With the economy struggling, trying to conduct an executive level job search can be difficult. Knowing exactly what employers want can make a big difference. According to a recent press release from $100K+ career search website TheLadders.com, a cover letter is a must.
The senior-level job search site recently conducted a survey and found that 88 percent of recruiters believe that every applicant should include a cover letter when applying for a job. Despite this, only 53 percent of executive-level candidates include a cover letter when they submit their resumes. The discrepancy shows that it is likely that employers look favorably upon those applicants that do include this document.
And if impressing a potential boss wasn’t enough, the survey found that 39 percent of recruiters have eliminated a job candidate solely based on the fact that they did not include a cover letter with their resume.
According to the Ladders, there are several steps an executive-level job applicant can take to make sure that their cover letter is created properly. For starters, job seekers should keep the document simple. The career search website suggests following a “who”, “what”, “when”, “where” and “why” outline.
“If you’re using bulleted statements in your cover letter to highlight specific achievements, qualifications or experiences, be certain to only use 4-6 and then leave a bit of white space in between each to enhance the readability of the document.” Said Wendy Enelow, resume writer and training consultant to TheLadders.com, in the recent press release.
Enelow went on to say that it is important that, while remaining simple, the cover letter grabs the recruiter or employer’s attention.
“Start your cover letter with your one WOW achievement or qualification or career success to immediately capture your reader’s interest and attention,” said Enelow.
Job seekers should make sure that their cover letter illustrates how their past experience in relevant to the positions they are applying for. Look over the listing and find key words that can be included in the document.
Nowadays, many people apply for jobs online. This often calls for choosing a resume format that translates well when e-mailed. In these situations the cover letter should both be included as the e-mail message itself and included in the attachment.
“Just as your resume is a career marketing tool, so is your cover letter. Take the time that is necessary to craft a letter that is powerful and persuasive with an immediate call to action — to invite you for an interview,” concluded Enelow.
Tags: Job Search
Interesting article – but not sure I agree with the conclusion. IMHO, a recruiter will pick the best candidate based on their resume, not their cover letter. That is how their business works. If they believe that there should be a cover-letter (doubtful) then they would probably request one from their candidate.
Also, the question was not asked “do you think that not having a cover letter is a disadvantage”, but “should clients include a cover-letter”. I think that these are very different questions (with different hypothesis).
Again, cover-letters are nice, but ultimately not an important part of your job search (spend more time networking).
Regards,
Will