Is 2023 the Year the Cover Letter Dies?
Very few other aspects of a job search have more conflicting information than the question, “Should I still send a cover letter?” It’s a question every job seeker asks themselves as they complete application after application. Resume writers and coaches will tell you it matters. Many recruiters will tell you they don’t read them. So who’s right, the coaches saying you need a cover letter or the recruiters saying it’s a waste of time because they don’t read them? Is 2023 finally the year that the cover letter dies?
Spoiler Alert: They’re both right and no cover letters won’t die this year.
What is the purpose of a cover letter?
There’s a huge misconception about the purpose of cover letters and this contributes to all the conflicting advice. Before we can discuss their relevancy, it’s important to take a moment and ask ourselves, what is the purpose of a cover letter, and at what stage in the hiring process does it become relevant?
Many people think cover letters help make a good first impression, but the research says otherwise. In fact, according to a 2017 report by JobVite, only 26% of recruiters said they thought cover letters were important - inferring very few recruiters even read them in the first place. Jump on LinkedIn and you’ll see multiple posts by recruiters confirming this sentiment.
Comments and posts like this one from Ariel are not that uncommon on LinkedIn, a site that 95% of recruiters use to find candidates and 77% of them are regular, active users.
We almost have to ask ourselves if our poorly written cover letters are self-perpetuating their demise. The average job opening can receive around 250 applications. When I recruited accounting and finance candidates, it was not uncommon for my well-written job postings to receive 100 candidates on the first day alone. Add in that the average recruiter has between 40 to 60 open requisitions they are recruiting for and it’s no surprise they don’t read cover letters when the majority of them generic and irrelevant. They can barely read all the resumes, which are many times just as terribly written.
But the type of talk about not reading cover letters typically comes from recruiters. Notice how the tone changes when you start talking to hiring managers themselves. Take this post from the Director of Product Marketing at Teachable.
And this isn’t one hiring manager’s opinion. A 2022 Arcadia University study found that 74% of hiring managers prefer a cover letter (even if it isn’t required). Other surveys indicate over 80% of hiring managers read cover letters. So why the disconnect between recruiter and hiring manager?
To answer that question, you have to understand how the recruiting process works for most companies. Recruiters and their teams source candidates and review their resumes. They are not the decision maker, but rather the gatekeeper. Recruiters then present a short-list to the hiring manager of qualified candidates and in that short-list, they will include all submitted documents including a cover letter.
Statistics then tell us, it’s not the first impression where a cover letter will make the difference but the second impression. Another way to look at it could be like this:
Your resume will get you past the first round of eliminations with the recruiting teams
Your cover letter could get you past the second round with the hiring managers
Will companies stop requiring cover letters in 2023?
Cover letters aren’t going anywhere; however, I wouldn’t be surprised if fewer companies require them. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t submit one, but they won’t be required to complete the application process. Job hunters are becoming job shoppers these days with 43% of them spending over an hour researching companies before they will even submit an application. Although the market may shift toward an employer market instead of the candidate market we’ve seen with the rise of the Great Resignation, the seismic trend over the last three years still points to more candidate control than ever before.
Candidates want a great hiring experience and employers have had enough time to realize the value of providing one - not only in terms of recruitment, but in terms of increased revenue, referrals, and other perks that happen with top-tier candidate experiences. Among the top 6 reasons a candidate's experience is positive is the lack of a cover letter requirement. And in Employ’s 2020 Report, 31% of candidates surveyed indicated that they would like to see employers abandon cover letters.
In summary: we expect a decline in the number of companies requiring cover letters in 2023; however, we expect the number of employers requiring cover letters to remain near or above 50%.
Should you write a cover letter?
That depends. Let’s not kid around, writing a resume, let alone a cover letter, is a time-intensive and soul-sucking exercise or it’s a decent investment to hire a qualified resume writer. Time is our most valuable asset and writing a cover letter for every job will most likely have a point of diminishing returns. It’s important to then identify where that point is and in what scenarios you may want to consider writing a cover letter. Remember, your resume is a story of your qualifications. It’s factual and evidence-based and designed to get you noticed and through that first round of eliminations. For many professionals, a well-crafted resume is satisfactory and will land you an interview. But for certain situations, you may need to educate your audience and further translate your qualifications beyond what is appropriate for a resume.
Scenario 1: Career Changes
If this is going to be your first job in a new role or industry, employers reading your resume may not make the connection between your background and its relevance to their problems. Your cover letter is a great place to help them make these connections and connect the dots for them because they won’t do it on their own. A cover letter may also help you show off your understanding of the employer’s problems and the critical role this job plays in solving those problems. If you are attempting to change careers from manufacturing accounting to construction accounting, your cover letter can explain the similarities in WIP and other accounting principles that are relevant to both spaces. Don’t assume the person reading your resume understands how manufacturing accounting is similar. You have to tell them.
Scenario 2: Tier 1 Job Prospects
Part of an effective job search includes a solid targeting strategy. Most likely you have tiers of jobs, tier 1 jobs being those you have strong qualifications for and are highly interested in. Given the information we uncovered earlier, you may want to take the extra effort to craft a carefully written cover letter regardless of your situation to give you the edge over those who won’t submit one. When you consider that only 35% of candidates submit a cover letter, it won’t be that difficult to get noticed and get hired.
Scenario 3: Referrals
It’s no secret having a referral can boost your chances of getting an interview. A cover letter is the place to call attention to any connections to the inside. Even if someone at the company only messaged you once on LinkedIn, you can still name-drop who you’ve had a conversation with as long as you’re honest. In the opening of your cover letter, you can mention the referral’s name and title like this, “I recently had a conversation with Cole in your Customer Success department and found this position that I’m a fit for.”
Scenario 4: Anything That Might Disturb the Hiring Manager
If you’re not experiencing success with a resume alone and you have reason to believe you’re being eliminated for reasons such as an employment gap or because you’re relocating and living out of state, a cover letter could be used strategically to get in front of those issues and address them head-on. You can use a cover letter to explain the gap on your resume when you went back to school for your degree or how you are currently relocating to Seattle and have family there.
In Summary:
Although many recruiters may not read your cover letter, hiring managers are likely to notice it
We expect to see a decrease in the number of employers requiring cover letters with applications, but do not expect the number to drop below 50%
Only 35% of candidates submit cover letters; submitting one could push you ahead and get you noticed
If you are changing careers, targeting a tier 1 employer, have a referral, or are afraid something in your background is eliminating you from the hiring pool, consider writing a cover letter
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