A new survey from TheLadders finds the old-fashioned rules of job seeker etiquette, complete with the cover letter, resume and thank-you note, still apply.
According to the study, 39 percent of recruiters have eliminated a job candidate because they did not include a cover letter. That’s bad news for the 53 percent of executive-level candidates who failed to include a letter in their application packet.
Eighty-eight percent of recruiters agree: every job seeker should submit a cover letter along with their resume.
A team from TheLadders selected the most important criteria that should be included in the cover letter:
Get Their Attention — A cover letter must grab a reader’s attention in a split-second with a succinct message that convinces them to read further. Wendy Enelow, author, executive resume writer and training consultant to TheLadders.com, adds the following, “Start your cover letter with your one WOW achievement or qualification or career success to immediately capture your reader’s interest and attention.”
Less is More — A good cover letter should clearly convey the “who,” “what,” “when,” “where” and “why” in the first paragraph and be no longer than three or four total paragraphs. Enelow adds, “If you’re using bulleted statements in your cover letter to highlight specific achievements, qualifications or experiences, be certain to only use 4-6 and then leave a bit of white space in between each to enhance the readability of the document.”
Prove Relevance — Job seekers should mine the job posting and company Web site for the specific words and clues to what the employer is looking for in a candidate and use those words in the cover letter.
Turn Negatives Into Positives — The cover letter is where you can explain unique situations before they are red flagged on your resume.
Paste and Attach — If you are applying via e-mail, cut and paste the cover letter to make it your e-mail message and attach it.
This survey was conducted online within the U.S. by ResearchNow on behalf of TheLadders.com among 500 recruitment professionals from April 8 through April 23, 2009.
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June 3rd, 2009 at 7:27 am
I understand why people don’t include cover letters. They can feel awkward to write – especially if you don’t have a background in marketing.
Although a well-written cover letter can be a great marketing tool, even a “good enough” cover letter is important as a matter of etiquette.
Just as you would never hand someone a resume, say “Here”, and walk away, you should never submit a resume – online or via snail mail – without an accompanying introduction.
June 3rd, 2009 at 10:03 pm
Vanessa,
I love your blog entries and 9 out of 10 times I agree 100% with you, but have to say cover letters drive me nuts.
Having worked as a recruiter for the better part of 13 years, cover letters were superfluous and typically ignored as they functioned like a crutch for a bad resume. The cover letter characteristics listed above, if applied to the resume, should all but eliminate the need for a potential employer or recruiter to read another document. When there are “unique situations” that might need explaining, all attempts should be made to call the person receiving the resume to ask of they have a couple of minutes to conjointly review your resume. If that isn’t possible and all avenues have been exhausted to connect then the only option is the cover letter or a note in the boy of the email.