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I've heard this from other Hiring Managers. I know many don't even read cover letters, but you would be shooting yourself in the foot not to include one. If you have one, the worst case scenario is that it doesn't get read and they go straight to your resume. The worst case scenario if you don't have one, is that you are skipped over completely. Since I personally apply to positions that are generally similar to one another, I have one cover letter that I change up in a few spots and include it. I don't like to spend too much time brain draining on it, especially when the main duties of the position I am applying for aren't much different than the others. My situation would not be applicable if you were applying to positions that vary a little bit.
My cover letter is about 1 page. 5 paragraphs. I won't go any more than that, but have been considering condensing it to about 1/2 to 3/4 of a page.
i understood people pretty much had to include them to "play it safe" but just never, ever did one factor into my decisions in any way
there is no way i would read five paragraphs. what could you possibly have to say of interest to me that would take five paragraphs that i wouldn't prefer to discuss in person? i even instructed placement firms that i would discard resumes longer than 2 pages. nine times out of ten, length was a sign of BS/fluff rather than skill/experience
it wasn't as if i was interviewing for junior positions. these were mid level software development jobs, high five or low six figures
BTW i didn't mean that to say your approach is "wrong" or anything i understand other interviewers like having letters. just letting you know what my view was back when i was hiring, as it's one way potential employers might feel
i understood people pretty much had to include them to "play it safe" but just never, ever did one factor into my decisions in any way
there is no way i would read five paragraphs. what could you possibly have to say of interest to me that would take five paragraphs that i wouldn't prefer to discuss in person? i even instructed placement firms that i would discard resumes longer than 2 pages. nine times out of ten, length was a sign of BS/fluff rather than skill/experience
it wasn't as if i was interviewing for junior positions. these were mid level software development jobs, high five or low six figures
BTW i didn't mean that to say your approach is "wrong" or anything i understand other interviewers like having letters. just letting you know what my view was back when i was hiring, as it's one way potential employers might feel
In your case, you would skip my cover letter. No harm done and I played it safe. Perhaps some ads should explicitly say "Don't include a cover letter", if the hiring manager doesn't want them. If you don't say that, you are going to get them because it is some sort of accepted standard. I would have absolutely no problem with that. In fact, if it wasn't going to get read, I and many others I'm sure would appreciate it.
As an employer, I appreciate a cover letter. Sending a cover letter shows that you aren't mass mailing resumes. It also needs to distinctly reference requirements in the job post. This is your opportunity to connect with the employer. Be conversational.
On the other hand, I don't read long cover letters. A single paragraph is sufficient. Time management is important on both sides. I also stop reading generic cover letters. I have a negative reaction to cover letters in which the applicant states how much he/she wants the job or what a good employee he/she would be. Show; don't tell.
I've heard this from other Hiring Managers. I know many don't even read cover letters, but you would be shooting yourself in the foot not to include one. If you have one, the worst case scenario is that it doesn't get read and they go straight to your resume. The worst case scenario if you don't have one, is that you are skipped over completely. Since I personally apply to positions that are generally similar to one another, I have one cover letter that I change up in a few spots and include it. I don't like to spend too much time brain draining on it, especially when the main duties of the position I am applying for aren't much different than the others. My situation would not be applicable if you were applying to positions that vary a little bit.
My cover letter is about 1 page. 5 paragraphs. I won't go any more than that, but have been considering condensing it to about 1/2 to 3/4 of a page.
Well, I think anyone needs some kind of introduction if they are applying to a company that has no idea who they are. My cover letter would probably be in the email I send to particular people that hire. For instance there was a company I have wanted to get in touch with for a while so I sent an Inmail on Linkedin to the company owner explaining who I was, my interest and what I could do for them. He sent me a nice letter back requesting my resume. So no need to further compound it with a cover letter.
My general setup is a one paragraph bio as some like those and 2 page resume which has all the nitty gritty detail.
My situation is probably different from a lot of people though as I contract with lots of small boutique companies that at most would have no more than 50 full time staff and most have a lot less. So there is no big unwieldy HR department or corporate structure to deal with.
there is no way i would read five paragraphs. what could you possibly have to say of interest to me that would take five paragraphs that i wouldn't prefer to discuss in person?
Whether I am writing a cover letter that is 3,4 or 5 paragraphs this screams that you are a lazy hiring manager/HR person and won't even take the time to glance "why I would be a good fit"
Quote:
Originally Posted by OdysseusNY
i even instructed placement firms that i would discard resumes longer than 2 pages. nine times out of ten, length was a sign of BS/fluff rather than skill/experience
While anything over 2 pages is not necessary...having a two page resume is perfectly acceptable especially if one has 20+ years of good relevant experience under their belt. Again, you are LAZY with your approach and insulting to anyone with a 2 page resume.
I never include a cover letter and I have gotten an interview with almost every resume I have submitted. I didn't even submit a cover letter when the job posting mentioned it and had a place to upload one. I have yet to be asked if I have a cover letter. These days your resume is scanned by a program looking for key words that relate to experience and education that match the job description. They do not scan a cover letter. It selects candidate resumes which are then reviewed by a hiring manager, who once again probably never even looks at a cover letter. I have been to a couple of interviews where it seemed the interviewer was looking through my resume for the first time as we spoke and they would ask questions about things they find.
With all of that said, I always screened jobs just like the hiring manager screens applicants. If the job doesn't fit my education and experience or it sounds like a place I wouldn't be a good fit, I don't waste time applying. I put more time into finding the right job instead of wasting time on just any job. Now I should mention that I am in the technical field where whether you can write a page about yourself and it read like a novel isn't important and we really don't care to read all that fluff anyway. If you happen to be in a different field where written and verbal communication is important such as journalism, a cover letter might be far more important for all I know.
Whether I am writing a cover letter that is 3,4 or 5 paragraphs this screams that you are a lazy hiring manager/HR person and won't even take the time to glance "why I would be a good fit"
While anything over 2 pages is not necessary...having a two page resume is perfectly acceptable especially if one has 20+ years of good relevant experience under their belt. Again, you are LAZY with your approach and insulting to anyone with a 2 page resume.
I am sure glad you no longer hire people....scary
err, did you read my post? i said over two pages, not under two pages... because i agree, two pages is fine for a senior dev
also, did you see the part where i specifically said, "job placement firms" not "individual"? and "gave specific instructions" (as in i gave specific instructions to job placement firms to trim resumes to two pages, and they sometimes completely disregarded this)
these firms skim 25-50% of monthly pay and can't be bothered to accommodate modest requests? i am their customer and they ignore my specific directives, and i'm lazy for objecting to this?
riiiight... something tells me you've never seen the reams of copy-paste nonsense that many placement firms and individual applicants use to pad their resumes nowadays. i literally received eight page resumes from people who, when presented with relatively simple fizz buzz type tests, would struggle
in every ad i requested code and writing samples. there's nothing in your cover letter that will tell me more about whether you are a good developer than these things will
in my own resume, instead of cluttering it with nonsense i include brief descriptions along with links to actual source code and documentation so people can go deeper if they want to. what can you cram into your 5 paragraph cover letter that will be more succinct and effective than this?
i'm sorry for whatever created this chip on your shoulder but i was a damn good manager with a very reasonable approach to hiring. moreover i'm a developer who moved into management, not an "HR person". the reason i didn't want to spend a lot of time wading through resume fluff is because i had code to write and other devs to manage. and the only reason i stopped is because i went back into academia as a computer science PhD student. try again
Oh, the cover letter is the most important part of any application! Ap forms and resumes don't tell you much about the applicant.
When I was hiring staff, I used the cover letter in the following ways: Is the applicant bright enough to use proper grammar and spelling? Can they communicate well? Have they told me why they want to work with ME specifically? Have they told me who they are?
I job hopped a lot in the past, and almost always got the jobs I applied for. Turned down a LOT of jobs . And I think it's because I consider myself queen of the cover letter! Here's the basic template I used and like to see (durrr, use your own words):
Para #1: I am so excited to have learned of this position! It is exactly what I'm looking for! I specifically want to work for YOUR company because X. Please let me convince you that I am exactly the right person for the job: (This para very very short)
Para #2: Short para re experiences/education. "I am right for the job because of my work experience and education". Use key words from the position description/job ad. For example, if position description uses the word "EXCEL" say, I used EXCEL extensively while working for X. Or if the if the position description uses the word "budget", say I was the person responsible for creating and managing the budget in both place X and Y. If the position description uses the word "communication skills" say I developed skills in workplace communication in all of my jobs, and understand that good communication is one of the most important aspects of any position.
Para#3: Short para re special skills. "I am right for the job because my specific skills and interests are X". Again, use key words from the job description/ad in this paragraph.
Para #4: Short para re you personally. ALWAYS say that you get along well with others. ALWAYS say that you enjoy continually learning and expect to learn a lot on this new job. (Hint - nobody likes or hires a know-it-all.)
Para #5: I hope that I have convinced you that I am the right person for this job! Please let me know if there is any other information or documentation which I can provide for you. I am available for an interview at your convenience. My e-mail/phone # is X. I look forward to meeting you.
Sincerely, X
The above should take no more than one full page, and no less than one full page.
Oh, well I went back and took the time to read every post. I'm realizing that cover letter length and type may depend on your specific occupation/profession.
I mean, no one really expects IT people to be literate, get along well with others, or to have good communication skills, right?
Oh, well I went back and took the time to read every post. I'm realizing that cover letter length and type may depend on your specific occupation/profession.
I mean, no one really expects IT people to be literate, get along well with others, or to have good communication skills, right?
Yep...my field is all about writing so my cover letter was actually more of a narrative. A friend of mine who got an awesome job out of college advised me about it. I got feedback from two jobs about it - one I currently have and the other that showed interest in me after I already accepted a job. My current boss actually was not a big fan of my cover letter and said she preferred the standard format. The other people really loved mine and that is how I got their attention.
So yeah, it was kind of hit-or-miss for me. I was hired for my current job because I impressed the people in other ways, but I guess my cover letter put me at a disadvantage at first. I have to rewrite my cover letter for future jobs anyway; it's just that I don't know what the hiring managers prefer. My unique style rules me out for some people and impresses others. That's just how it is.
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i understand other interviewers like having letters. just letting you know what my view was back when i was hiring, as it's one way potential employers might feel
