do you need a cover letter in 2020

Should You Always Include a Cover Letter?

By Biron Clark

Published: November 10, 2023

Cover Letters

Biron Clark

Writer & Career Coach

The little-known truth about cover letters is: You do NOT always need to include a cover letter when applying for jobs, and you may be wasting hours sending cover letters that employers won’t read.

So if you’re wondering whether you should always submit a cover letter with your job application and resume, then keep reading.

After working for years as a recruiter , I’m going to share the exact situations where you should provide a cover letter and the situations where it’s not needed.

Should You Always Submit a Cover Letter?

Many people on LinkedIn and other sites will tell you that you should include a cover letter every time because it “can’t hurt,” but that’s not true…

Here’s how it CAN hurt you…

Writing a great cover letter takes a LOT of time and mental energy. So if it’s not making a difference, or not even getting read, then it  is hurting you in terms of wasted time and energy (I’d argue that writing a cover letter is the toughest and most time-consuming part of the process for many job seekers).

Writing a resume is tough, sure. But once you get it, you’re done. You spend 5-15 minutes tailoring it for each specific job you apply for, but that’s it.

Cover letters take a lot of time EVERY time (at least when done right).

That’s why it’s important to look at how important a cover letter is, and which situations it’s necessary and truly beneficial in.

3 Situations Where You Need to Send a Cover Letter:

There are a couple of specific scenarios where cover letters are necessary, and you should send one. This article by Harvard Business Review says it best:

In those cases, according to Harvard Business Review, you can boost your chances of getting the interview by writing a short letter to point out similarities between your resume and the job requirements (e.g. why you’d do well in their job )… rather than leaving the analysis entirely up to the hiring manager.

But this is only worth doing if you meet one or more of the criteria above, or a few other situations I’ll explain below…

Two more cases where you may want to include a cover letter:

First, you should send a cover letter if an employer specifically says it’s required on their website or job application form (however, having an optional field to include it is not the same as asking for it or saying it’s required).

And second, you should send a letter if you have a large gap in employment or something unusual in your background that you feel the need to explain, and you don’t feel your resume explains it well enough on its own.

(Although I do like addressing gaps in employment directly on your resume employment history section when possible. For example, if you took a year off to raise a kid, you could say: “2018-2019: One-year break from work to raise first child.” So do try to explain this type of thing on your resume if you can!)

When You Don’t Need a Cover Letter:

If you don’t fall into any of the situations we looked at above, then a cover letter is not needed.

For example, if you’re just applying for jobs online via job boards , via LinkedIn, on company websites via their “careers” page, etc., then I’d skip it! Send your resume and let it speak for itself. (And if you don’t have a great resume yet, you can get help  here. )

In my opinion, the extra time and effort just isn’t worth it when you’re applying online with no prior relationship, no referral, and no special knowledge of the hiring manager or job requirements that you can use to make your case for why they should interview you.

This is one reason I love LinkedIn EasyApply as a part of an online job search – because a cover letter is not required or even expected.

Of course, the final judgment call is yours!

If you’re applying to your dream employer and you don’t mind spending an hour writing up a great cover letter, then go ahead! It can’t hurt in a one-off scenario like this.

But the main point I’m trying to make here is:

You should be selective about when to send a cover letter, rather than feeling obligated to send it by default.

Recap: How Important is a Cover Letter?

The answer to how important a cover letter is depends on the hiring process and situation. If you read the information above, you now know when a cover letter is necessary/recommended, and when you probably shouldn’t bother.

And you’ve seen that cover letters do matter in some cases, but that doesn’t mean that you always need to send a cover letter.

And as mentioned earlier, the main benefit of this approach is time savings…

When you look at how much time and effort goes into writing each of these letters, it can add up to hours or days of wasted time if you’re sending cover letters without analyzing whether it’s necessary for the situation.

Tips for Writing a Good Cover Letter:

Now that we’ve answered whether a cover letter is necessary, and when it’s important, here are some tips and resources to help you in situations where you decide a cover letter is needed:

First, I’d always recommend keeping it brief, easy to read (no huge paragraphs or blocks of text without spacing), and personal.

It should feel like you’re talking directly to them! That means start with “Dear Bethany”, (for example), not with, “Dear Hiring Manager” or “Dear Recruiter”.

(Recruiters almost never care about a cover letter anyway. It should be for the hiring manager).

Also, make sure you’re saying the word “you” at least as often as you say the word “I”. Talk about their needs and their company, not just about yourself .

The purpose of your cover letter is to point out similarities between your background and the employer’s job requirements. You want to demonstrate why you’re likely to succeed in their specific role, to sell them on interviewing you! And you cannot do this without researching their job and understanding/discussing their job. So this letter isn’t just about you , it’s about them just as much.

To help you further, we’ve published two articles here on Career Sidekick with great cover letter info:

• 3 steps to writing a cover letter that stands out
• How to write a cover letter with no experience

If you follow the steps above, you’ll save time in your job search and maximize the number of interviews you get for the effort you put into your job applications!

About the Author

Read more articles by Biron Clark

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Good stuff Biron! This is why Career Sidekick is my go-to career blog, I really admire how you take a contrarian approach to conventional job search/career wisdom!

Seems like almost every other career blog advises you to always submit a cover letter. Too bad these folks don’t consider the most important asset we all have: time!

Would being graduated out of college for 1.5 years and haven’t “launched” your career yet – getting a job in the field you got a degree in – count as something “unusual on your background” that you would need a cover letter for?

Thanks for the kind words. I don’t think you’d need a cover letter for this. Just make sure to “tailor” your resume to show the most relevant pieces of the work you have done, and to show your relevant educational background/degree. But if you’re not getting results with your resume, then it’s worth testing/trying a cover letter. My guess is that it’s not needed, and perfecting your resume will get more interviews.

Thanks for the advice Biron!

If I understand you correctly, is this an instance where you would recommend NOT using a chronological work history on a resume then?

And instead break up work experience history into a “relevant” and “other work experience” sections, since we’re trying to show specific relevant pieces of experience and educational background/degree?

I’d still keep it chronological. Just show the most relevant pieces of each past role, for the job you want now.

How about in my situation? I am looking for a job in marketing, but it has been five years and a few jobs since marketing has been the primary function of my job. My last few jobs have had a very little marketing focus and have been training, technical or sales in focus. Should I always write a cover letter to explain this when I am applying for marketing jobs?

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Career Change & Personal Branding Blog

by Joseph Liu | Mar 6, 2020 | Career Change , Career insights , Guest Posts | 0 comments

Are Cover Letters Still Needed in 2020? (Guest Post by ResumeLab)

If you stay abreast of the career industry, you’ve probably heard it before: all recruiters care about is the resume. Cover letters are nice to have, but you don’t really need to send one, and they are slowly but surely becoming the thing of the past. Or do they?

Here at ResumeLab , we’ve decided to get to the bottom of this predicament. We polled over 200 recruiters and HR pros to see if cover letters could tip the scales in candidates’ favor. Some responses were predictable, while others were quite unexpected.

Below are a few key highlights we’ve uncovered:

• A full 83 percent of HR. professionals think cover letters are essential when making hiring decisions.
• More than seven in 10 recruiters expect to receive a cover letter even if they mark them as “optional” in job ads.
• Less than 40 percent of applicants care to attach a cover letter even when it’s mandatory.
• Over a third ( 36 percent ) of hiring professionals start the evaluation process with the cover letter.

Source: ResumeLab

So—unless you want to short-circuit your next job hunt, writing a cover letter in 2020 is a must. They allow you to differentiate yourself from other job candidates as well as highlight what’s most relevant in your experience in a way that’s less obvious with a resume alone.

That’s why we’ve compiled some practical tips to help you craft a job-winning cover letter.

Cover Letter: The Basics

Think of cover letters as an e-handshake. Fail to make a good first impression, and there’s a good chance the recruiter will move on to another job candidate.

That’s why you need to get the basics right and know how to introduce yourself in a cover letter for maximum impact.

What to Include in a Cover Letter?

• Your personal details, contact information, and date.
• A professional and personal salutation.
• An opening paragraph that highlights your two-three skills and professional accomplishments.
• A second paragraph that explains why you’re the perfect fit for the company.
• A third paragraph that provides reasons why the company is a perfect fit for you.
• A strong finish with a solid closing paragraph.

How Long Should a Cover Letter Be?

The ideal cover letter length should be around 200–400 words depending on your professional experience, and it needs to be between half a page and one page long.

How to Format a Cover Letter?

• Set one-inch margins across the board.
• Choose left-align and skip justification because it’s against the rules of business letter formatting.
• Use one or 1.15 spacing.
• Opt for double spaces between paragraphs.
• Save your cover in the PDF format, because it ensures the layout stays intact.

Do I Need to Tailor a Cover Letter for a Specific Job?

Your cover letter must be customized for each and every job you apply for. In fact, the more targeted it is, the better. Don’t ever send out a generic, cookie-cutter cover letter to the employer.

When Not to Include a Cover Letter?

When the job ad explicitly says you aren’t allowed to submit a cover letter.

3 Cover Letter Tips to Propel Your Application Success Rate

Writing a cover letter is no easy feat. You’ll have to spend every ounce of your time, blood, and sweat to get it right.

But—if you use the below tips to put some finishing touches to your cover letter, it’ll be well worth the investment.

Write an Attention-Grabbing Opening Paragraph

Here’s the thing: When you apply for a ( corporate ) job, you’ll be up against 250+ job candidates on average. As a result, most recruiters skim resumes for just 7.4 seconds before moving on to another application.

And while there aren’t reputable eye-tracking studies on cover letters, it’s safe to assume they don’t get much eye-time either. That’s why the opening paragraph of your cover letter will either spark interest in the recruiter or prompt them to pick another application from their inbox.

Good news? When writing an opening paragraph, you don’t have to reinvent the wheel. Instead, you can use some proven formula:

• Say something about the company to (1) show you did your research and (2) that your cover letter is custom-tailored to this specific position.
• Sprinkle a few measurable achievements from your past experience that go hand-in-hand with what the employer is looking for in the job ad.
• Skim the job posting for the challenges the company is trying to address by filling this role and assure them you’ll be a perfect fit.

Importantly, be sure to include tangible numbers in the opening paragraph—they’ll 11x your chances of getting the callback by spotlighting your value proposition right from the get-go.

Make Sure Your Cover Letter Is Robot-Approved

As I mentioned above, recruiters are overwhelmed with job applications.

That’s why they have to use applicant tracking systems ( ATSs ) to weed out unsuitable candidates on autopilot. ATSs like Taleo ( a tool most recruiters use ) parse candidates’ resumes looking for keywords and compare them against the job description.

But—what most job seekers don’t know is that Taleo treats a cover letter as searchable text just like a resume , and if it’s not ATS-optimized, human eyes will never see your application. That’s why it’s essential to get your cover letter robot-approved before you submit it to a recruiter. Here’s how:

• Skim the job ad and write out the bits related to duties, key skills, and required experience.
• Similar to your resume, pepper your cover letter with keywords you found in the job ad.
• To test your cover letter match rate, consider using Jobvite’s paid cover letter scan feature.

Importantly: just like with resumes, keyword-stuffing your cover letter is a bad idea. After all, even if your application passes an ATS hurdle, an actual human will read both your resume and cover letter, so don’t try to cheat the system.

Make an Offer in the Closing Paragraph

Once the body of a cover letter is taken care of, most people put a formal closing at the very end using a standard sign-off phrase like “Sincerely,” or “Kind regards,” and send the cover letter away.

But—there’s a quick trick you can use to tip the scales in your favor and get the recruiter to schedule an interview with you: adding a postscript.

Put simply, it’s a snappy one-liner you place at the very bottom of your cover letter that entices the recruiter to call you. Here’s how it looks:

P.S.—I’d welcome the opportunity to discuss how my SEO and link-building skills helped me improve organic traffic by 200% for my previous company’s 2 core brands.

Here’s how to write yours:

• Mention one of your major career accomplishments from past roles that’s ( partially ) related to what the employer wants based on the job ad.
• Say you’ll be happy to provide more details.

About guest author Max Woolf, Resume Lab

Max Woolf is a career expert at ResumeLab . He’s passionate about helping people land their dream jobs through the expert career industry coverage. In his spare time, Max enjoys biking and traveling to European countries. You can hit him up on LinkedIn .

About Joseph Liu

Joseph Liu helps aspiring professionals relaunch their careers to do work that matters. As a keynote speaker, career & personal branding consultant, and host of the Career Relaunch podcast , his passion is helping people gain the clarity, confidence, and courage to pursue truly meaningful careers. Having gone through three major career changes himself, he now shares insights from building & relaunching global consumer brands to empower professionals and business owners to build & relaunch their personal brands.

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