Cover letters still matter, HR experts say, and it’s fine to get some help from AI to get yours started but you won’t stand out unless you put in some personal touches.Getty Images
Do cover letters matter?
Cover letters used to be the one thing that could set you apart from other job applicants, but now that artificial intelligence can spit one out for you in less than five seconds, is that still the case?
The simple answer is that in today’s competitive market, the humble cover letter still counts, experts say, particularly if you’re applying for a job that requires communication skills – which frankly are essential for most jobs.
“What a good cover letter should do is tell your potential employer why you’re the best candidate for the job,” says Sarah Vermunt, founder of Toronto-based career coaching company, Careergasm. “The biggest mistake people make is making the cover letter just about enthusiasm for the position and not really saying anything else.”
To avoid this pitfall, Ms. Vermunt recommends focusing on quantifiable accomplishments.
“Not a lot of people are doing that in their cover letters,” she says. “So, if you can pull two or three highlights from your resume and find a different way to say them concisely in your cover letter, that will make you stand out.”
Ms. Vermunt says it’s worth spending a few extra minutes to tailor the cover letter for those jobs that you’re keen on, highlighting three or four specific skills or experiences that directly align with the job posting. You could also put them in bullet form in the middle of the letter, so they’ll stand out even more.
If you use AI, “you’re going to end up with a very generic, cliched cover letter, and employers can spot that vanilla, zero-effort cover letter a mile away,” says Ms. Vermunt. “That says something about you as an applicant – that you couldn’t be bothered to spend at least five minutes polishing up what AI created.”
Kim Carter, vice-president of people and culture at BluEarth Renewables Inc. in Calgary, reads cover letters as part of the screening process, especially for roles that require strong writing skills. Even for more operations-based positions, she says the cover letter can still be important for showcasing key skills and experiences.
“If they reference the job description or things they’ve read about the company, then I know they’re doing their homework and due diligence, so that really stands out for me,” says Ms. Carter. “The cover letter should also provide information that isn’t already covered in the resume. Don’t retell me what I’ve already read. Tell me something different that will make you stand out for this particular opportunity.”
While AI can be a useful tool to write a cover letter quickly, you can’t leave this task to the technology alone, stresses Ms. Carter, adding she uses AI for several internal tasks so she’s not “turned off” by the prospect of candidates using the tool.
“It can be helpful for starting to craft what it is, but it needs personalization, and AI can’t do that. So, what I would say is use AI if you’re struggling with getting started but personalize it and put your words into it.”
Presentation, grammar and spelling are important factors she considers when evaluating cover letters. Even small mistakes can raise a red flag.
“It surprises me with all the tools that are available, people still make spelling mistakes,” she says. “The format and style don’t need to be fancy, but the information should be relevant.”
Davin Gislason, manager of talent acquisition at Thrive Health in Vancouver, says he reads cover letters because, first of all, he’s curious to see if applicants are using them effectively. Generally, he finds people don’t. Like Ms. Carter, he’s looking for a cover letter to add something new or meaningful to the application. He also believes that investing five to 10 minutes to personalize your cover letter helps your application.
“The main purpose of a cover letter is to get the recruiter or the company to call you back,” says Mr. Gislason. “It doesn’t have the power to eliminate somebody – I’m still looking at the resume to see what else they’ve got – but it could be the differentiator.”
Format and style are very important. He suggests using a nice general font, like Arial or Helvetica, and staying away from fancy ones. Short cover letters are more likely to be read – two or three paragraphs are fine – as a full page of text can be overwhelming to the eye. It’s okay to show a sense of humour as long as you don’t get too jokey.
“Keep it brief, concise and just a genuine representation of who you are as an individual,” he says. “AI might spit out very formal business language, but if that’s not how you talk, then it’s fine to have a conversational tone, but not so casual that you’re using a lot of slang.”
The same advice – keep it brief and authentic – applies to an applicant’s LinkedIn profile.
“Our applicant tracking system has a field to put in your LinkedIn URL, and a lot of people do, but even if people don’t add that information, it still gets checked,” says Mr. Gislason. “Every recruiter and hiring manager will probably search LinkedIn for you.”
David Rice, senior editor of the HR publication People Managing People in Vancouver, offers the last word on making your cover letter stand out.
“Take out fluffy, pointless or repetitive language that doesn’t really say anything,” he advises. “The first line should be interesting to capture interest, the body should build your case regarding why you’re a good fit for the role, and at the end, you want the reader to feel like they need to learn more about you.”