I peruse the career e-groups from several HR associations, Resume Writing Groups, and Recruiters and I’m finding a lot of noise lately about cover letters. Apparently there are a majority of recruiters who don’t like them, and won’t even read them. That being said, they won’t rule you out for sending one, they just won’t read them.
While I can’t remember where I read this, or if it’s even true, statistics are being published that only 50% of hiring authorities want a cover letter these days. That kind of bums me out, because writing cover letters is my favorite part of my job. And I rarely have to go back and re-write them. My clients seem to like them.
Back to the egroups: the consensus among my groups agree that it’s still better to send a cover letter and risk having it “not read,” then to send a naked resume when a cover letter is desired by the employer. At least you have better odds at getting your resume read.
–Susan Geary, Certified Resume Writer / 1st Rate Resumes