How important are cover letters for job searchers?

Question

I want an honest answer. Maybe from someone who gets resumes from potential candidates in HR. Are cover letters really that important to getting a call back from a potential employer?

I've sent at least 30 resumes and cover letters off in the past month with ZERO success. My problem is, is that they take WAY too long to write, and I just end up sounding like a kiss-a$$ by saying how great the company is, and how I would love to work there,...yada yada yada....

Monster has this thing where you can apply for jobs with one click, and I wanna do it, but I don't wanna keep changing the stupid cover letter around. I'm thinking about just not including one at all (which is an option). So my question is, honestly, do people in HR actually read cover letters? Or do they just go right to the resume and qualifications of the candidate?

Please help, I'm getting fed up job searching.

I mean , if I'm applying for a job at your company, wouldn't that alone just make it seem like I wanna work there? Or not?

Answer 1

K - I'll probably get boo'd from the 3 people who have already answered this question, but having been in the hiring / recruiting industry for the last 7 years here is my view.

Cover letters are only essential is the employer specifically asks for them and then in these cases you will want to take what the qualifications are for that specific job and detail how you have done those duties or how you would go about them.

The key factor is your resume. You have 10-15 seconds to make that "first impression" so a well written resume is essential. Always make sure you put your "Highlights of Qualifications" directly after your contact info so that it will make them want to read further.

Don't get fed up with job searching : ) Unfortunately in today's economy a job search for a full-time job is a full-time job.

Answer 2

I see a lot of cover letters in my job. The only advice I can give is introduce yourself and tell the employer why you are a good fit for the job. Nothing else. Most of the time I don't have time to read each cover letter so what I do is go to the resume first and then if I'm interested after looking at the resume I look at the cover letter. The cover letter to me does not make the final decision whether you get to interview, your experience does.

Answer 3

Absolutely essential---but use the cover letter to provide eye-catching details. I can tell you from experience, an HR person is more likely to read a paragraph and decide quickly if you fit the position profile or not, than a 2-page resume.

Answer 4

Cover letter important... It doesn't have to be a long cover letter, j ust something short and to the point...I sent over 100 Resumes out, in one day, and only got 2 phone calls, and a handful of " No thanks" letters but i did get a job....so, keep lookin and good luck!

Answer 5

Very important, it is your first impression of yourself.