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Consider the fact that many desirable jobs get hundreds of applicants. It's entirely possible that even if your resume is top notch it got lost in a huge pool o
by yosito 5y ago
Consider the fact that many desirable jobs get hundreds of applicants. It's entirely possible that even if your resume is top notch it got lost in a huge pool of candidates. You need to send your resume to hundreds of companies. I have a top-tier resume, and when I job search, I aim to send my resume (and cover letter/email) to 10+ companies per day.
On the other side, last time I was hiring, I was shocked at the low quality of a lot of applications. Applications that weren't complete, didn't have a resume, cover letter and work samples of some kind got immediately sent to the trash.
- TedDoesntTalk 5y agoWhy do you care about cover letters? I haven’t written one of those in probably 20 years. If I’m hiring and a candidate includes one, I usually ignore it (when hiring for an individual contributor, engineering role).
- sparker72678 5y agoI trash every application that doesn’t include one. Because most likely they’re just spamming openings, and didn’t read anything about the position. Every applicant that included a cover letter was way above median quality, and worth interviewing. I might miss some decent people this way, but it’s been a very helpful first-level filter of applicants.
- caoilte 5y agoI suspect most of us have had semi-competent recruitment agents doing the first stage filter for us. When I look at a CV ahead of a 2nd or 3rd stage interview I take it for granted that they are serious about the role and qualified for it.
- deleted 5y ago[deleted]
- naasking 5y agoI've only paid attention to cover letters for junior positions, mainly to evaluate communication skills.
- yosito 5y agoDo you not consider communication skills important for senior positions? Some of the worst companies I ever worked at didn't value communication skills for senior positions, and I couldn't leave those roles fast enough!
- naasking 5y agoI haven't hired for senior positions, but I would say that communication skills matter most at the top and bottom, less so in the middle.
- handrous 5y agoThe complete mystery re: which elements of an application and interview are must-have or must-ace and which are ignored entirely, downplayed, or even taken as "red flags" ("what might that be?" wearing a suit to an interview, or just dressing above business-casual—required some places, practically a guaranteed "no" others) is one of the most frustrating things about interviews. Which is saying something, really, because most things about interviews are pretty frustrating.
- jackcosgrove 5y agoI'd recommend presenting yourself and dressing as you'd like. You'll attract companies that are a better fit than one where you're fumbling for the "right" way of doing things.
- yosito 5y agoA cover letter is an introduction. It's easy, and polite. Skipping it communicates low effort and poor communication skills. I don't want to work with low effort, poor communicators, even if they're genius programmers.
- TedDoesntTalk 5y agoTo me they just seem copy-and-pasted and therefore of very low value, almost noise. I want to know if you can get the job done, and that is what a resume and interviews are for.