We asked whether people still write or even read cover letters anymore in a quick poll last week. The LinkedIn Editors asked the same thing and noted that it would be a good opportunity to "connect and find a common link" and to "show personality". That is all very useful only if people actually read them.
We took this question to the masses via the Junction Collective page to see what the results were and if our followers had any interesting anecdotes to share.
Writing a cover letter? Yea or nay? (47 votes)
Yea! - it shows personality - 40%
Nay! - no one reads them - 55%
Maybe? - comment below - 4%
Some comments to note:
Read someone's Facebook or Insta and you'll know them better than their "cover letter".
An excellent point and you will likely see a different angle of the candidate on those platforms.
Yes cover letters are important. I often find typos and grammar errors and it tells me a lot about their attention to detail. It is amazing how often the company name is wrong or my name is spelled wrong.
Yikes. Spell check spell check always spell check. Read and re-read your cover letter and resume and also read it backwards (yes, backwards) to catch those errors you might not see.
While we didn't quite settle the ongoing cover letter debate, we do agree with this advice from LinkedIn for your resume AND your cover letter:
Emphasize what you plan to accomplish early on and how you will address the organization's needs
Whatever your preference, ensure that your message is consistent, know that people will be looking at your other profiles and show your value and accomplishments, not just your desire to work at the organization.
Good luck, job searchers, and don't forget to check out all
(no cover letter required)