Cover Letters - An Endangered Species?

WorkWise Advice™
Mildred L. Culp

Technology has influenced the job hunting process in many ways. Are online applications making cover letters obsolete? It seems not. In fact, if you send a resume “blind,” the person on the other end may well wonder why it landed on his or her desk.

‘Defining Factor’

Katherine Ebner, senior vice president of Organizational Effectiveness and Development at Kaiser Associates in Washington, D.C., thinks that a cover letter is essential. “For me it’s a defining factor for an application . . . the candidate’s opportunity to stand out, even more than the resume.”

Ebner has reviewed thousands of cover letters from people seeking employment at her global strategy management consulting firm. “Companies like ours want to see the quality of the work that will be presented to the client,” she says. “The ability to write a strong cover letter is an indication that person can present himself in a successful, relevant and interesting way. Cover letters are also important in any sales or marketing position.”

Some generalists take a different view. The virtual company eCareerCorner.com of Marcia Merrill L.L.P., assists clients nationally and internationally in developing cover letters. Like Ebner, Merrill has reviewed thousands of them. She concedes that e-mailing, in particular, is diminishing the impact of a cover letter, because online applications usually require only a completed application form. In addition, companies often don’t require them for internal applications. She indicates that technical positions requiring a faxed resume may not need a cover letter either.

However, Merrill mentions that a job requiring a person to write definitely needs a cover letter as a sample. “A cover letter shows how you write and communicate,” she states. “It’s an introduction to your resume. It’s more in-depth, discussing what you can do for an employer and how your background would make you an asset.”

Standout Cover Letters

What makes a cover letter stand out? Ebner’s favorite was “short, lively, engaging and confident. The person came to life and demonstrated his intelligence and fit. It made me want to read the resume and get to know him,” she recalls. “It consisted of four paragraphs using simple, clear language, speaking to the reader as another human being. There was no job seeking rhetoric.”
Merrill recalls someone in her office receiving a cover letter “stating that the writer . . . had pizzazz.” She backed up her statement with self-confidence, subsequently demonstrating that she was an effective communicator for the next 15 years.

If you’re seeking an advertising, public relations or other creative position, be certain to write a cover letter with impact. Make it seem as if you’re speaking with the person, not shoving words at the reader. You might also want to send something with it that will get the person’s attention. Be guided by your imagination.

Attach it to your resume and send it with the cover letter. Keep the campaign moving forward by following up. The most wonderful cover letter might not generate a call at all. A run-of-the-mill cover letter might not either. Make certain that you’re running the campaign. After all, it’s yours.