Cover letters - make or break? (1 Viewer)

[spillargroove]

I always send a cover letter with my resume and I did so for a recent job application. My question is what bearing will it have on my chance?

Writing a cover letter is a bit hard because there isn't one good solution but many. I wrote one for that job but I felt it was a bit short (though 5 short paragraphs) and could have been explained a bit longer (emphasised).

My previous experience and skills does relate to the job though.

Should I be that worried or I should be fine?

 

[seremify007]

5 paragraph cover letter is considered short...? I can only imagine how many volumes your resume must be!

The way I saw it was the cover letter should entice the person to read your resume- and not to tell them exactly what they'd find from the resume. It's kindof like how a resume should get you in for an interview- and then give you some room to talk rather than putting your entire self on a piece of paper.

Btw in a more general answer to your topic question of Cover letters - make or break?; I think having one is the way to go for a lot of jobs; and besides, it's not like it's going to harm your chances (unless you have a really really poor cover letter!).

 

[pottsy44]

cover letters need to be right to the point 5 paragraphs is about right, dont let it go over a page. employers just want to know the facts so getting to the point is the key.

also u should be answering whatever the advert specifies in your cover letter relevant to what u know or have achieved, white lies wont go astray either.

 

[seremify007]

Just dawned on me... we might have very different views on what constitutes a paragraph.

 

[spillargroove]

Ok good, thanks. Maybe it was a bit of context but I saw some cover letter examples which were quite long - I think they would be long if you were applying for a mangerial role or editor maybe.

I did clearly say that by looking at my Resume, you can see my experience/skills so yeah.

 

[pottsy44]

Just dawned on me... we might have very different views on what constitutes a paragraph.

lol yeah, bc a paragraph in a cover letter is only going to be on average 4-7 lines or whatever, becuase you want to make you point fast and precisely.

 

[pottsy44]

Ok good, thanks. Maybe it was a bit of context but I saw some cover letter examples which were quite long - I think they would be long if you were applying for a mangerial role or editor maybe.

I did clearly say that by looking at my Resume, you can see my experience/skills so yeah.

are you sure that wasnt the overall 'CV' bc they can be quite long, 10+ pages, but really cover letter, 1 page is fine.

 

[seremify007]

lol yeah, bc a paragraph in a cover letter is only going to be on average 4-7 lines or whatever, becuase you want to make you point fast and precisely.

4-7 lines per paragraph?

4*5 = 20. Bearable.

7*5 = 35. Maybe going overboard a bit.

I guess it really depends on what's in the cover letter though. Are you just using cliched buzz words/phrases to talk yourself up, or are you actually talking about stuff which is relevant?

I remember on my cover letter, it was basically my way of personalising my application for the individual employer/firm- eg. what makes me feel that I'm suitable for THAT business and why I want to work there (as opposed to the resume's "Why am I suitable for a job in the industry, and what makes me a good person to employ in any situation").

 

[Omnidragon]

For me, cover letters have been about specifics.

I don't write vague statements (e.g. I acquired extensive teamwork experience while cleaning toilets at McDonald's and further bolstered by ability to interact professionally with clients in the process).

Everyone's going to turn something mediocre into a grand thesis about themselves. I believe what's needed are hard solid facts and figures in the cover letter... maybe that's not the way they teach you how to write cover letters in guidebook. So I'll just say this method has helped me achieve a success rate of 100% when applying for interviews.

 

[Skittled]

The way I write them, a cover letter is less than a page (probably at the higher ends of the numbers mentioned so far), and used to; a) highlight specific points in the resume, b) express a genuine interest in the job (which is easier if it's genuinely genuine ) and c) present an argument, based on the above, as to why I'm the right candidate for the position. The feedback I've received suggests that, for various reasons, this seems to work well.

 

[anita_wax]

the first job i ever went for i got.. it was full time too. the cover letter makes a difference, next then is the first phone call

 

[spillargroove]

I know you can retry and apply again at the same company. What happens here? Does the manager or recruitment team know who you are? Should you be able to secure an interview if you definitely know your cover letter is strong as well as your Resume?

 

[seremify007]

Depends on who they are, how large they are, etc... if it's a small company with only one HR person- then they might remember you. Conversely, if it's a very large company, they might also remember you because they might have computer systems to remember previous applicants.

 

[spillargroove]

I think the problem has been my cover letters. Although I did say they were four to five paragraphs, the thing is each of them are just 1 to 2 sentences which is why I found it wierd when sample resumes were "long" but were concise with facts within 5 paragraphs. I thought you weren't suppose to go into too much detail...?

I did read Careers UNSW page and it gave me an eye opener.

 

[seremify007]

LOL I based my cover letter on the UNSW one!

 

[Skeeta]

My dad at one stage did a lot of hiring for some company, and if in the advertisement it stated that you should have a cover letter - they practically threw out all of those that did not have one, simply because the jobs they were hiring for required being able to follow directions precisely and if you cant do that when APPLYING for the job , how could they expect them to do so when actually working

 

[mserica]

In the HR roles and also recruitment roles that i have done a cover letter is a requirement to outline your specific skills and how they relate to the advertisement.

One page is definately long enough, and the most impact needs to be in the first two paragraphs.

Any resume that you submit online from the two large organisations I have worked for dismiss resumes over 4 pages long.

Just thought this may help.

 

[seremify007]

My resume was 4 pages long exactly

In hindsight, I probably should've shortened it.

 

[ur_inner_child]

When I worked as a receptionist, it was my job to filter some resumes for a position vacant.

I was given a bunch of faxes/letters/emails and was instructed to throw out all resumes that did not have a cover letter. The second process was to throw out those that contained really stupid spelling mistakes - eg "Yours Sinery, John".

Surprisingly I threw out a good majority.

I'm pretty sure it was the boss' way of filtering out such a bunch of resumes creatively, but keep that in mind if you're applying for a *real* job (ie not like maccas).

 

[seremify007]

Don't people have spell check? I guess it shows that not everyone reads the instructions on job applications properly. May i ask what kind of job you were looking at resumes for ur_inner_child? (out of curiosity)