Is It Worth Writing a Covering Letter To Go With My CV?

There are split opinions here and I weigh heavily on the train of thought that says ‘yes’ to a covering letter.

But I know recruitment agencies who admit to me that they never read cover letters.

So why do I think you should still send one?

If you’ve prepared your CV correctly, it will very closely resemble what the company said they wanted in their job advert (don’t just send in a generic one).

The covering letter allows you to address some other things that might be of interest to the company, like:

1. Your genuine interest in what they do (it is a company you have followed for years, engage with or follow on social media).

2. Have you been recommended to apply by someone already involved in the company?  It’s OK to name drop on this occasion!  It’s a warm lead for them, by someone who they employ saying “here’s another good fit” for this company.

3. It allows you to specifically illustrate how you definitely meet the criteria of the post by outlining exact or similar experience that can also be like a little addendum to your CV (especially if you are obeying my 2-page maximum rule).

The last paragraph can also give pertinent information, like holiday dates when you are not available for an interview, and your ‘call to action’ repeated again in bold (aka – please do not hesitate me should you need any further information on 01234 567890).

You never know which companies like covering letters or not (except those that ask you to include one) but I hope you’ll see that it can be worth the effort, and may just give you the edge over other candidates!