Question about cover letters. All input appreciated.

r9stedt

Okay, I know that some job applications specifically ask for them, yet others do not. Yesterday on here I saw several ladies say they are essentially worthless, and they would just rather know the facts. Dailyght and I have discussed it before and she feels like they are overrated as well. After graduating college, I have never turned in an app without one mainly for two reasons. 1) that is all I have ever known to do and 2)I guess I feel like it gives me the opportunity to show that I can form thoughts, complete sentences, and be able to put that into paragraphs. Soooooooo, wdyt? Worthless? Essential?

REOM

I think especially for teaching positions, it showcases your ability to write well.

Susie2005

I work in HR and read a lot of resumes.  As far as I'm concerned, short and sweet is the way to go.  One short paragraph.  What you are applying for and what makes you qualified.  If your resume backs that up, it's all you should need.  JMO.

DevonPow

As someone who used to do a  lot of hiring, I think they are very important. The cover letter is where you can concisely say why the job you are applying for is a good fit for your particular skills, and is especially important if you are applying for a job that differs in any way from what you have done before. Resumes can be kind of generic - the cover letter lets me know why you like this particular job. Otherwise it kind of feels like people just spam out resumes, you know? I would get resumes with no cover letter and could tell the person was just applying to any and all jobs without being thoughtful about what job would be a good fit. I hate that and never brought them in for a interview.

hikerbeth

I think a cover letter is important.  That being said, I think it should be very short and have something in it that will draw the reader in.  The goal is to have them look at your resume and something in that letter needs to catch their attention.