Screw the Cover Letter

I don’t believe that job seekers should use cover letters.

In a nutshell, I think that if you have to spend all this time composing the best-written, most persuasive cover letter ever written, you don’t know the recipient well enough to be sending her your resume.

When companies ask you to send a resume and a cover letter, it’s usually in the context of a job requisition that is posted online.  In this job market, said posting is sure to get at least two hundred responses that will inevitably sit in an HR staffer’s inbox and may or may not receive even a cursory glance.

Don’t think that you will beat the odds.  Instead, you have to circumvent the application process by establishing relationships with individuals already working inside the company.  The first step is to ask everyone you talk to if they know someone at your target company.  The contact need not be a senior executive or hiring manager – anyone in a department similar to yours will do.  If you can’t locate anyone with a friend or family member working at the company, dig a little deeper.  Search LinkedIn and look through the membership directories of third-party trade associations in your industry.

If you’ve found a name, but not a corresponding e-mail, check the company website or call reception to get the format for e-mail addresses at that organization – it’s usually firstname_lastname@company.com, firstname.lastname@company.com, or firstinitiallastname@company.com. 

Write a short, cordial message and ask for what you want up front, which should be an informational interview to talk about how that person got to where they are in their career and what advice they might have.  Do not ask them if they know of any job openings at this stage.  Your goal should be to establish a one-on-one, personal relationship inside the company.

Will this approach get you a job right away?  Probably not.  Good networking requires patience, but it works, and candidates who have been introduced internally are far more likely to get interview requests and be considered for positions that don’t even make it to the job boards.

Comments

[Lance Haun]

I love this post, Alexandra. Networking is always the best.

When I've done a cold apply, I've never been marked down because I've used a short, one paragraph cover letter. It is usually just a quick way of explaining why I'm applying for that job and if there are any unusual circumstances (like, if I'm relocating).

In short, I've written cover letters shorter than comments I've left on blogs (including this one). Elaborate cover letters are more of a gamble than a short one or none at all.

Thanks

[Arden Clise]

Great advice Alexandra. It's truly who you know that will get you the job. I think of sending out resumes and cover letters to people you don't know like throwing a dart at a dart board 100 feet away. Not likely you'll hit anything.

I also really like that you said in the information interview request to state you'd like to learn more about their career path and not ask about job openings.

I've given many information interviews. The people who most impress me come to the meeing prepared with questions about me, my career path, my position, the company, etc. rather than focusing on themselves and whether or not I have any job openings.

I always enjoy your posts.

[Ask a Manager]

I don't think you can say this rule is true across the board. I've hired candidates who I otherwise wouldn't have considered because they wrote such a great cover letter. Some hiring managers put a lot of value on a cover letter and some don't; you don't always know which you're dealing with, so I'd err on the side of including a cover letter.

[Cover Letters]

Yes I agree with you! I don't like this cover letters concept, being a HR i always read the resume!

[Paul N Larsen]

Agree completely Alexandra. Networking requires skills that are needed in the workplace...i.e..managing and navigating relationships, etc. Anyone can "write" a cover letter...and so much of the time what is written does not really reflect the candidate anyway. It really becomes a boring intro...

[Ankit M Patel]

Alexandra,

I found your blog and this article today through Linked In (Referral by Keith Warrick).

I found this post really relevant to my career and will definitely put these suggestions in practice.

Thank you,
Ankit M Patel

[Laura Finney]

Alexandra,

This is an excellent post. I often consult administrative professionals on the value of networking and meeting new individuals. More and more people get jobs by reaching out to employees within the organizations that the prospect has in interest.

A personal introduction is more valuable than a cover letter.

Great post.

[Dan Erwin]

Masterful, Alex. Including the expletive. On occasion in the past, someone I'd interviewed for a gig would say they'd like to see my "material." That was an announcment that there was not the slightest interest.

On the rare occasion that happens today, I usually comment something to point of "you've got to be kidding. Why would I want to send something that costs me time and money for you to toss in the circular file?" On several occasions that single comment has gotten gigs for me.

Circumvent the shit! Right on, Alexandra.

[pierre court]

Alexandra ,,, i agree with you ,,, totally but in some situation ( right now i am replying for an add in Australia) , the svreening is done on introductory letter !!! cv ,,, and other criteria ( nationality). so untill you meet for an interview ,,,, the chances are very slim .... and something must be extraordinary : cold calling skills ?, writing skills? ,,, someone you know in the company ? something must stand out to get noticed and get the interview !!!

best regards

pierre

[AJ]

Cover letter is a must when it comes to major fortune 500 companies. In most cases they don't even look at your resume if you don't have the cover letter attached to your resume. I don't think its completely true either that cover letter shouldn't be used. Cover letters are used in most cases just to see how creative can a candidate be.