Let’s be honest. Job searching these days can be awful.
- You find a job to apply for.
- You upload your resume.
- You then manually enter all the information that is already on your resume.
- You submit (and probably never hear back).
- And then on top of it, they all ask you for a personalized letter.
Seriously?
Are Cover Letters Actually Read?
In my journey to create Beyond Code, I sought advice from a wide range of experts in the industry. Some of the questions involved hiring, interviewing candidates, and cover letters. Their responses can be summed up easily:
Question: Are cover letters required?
Answer: No
Question: Do you read cover letters?
Answer: Yes
According to a recent survey from Resume Genius, 83% of hiring managers read most cover letters they receive.
83%!
Alright, alright, fine – cover letters are usually read.
But are they actually helpful and worth the effort to write?
Standing Out As An Applicant
Let’s think about the application process.
For each job you apply to, you’re actively competing with every other applicant. (Very revolutionary insight, I know.)
But given that we’re constantly competing, we need ways to stand out whenever possible.
Obviously, your resume is the main tool for distinguishing yourself before interviews. The only issue is that resumes usually lack personality.
The cover letter, on the other hand, gives us a brief chance to be personable. We can introduce who we are, why we’re interested in the company, and the value we can bring them.
On top of that, cover letters also show that you care enough about the job to go out of your way and submit one.
If you were equally tied with another candidate based on resumes, a well-written letter might give you the slight edge.
The Secret to Writing Quick Cover Letters
So as I’m sure you can guess, I strongly urge candidates to take the time to submit cover letters (especially if you’re applying to a company you’re really interested in).
Now, I know many of you are ready to scoff and tell me that the application process is bad enough without having to pretend you’re Mark Twain each time.
I agree with you.
While I think you should submit cover letters, I don’t think you should write new ones each time. That’d be an insane ask of someone.
That said, I also don’t think a completely reusable cover letter does much for you. It’s pretty obvious from a hiring manager’s perspective if it’s just a copy-paste letter.
The secret is learning how to create a mostly reusable letter that you can slightly tweak.
You’ll want to spend time creating a base cover letter that is ~80% reusable.
I usually do a small paragraph introducing myself, a small paragraph talking about the company, and a conclusion sentence.
Then, as you apply to different jobs, you can add just a few small details that show you’ve tailored the letter to this specific company.
Real Example
To help demonstrate my point, I’ve taken two sentences from the actual cover letter I used when applying to LinkedIn.
In order to show how it’s reusable, I’ve highlighted parts in the following colors:
- 🟩 Green: Shouldn’t Change
- 🟧 Yellow: Might Change
- 🟥 Red: Should Change
Almost nothing here changes. The only possible thing would be if I apply for a job with a different title.
In this second paragraph, I simply swap out the company’s specific values into the first red block. Then I mention why I align with those values in the second red block.
I might also need to update some parts in yellow (like if they say "Company Values" instead of "Company Mission"), but it's not too often.
All in all, this process of tweaking my cover letter doesn’t take much extra time. I can look up some info on the company, swap out some words, and submit the cover letter in under 5 minutes.
Conclusion
While cover letters aren’t required, I believe applicants should use every opportunity to stand out. Cover letters provide a chance to show more personality and interest in the company.
While writing cover letters from scratch each time would be insane, a mostly reusable cover letter is a quick and effective way to stand out.
For more Coding Career advice (including a full course on writing resumes and cover letters), check out my platform: https://www.beyondcode.app
Top comments (4)
I'm pretty sure cover letters are something that's mostly unique to the US. I've been in the industry for almost 30 years, and have never received a single cover letter, heard of anyone who has seen one, or seen a job ad that requires one. I've worked in the UK, Thailand, and Singapore.
Back in the mid to late 90s when I was first looking for a programming gig - I used one, but only because my method of trying to find work was a cold mailshot (snail mail) to all the computer/software companies in the area around my town.
That's really interesting to hear! I had never considered cover letters being a US centric thing, but that totally makes sense. Thank you for the info!
If anyone has additional tips for how they like to write cover letters, please leave a comment! 🙂
This is such a practical take on cover letters I totally agree that while they’re often overlooked, a well-crafted one can really set you apart. Love the idea of creating a mostly reusable template with small personal tweaks; it saves time but still shows genuine interest. Thanks for breaking down the process so clearly!