06 Jan 10 Why Should You Write a Cover Letter?

Written by: bikram

A little over 3 years back I walked this line. I designed my CV, filled in the vital details, buttoned my shirt, and knotted my necktie for my job interview. But, I missed one thing, which HR head of the business school I studied did not tell me. I did not create a cover letter. My friends who were more into jobs suggested me to write one, but I didn’t.

What happened?

They had their job and I didn’t, for long time, and that is how I realized the importance of a cover letter in job search. Do you wish to travel the same path, and have the same experience before you realize the importance of having a nicely written cover letter?

I hope not!

Benefit of having a cover letter

Why do we need a cover letter? What difference does it make to our skills?

None. A cover letter does not make any difference to your skills. But, it helps you present your skills in the friendliest manner using the least possible words. You need a cover letter because:

1. You have to compete with hundreds (if not thousands or tens of thousands) of applicants who have exactly same qualification as you do.
2. You have to make your claim of being the most suitable candidate for the job stand out among the claims made by other applicants through their résumé.
3. You do not want your CV to remain unopened and get thrown in the trash bin.
4. You want to give an idea about who you are, what your qualification is, and what you can do even before your employer reads your résumé.

Let me tell you a HR secret. HR people do not go over all the résumés that they get. They read the cover letter typed in the mail body or sent with the CV and make their mind based on the information they get in the cover letter.

If you are not convinced with what I have said above then reread the entire post and do it until you start believing it because this is important. I am leaving you with this thought, and tomorrow I will tell you about the structure of a cover letter.

Tags: 3 Years, Business School, Cover Letter, Cover Search, Cv, Friends, Job Interview, Job Search, Jobs, Long Time, Mail Body, Necktie, Search Travel, Suitable Candidate, Tens Of Thousands, Trash Bin, Vital Details