There are some career advice professionals who downplay the need for a cover letter. With many companies scanning resumes, they say there is no need for a cover letter, as it is stripped, tossed and never read. It may very well be true that some cover letters, no matter how carefully crafted, do not reach human eyes. However, the following information passed along by my cyber friend, Chris Russell, may make you think twice about omitting a cover letter.
A new survey based on telephone interviews with 150 senior executives from the largest U.S. companies shows that 86% believe that cover letters are valuable when screening candidates and 80% said it is common to receive cover letters with electronic resumes.
Dave Willmer, executive director of OfficeTeam, the independent organization that conducted the survey notes, “Those who aren’t including cover letters with their resumes are missing an opportunity to make a good first impression and set themselves apart from other job applicants.” He compares sending a resume without a cover letter to meeting someone for the first time and not shaking hands.
Clearly, the cover letter is not dead. It can never hurt to send a well-written cover letter when applying for a job, and many jobs request a cover letter to accompany the resume. Stay tuned for more about writing a great cover letter!
Read more about cover letters from Keppie Careers:
Cover Letter Tips
Cover Letter Inspiration
Don’t stress out about your job hunt materials…We will write your resume and cover letters and teach you what to do once you have the perfect materials! www.keppiecareers.com.
Keppie Careers - By Miriam Salpeter 
A few months ago my resume was nearly passed over because the cover letter was too long. It’s not that I went on forever but in addition to stating the position I was applying for, I highlighted how my skills and experience matched the job requirements. The recruiter never read my letter and simply folded it over to look at my resume and still put me in the pile of people who were not the first round candidates. She called me after every single one of the first-round candidates flopped. Guess who got the job and was routinely acknowledged as the perfect candidate? Maybe she’s not a very good recruiter.
Litarider – Glad the end result was a good one! I guess this story goes to show that ALL job search materials need to be top-notch. If the recruiter passes over the cover letter, the resume should grab them! It also demonstrates that someone can have the “perfect” resume and still not seal the deal to get the job. Interviewing skills are key as well! Thanks for sharing your story!