5 Reasons Cover Letters are Still Important

Let’s start by addressing the elephant in the room: The notion that cover letters are outdated and serve little purpose in the modern hiring process.  Admittedly, hiring managers can receive dozens, if not hundreds, of applications and resumes for a particular position.  And you would be spot on in suggesting that no hiring manager is going to spend time reading every cover letter submitted for each job opening – which is why so many hiring managers are turning to technology to assist in this process.

But that does not mean cover letters serve no purpose or that they are no longer relevant.  The following are just some of the reasons why cover letters continue to play an instrumental role in the modern hiring process.

1. Cover Letters Showcase your Personality

While hiring managers may receive many applications for a particular position, they will only grant interviews and offers to a small percentage of those applicants.  Resumes play a critical role in helping organizations determine who is qualified for job, but they provide little insight into the personality of a candidate – which is vital to determine who will best mesh with the organization’s culture.

Cover letters allow applicants to showcase their personalities and convince hiring managers they possess the right personality for the job.

2. Cover Letters Demonstrate Communication Skills

In almost any job or position, an ideal candidate must have strong communication skills.  But while a job interview will help ascertain the extent of a candidate’s interpersonal skills, it will not showcase a candidate’s written communication skills.

Candidates should use their cover letters to demonstrate their ability to persuasively and concisely communicate in writing important information.

3. Cover Letters Address Gaps in Resumes

Job applicants do not always immediately transition from one job to another.  Some take time off for illness, childcare, education, or travel.  As such, there may be unexplained gaps on an applicant’s resume.

A cover letter allows candidates to not only explain why there are gaps in their resumes, but also explain how what candidates did during those gaps makes them even more desirable prospects.

4. Cover Letters Express Interest in Positions

There are many reasons, besides money, that a candidate may be interested in a certain position or working for a specific company.  Perhaps the organization advances a cause that really matters to an applicant or is driving innovation that aligns with an applicant’s vision for the future.

Whatever the reason, candidates can use their cover letters to explain why they are interested in the position or company and why their interest should be considered.

5. Cover Letters Highlight Relevant Experience

Job descriptions often call for specific hard and soft skills, and relevant experience, that the organization is looking for in an ideal candidate.

Candidates should absolutely use their cover letters to discuss that they possess the skills and work sought after per the job description.  This will allow candidates to separate themselves from other candidates as an ideal fit for the role and organization.

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