
What to Include in a Cover Letter: Examples of Things to Put
Learn what to include in a cover letter to get this job. See how to format a cover letter and which parts to include. Check best examples and hints.
Asking yourself "Do I need a cover letter?" We surveyed 200 hiring decision-makers to find out if cover letters are still important in 2023.
A cover letter is an important tool that lets you show that your skills and work experience meet the employer's expectations. It allows you to address the recruiter's needs by giving more context to your resume.
That's the kind of advice you can find all over the Internet. But—
Yes, they almost always are. 83% of recruiters agree that knowing how to write a cover letter and sending one is crucial. It gives you the opportunity to demonstrate that you are a great fit for the company you are applying for. A cover letter is important as it boosts your chances for a job.
There are many contrasting opinions on that matter—most, supported by outdated studies or reports.
To find the real, definitive answer, we surveyed US hiring decision-makers: external recruiters, in-house HR team members, and teams’ hiring managers.
Let’s hear from those who would read it.
A cover letter is an important component of the decision-making process among 83% of hiring managers, recruiters, and HR staff.
In a separate question, 83% respondents claimed that a great cover letter can secure you an interview even if your resume isn’t good enough.
Bottom line—writing a cover letter can help you make up for flaws in your resume in more than 8 out of 10 cases.
Even if not required, cover letters are usually preferred:
Even if a cover letter is optional it can still dramatically boost your chances of landing a job:
In other words, that “optional” cover letter is pretty much mandatory in 2023.
So…
According to HR pros, cover letters are important and useful for the following purposes:
Expert Hint: Don’t Be Generic. Sending a generic cover letter breaks all the important rules, because: 1) It’s not tailored to the company. 2) It is not personalized to the hiring manager. 3) It tells them you are lazy and not so interested.
Interestingly, only 36% of recruitment professionals consider cover letters useful for displaying that mythical “cultural fit.”
The lesson?
Keep your cover letter professional and focused on your career. No need to force jokes, look for common ground with the hiring manager or get overly cute.
Time for a recap then—
You need a cover letter in most cases, especially when a cover letter is required in the job ad. When the cover letter is required for a given job posting and you fail to attach one, only 13% of decision-makers will process your application.
With such an overwhelming majority of hiring pros highlighting the importance of cover letters, it would seem an obvious career move for job-seekers to send a covering letter alongside their resumes. Is it that obvious, though?
According to recruiters, most of the candidates don’t.
Surprisingly, no matter what the job ad says, 6 out of 10 candidates don’t write a cover letter.
If you were on the fence about writing a cover letter, you should already be convinced.
One final question to consider—
There’s no dilemma if you’re applying via an automated system. Most likely, you’ll just have to follow the instructions and upload your cover letter or type it up in a proper field.
But what about applying through email? Should the email be the cover letter? Or do you need an attachment?
Sadly, we can’t give you a perfect answer.
When you submit a job application via email:
Pay close attention to the job ad. Chances are, the preference regarding the cover letter will be specified.
No information about how to send a cover letter?
No need to obsess over it. Whether you write an email cover letter or attach your covering letter to your job application message won’t make or break your chances.
Back in the day, a cover letter served as an actual paper cover page for your resume. Its purpose was to formally introduce you to the hiring manager and encourage them to read the resume.
This survey was run by OnePoll on behalf of ResumeLab. In it, 200 recruiters, HR specialists and hiring managers were surveyed.
The data rely on online self-reports after eligibility screening. Each participant responded without any researcher administration or interference. Potential issues with self-reported data include but are not limited to exaggeration, selective memory, and attribution errors. Some questions and responses have been rephrased for clarity and ease of understanding for readers. In some cases, the percentages presented may not add up to 100 percent: this is either due to rounding or due to responses of “neither/other/don’t know” not being presented.
ResumeLab helps to make the most of your cover letters. Our cover letter generator together with cover letter templates allows you to write a perfect cover letter in just a few minutes.
Apart from cover letters, you can also learn how to write a job-winning resume and make one in our resume builder with a matching resume template.
Learn what to include in a cover letter to get this job. See how to format a cover letter and which parts to include. Check best examples and hints.
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