Six Reasons Why You Should Add a Cover Letter with Your Resume

Lately, a couple of clients have asked “Do I need a cover letter?” Well, when searching for a job and planning to submit your resume, you may not necessarily need a cover letter, but it certainly helps. Another manufacturing manager asked me recently, “Do cover letters still exist?” She went on to say that she never reads them.

 My daughter who is a recruiter as well, only reads them when there’s something not answered on the resume. So there you have it! A main reason as to why you should always include a cover letter with your resume. Or have it handy. More specifically, you should add a cover letter for these reasons:

 1. It’s a great way to introduce yourself and give more examples of how you would be a good fit for the job posting and overall for the organization. Maybe you’ve been following the company, their motto, beliefs and you share the same passions.

 2. There are things that are better explained in a cover letter versus the resume. For example, you have gaps in your work history because you took a sabbatical to go back to school, became a caregiver, self-employment, etc…

 3. You left a company and went back to it once or twice. This is common in the construction or auto sales industry. It may also be the case if you’re a consultant or just simply in a field that consists of project after project. Actually a project resume would suffice (as I talk about in my book Why Your Resume Isn’t Working), but a cover letter is a great backup.

 4. You have a job hopper appearance. It’s not always that you were unsatisfied with a job or terminated. Company mergers and acquisitions may not be clear on your resume and appear to be different companies. The recruiter may not be aware of this. Many of my clients have been offered jobs with clients of theirs, new divisions opened up, they were transferred and so on.

 5. You are transitioning into a new field or back to a previous one. Perhaps you have the knowledge and gained some hands-on skills, but lack paid experience. You can detail further in a cover letter the value you would bring. You can even add comments from recommendations. Or, If you are concerned that your resume is about to go over two pages, yet you’d like to inform the recruiter that you have previous experience in the field. The right resume format will help, but a compelling cover letter will explain why you left, want to return and how successful you were before.

 6. You lack a credential that you’re working on. You may be one or two months away from your PMP or CHFP. By the time you would actually get hired and start the job, you may have the credential. Maybe you have the experience, but not the certification or credential because it expired or wasn’t needed at your last job (think series 65 license). Explain this in the cover letter, how you’re willing to get it and let the recruiter know how this will benefit them. You never know, you may have other outstanding qualities that outweigh that credential.

 Bonus: I have heard several people tell me the recruiter said they were sold before they even read the resume! Whether a job posting asks for one or not, or you know the recruiter or contact person, it’s always best to have a cover letter handy, rather than scramble at the last minute to create one.

For more resume and job search tips visit: Career Diamond Books.com