words, it gives the recipient a tough time to believe in the words written in the resume inside.
When people misses the instructions for cover letter, it leaves the recipient with lest trust that they could carry the future instructions properly.
Most of the HR dept doubts that if one cannot communicate the relevance of their experience or skills, there lies less possibilities that they would be able to understand what the profile entails.
If you’re basic communication skills are poor, you’re not going to do well in other spheres too.
They further say that a solid and compact cover letter makes them go a step further with the interview immediately. In most cases, it can even help you overcome deficiencies in your resume or a lack of experience. Many recipients in the HR board agree to rather accept a determined, passionate individual with strong work ethic on the team than an Ivy League degree without tenacity every single time.
So the next time you go to apply for a job, think about whether it’s one you really want. If you do, take the time to write a custom cover letter that will grab the recipient’s attention and clearly articulate why you’re the candidate they’ve been looking for all along. It may be the difference between getting dismissed and landing the interview.