Hiring managers: Do you read cover letters?

I disagree completely and have been told as much by an editor at a paper to which I once applied. As someone who later became a hiring editor I had to agree with his assessment.

I don't give a shit why you want the job. I care about what you are going to do for ME. Why are you the best person for the job?

I wrote a paragraph in my cover letter about my desire to move to this particular area of the country and, as the editor pointed out to me when he called me, why on earth would he care that I am applying to his job because I like its location?

I didn't get the job, obviously, but the editor was kind enough to take the time and give me a few constructive criticisms that landed me a better job a few months later. I thought that was pretty spectacular of him to do considering he wasn't going to bring me in for an interview.

As for the original question, I figure it's never a waste of time if you want the job. No hiring employer would ever see a cover letter and say, "I can't believe she sent a cover letter," and throw away your resume. An employer may see that you didn't send a cover letter and assume that you didn't care enough about the job to write one and throw it away.

If it doesn't get read, you can at least justify the time you spent on writing it by realizing that you at least did everything you could to get that particular job.

 

Maybe I'm naive on this topic, but I started putting something like this into some letters and here's why. It seems like geography often plays a factor in hiring, just for the ease-of-interview factor and not paying travel costs. I'd like to get back to a different part of the country and hope mentioning it it shows an extra level of seriousness about my interest, as the job hunt tends to breed the outlook of apply to anything that looks kind of good.

Reading that back it does seem more naive, damn.

 

My assumption as a hiring editor reading a resume/clips package is that if you applied, you're interested in the job. I don't need the cover letter to tell me that. The resume tells me what you HAVE done, the cover letter should tell me what you WILL do for me.

Now, if geography is a factor, it might be something I bring up in an interview, but again, my default assumption is anyone who took the time to put together a package for me was serious about applying in the first place.

 

I think that may depend on the circumstances and reasons you may be applying for the job, and why you may want to be in a certain area -- assuming the reason is something more than that you simply "like" the location.

Years ago, I was working at a medium-sized, daily paper in a fairly large suburban area close to a metropolis. But, its location was far from my parents and one of my siblings with whom I am close. They all lived in a much more rural, Podunk-type place where, yes, I did happen to love visiting and staying as often as possible whenever I could get away for even a couple of days. I regularly made long trips there and back to go there.

When I heard of an opening that came up at the Podunk Press, I applied, even though I would have been working at a much smaller paper, in an out-of-the-way place, for less money (it did also cost less to live there, though). When the editor got my stuff, I got an immediate call and we arranged for an interview the next time I was going to be visiting the area, and the only question she really had was why in the world would I want to come there, given where I was and what I'd already done.

Well...my family's here, I said. While I certainly liked the location itself, that wasn't the reason I wanted to go there.

Sometimes, there are reasons that people may want to be in that particular place: family ties, a need for a fresh start, or major change, a particular outside interest that is especially served by the region, etc. If these whys can be explained in a way that makes it clear that there is motivation beyond "I just love this place," or "This is a nice area," it can make a difference in everybody's perspective, understanding, work efforts -- and hiring decisions.

When people apply for a job, they are generally applying for the job, and the location just comes with it. But if someone actually really wants the job and [the location, it can be a powerful combination. There is likely to be a commitment that might not otherwise be as strong.

You may have a good reason for wanting to be there, beyond the job. After all, everyone who applies is assumed to want/need the job, as you pointed out. The cannot always, or even often, be said about the location.

 

How would the hiring people among you recommend sending a cover letter electronically? Attach a PDF or just put it in the body of the email?

 

i do the hiring for my law firm. i read cover letters for one reason only: to see if there are any typos or mistakes and to see if the person can formulate a coherent sentence and a full paragraph. unless the content is outrageous, i have no interest in what the candidate is trying to express. i just want to see that he is capable of writing a simple letter.