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In the end there were 19 applicants, 8 submitted a cover letter, including all 5 of those to be interviewed. Interestingly, of the 10 applicants who did not meet the minimum qualifications at all, only one provided a cover letter.
So....It's taken you almost a month and not even interviewed yet. Either you work for a government agency or the red tape in your organization flows like a river.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by quiet life
So....It's taken you almost a month and not even interviewed yet. Either you work for a government agency or the red tape in your organization flows like a river.
We are a public agency, but normally don't take this long. It's actually only been 17 days, the application period closed 1/20. The interviews scheduled for Monday and Tuesday. It's just a time when HR is slammed with a lot of openings at once, with retirements and new positions in the 2020 budget to fill. In my case the holdup has just been the availability of the assigned HR recruiter who sits in as moderator at the interviews.
We are a public agency, but normally don't take this long. It's actually only been 17 days, the application period closed 1/20. The interviews scheduled for Monday and Tuesday. It's just a time when HR is slammed with a lot of openings at once, with retirements and new positions in the 2020 budget to fill. In my case the holdup has just been the availability of the assigned HR recruiter who sits in as moderator at the interviews.
Ok, that makes sense. You are actually moving pretty swift for a public agency. Your attention to a person's cover letter is profound. You are a rare bird. I remember when I took a job with an agency.I applied. Got the interview after 3 weeks. Received the word I got the gig after a month. However, background screening took almost 3 months. I thought that was medieval. I hung in there and got the gig. So... From submitting resume to actually starting the gig took 5 months! Jesus!
Last edited by quiet life; 02-07-2020 at 05:37 AM..
I have an opening currently that has resulted in 13 applicants the first week. Of those 4 are well qualified, 2 are questionable, the rest already being rejected for not meeting the minimum requirements. What I find interesting is that in the past, as recently as about 9/2019, every applicant included a cover letter. In this case, of 13 applicants, only 5 cover letters, less than half. Is this a new trend, did some guru label them as negative?
Weird. I have always added a CV, even in an email. Very important.
As a hiring manager, I find them worthless. Not to mention that half the time the formatting is jacked up by the application software when they come through a job board api.
That’s what the phone screen is for. Anyone can get someone to write a cover letter for them. They can’t bluff as well through a 15-20 minute conversation.
And FYI, a CV is not a cover letter. It’s basically an academic resume.
Last edited by El Chingaso; 02-08-2020 at 07:31 PM..
I have slowed down on writing them. I am currently hunting, and have been strategic about including them. If it is a role I know I am well qualified for, and it is super clear if you read my resume - I won't bother.
If it feels like more of a stretch to see how my experience ties in, I'll write one - but I might use a general one.
If there is something in particular that I think will really win them over, then I'll add additional customizations.
They are mostly out of fashion. I rarely include one. The exceptions are when I feel the need to state in great detail why I make a lot of sense for the company or the employment application requires one.
Maybe somebody thinks that, but I used a cover letter when I was looking for a job. I think it was helpful for me at that time. It seemed that my resume was not enough. A lack of experience could be a reason. But most employers even weren't answering my job applications. But when I attached a cover letter to it I started getting far more responses. I believe it's because a cover letter helped to add a personal touch to my application or possibly helped my potential employers see me as a valuable candidate. To be sure I composed my cover letter in the right way, I used an advanced builder from Get Cover Letter website. Perhaps somebody doesn't like such an approach, but it was convenient for me. In my opinion, some things will never get out of fashion, but its necessity depends on the situation.
Maybe somebody thinks that, but I used a cover letter when I was looking for a job. I think it was helpful for me at that time. It seemed that my resume was not enough. A lack of experience could be a reason. But most employers even weren't answering my job applications. But when I attached a cover letter to it I started getting far more responses. I believe it's because a cover letter helped to add a personal touch to my application or possibly helped my potential employers see me as a valuable candidate. To be sure I composed my cover letter in the right way, I used an advanced builder from Get Cover Letter website. Perhaps somebody doesn't like such an approach, but it was convenient for me. In my opinion, some things will never get out of fashion, but its necessity depends on the situation.
I'm sorry just noticed I've added an invalid link Get Cover Letter website
I've reread a thread and decided to add. IMO if you attach a cover letter to a resume, and HR wouldn't read it - it's better then you don't attach it, and you will not get an interview application because of lack of information.
As a hiring manager, I find them worthless. Not to mention that half the time the formatting is jacked up by the application software when they come through a job board api.
That’s what the phone screen is for. Anyone can get someone to write a cover letter for them. They can’t bluff as well through a 15-20 minute conversation.
And FYI, a CV is not a cover letter. It’s basically an academic resume.
What about if you want to highlight traits or other things that are not reflected on a resume? For instance I’m an OT with 20+ years in nursing homes, laid off in October due to significant change in medicare reimbursement system called PDPM (came to home health as PDGM and also resulted in mass layoffs.
I want to apply for job advertised in a state institution for developmentally disabled adults but I only had a clerkship in that setting as a student in about 1994. I thought a cover letter would be the place to highlight skills that I feel would translate to this population and setting, and to explain why I think I’m a good candidate despite lack of experience on resume. Not so?
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