Answering as someone who's done a little hiring recently, but for me it's obvious when someone has put some time and effort in to their application via the cove

Answering as someone who's done a little hiring recently, but for me it's obvious when someone has put some time and effort in to their application via the cover letter. A good application will demonstrate some understanding of what the role is likely to entail, a bit about the company as a whole and a bit of understanding of the wider market the company works in. Granted this is for a relatively small company in a niche area. Maybe it is different when applying for jobs at big companies.