4 Reasons to Write That Cover Letter

By Kaitlin Hurtado on March 1, 2021

If there is anything worse than seeing that a cover letter is required when you are applying for a job, it is seeing that a cover letter is optional. It is all too easy to skip out on writing the cover letter once you know it is no longer required, but why throw away that chance to get ahead? Yes, it may take you more time to submit that application, but it may be well worth it when you land the job you have been working toward.

Even if a cover letter is optional, view it as an opportunity to improve your chances of getting that job. Here are a few reasons why you should definitely write that cover letter.

Photo: Pexels

1) Cover letters drive some people away…do not be one of them. 

The process of looking for a job is scary and tiring for many. For most, it is not a matter of applying to just one job and hoping for the best. It is sending out job application after job application in hopes that one lands in the hands of the right person, getting you the job you have been searching for.  Each job application takes plenty of time and effort, especially when you are taking the time to research the position and company and editing your resume to fit the specific position you are applying for.

That being said, many look at an open position, get interested, see a cover letter requirement, and lose interest just as quickly. As one can imagine, this limits the number of people that are willing to apply for the job and sit down to write that required cover letter. Take advantage of being one of the people willing to write that cover letter to get the job.

2) Beat the limits of your resume 

Even the most edited and thought-out resume may not be enough to show off what a great job candidate you are, but a cover letter can certainly help. While you may be putting in extra effort to editing your resume to tailor toward the position and company you are applying to, it can still be hard to explain why you are perfect for the job.

Those skills and experiences listed on your resume that you think make you the perfect fit for the job? Use the cover letter to take what is on a resume and further explain why you are perfect for the job. Connect the dots for the person reading your cover letter and explain how your skills and experiences tie to your passion and career/life goals to help you be the perfect fit for the job.

Think about questions a hiring manager may have upon reading your resume. Maybe your past experience is not exactly related to the current position you are applying for. Use your cover letter as a chance to explain how your past experience, though unrelated, can help you thrive in the position you are applying for.

If you are applying to jobs after a period of unemployment, use your cover letter as an opportunity to explain why that gap was there. or what you did to help you improve your career.

3) Embrace the chance to bring some “you” into the job application

Job applications are often dry in the sense that they don’t allow much creative freedom for job applicants. Applicants typically don’t have the chance to show their individuality until they get to the interview stage where they get the chance to talk themselves up. However, cover letters are the perfect opportunity to showcase your voice and individuality early on in the job application process.

This especially rings true for those applying to jobs in the creative field, such as a writing position. Using a cover letter to showcase your voice is a great way to introduce yourself (and your writing) to a hiring manager.

4) Talk about why you are applying to the company/position

In the early stages of a job application, you might not have many opportunities to explain why you are applying to a specific job or company. Your focus may be trying your very best to highlight yourself. However, you can use a cover letter to explain exactly why you are applying to a specific position or company.

Do you resonate with a company’s mission statement or current work? Use the cover letter to explain why the company’s work attracted you to apply to the company, and why you think you are the right candidate to help the company continue in its efforts.

Cover letters, optional or not, should not drive you away from applying to a job position you really want. With these reasons in mind, take the initiative to sit down and write that cover letter — you never know where it may take you.

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