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Another mistake is that candidates don't research the company in advance and also don't research the people (I understand that sometimes you won't know, or won't be informed) that will be interviewing you in advance through LinkedIn, or other channels. In tight knit industries, though, you may know in advance who will be interviewing you.
I would argue that for certain professional jobs, neither of those things matter.
My current job and my previous 2 jobs, I gave them my generic resume and I never wrote a thank you letter. I sold myself by my demeanor, my abilities, and my skill levels in the profession.
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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As a hiring manager, I agree with tailoring the resume, it's often obvious that someone has applied for some other job and even forgot to change some of the wording to reflect my opening. Without a tailored resume the person is not likely to get an interview. As for the thank you, I consider that a waste of time. By the time I get that email or letter, I have almost always made the decision. We rarely interview more than 10 even with 100 applicants, and do them all on the same day or two days. By the time the last is interviewed I will make the decision. I can't understand why anyone would hire someone because they sent a thank you, or would not hire the best person because they failed to send a thank you.
The last study I read indicated <20% of cover letters are read at all and most of the rest are just quickly screened through. Cover letters are largely a waste of time.
The last study I read indicated <20% of cover letters are read at all and most of the rest are just quickly screened through. Cover letters are largely a waste of time.
Agreed. I have never submitted a cover letter. My boss tells me he just glances through the cover letters but never reads them.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MetroWord
Agreed. I have never submitted a cover letter. My boss tells me he just glances through the cover letters but never reads them.
Depends on the field. In some sciences and IT, sure. But in other fields I've worked in, such as development, they're critical. Most places I've worked if there isn't a cover letter the application isn't complete and the resume isn't glanced at, for a second.
Depends on the field. In some sciences and IT, sure. But in other fields I've worked in, such as development, they're critical. Most places I've worked if there isn't a cover letter the application isn't complete and the resume isn't glanced at, for a second.
Just curious. Can you define "development"?
I've worked in programming and construction engineering. I never had a cover letter.
Why not write a cover letter even if there's only a small chance someone will read it? I'm guessing it is read just as much as the actual resume is read.
I agree with tailoring the resume but the thank you letter sounds silly. If a hiring manager gets like 100 emails a day, he's not gonna be picking out that lonesome email to read.
The last position I interviewed for, I expressed my interest in the position once more after two weeks. Thats all I did.
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