Sales Recruiting Blog

Cover Letters - Why Bother?

Run a search on Google and you will plenty of information on cover letters - why to write them, how to write them, what to put in them, etc.  There is plenty of solid generic information out there on the subject.  Before I weigh in with my opinion on cover letters I want to point out what the world of hiring and recruiting looks like today.

Most hiring managers, recruiter or HR professionals that are tasked with receiving incoming resumes receive far, far too many each day and the majority of those submissions are not a fit for the job opening.  Because of that, we (recruiters, managers, hr, etc) try and eliminate those sales candidates that don’t fit the position as fast as possible so we go straight to the resume.  Speaking for myself, If I don’t see a basic fit between the sales rep’s resume and the sales job that I am recruiting for I am hitting delete as fast as possible.  If I love the resume I’m also calling that rep as fast as possible.  Where a modified cover letter can help is when there are things that I like about a resume but I have some questions.  For example, maybe you have the requirements for the job but you have a 1 year gap or you don’t live in the geography.  Without an explanation I may or may not call you depending on my mood.  What I suggest is a modified cover letter.

Instead of attaching a separate cover letter address those points in the body of the e-mail that you are sending.  I would point out how your background is a fit and then address the issue.  With the volume of information that most recruiters and hiring managers receive they will probably still go right to your resume.  If they are on the fence their next step will be to read the contents of your e-mail.