How important is the cover letter?

A cover letter is the first impression you will make upon your prospective employer. Some people will go so far as to say that your cover letter is more important than your resume. It doesn’t matter if you are applying for a job online or offline; a cover letter should always be included with your resume. The only exception is if the employer asks for you to not send one. In that case, you will want to follow the employer’s request.

Think of your cover letter as marketing material. Your cover letter should highlight your best skills and talents; convey information not directly included on your resume; and give your prospective employer a feel for your personality.

Your resume will tell your prospective employer information such as the length of your past employment and the main tasks that you completed. However, the basic format of a resume does not allow for much more than that.

For example, let’s say that you held administration positions in the past, but left the corporate world in 2003 to become a stay at home mom.

If you only sent in your resume, a prospective employer would simply see that you haven’t worked for any employers in the last few years. This might cause some concern; they may misunderstand and think you have been trying to find work and for some reason, no one is hiring you.

However, if you include a cover letter, you can explain the fact that you have been a stay at home mom since you left the corporate world. You can also take this opportunity to go over the time management and organization skills you have learned since taking on this new role and how that can help you professionally.

When you write your cover letter, double check for spelling and grammatical errors; if your cover letter looks sloppy, they will assume you do sloppy work and will look for other candidates. If you are sending a resume and cover letter via postal mail, opt for a higher weight paper than the basic copy / printer paper you use for everyday tasks. This will show that you notice small details and give you an edge of professionalism.

Next: What should I include on my cover letter

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