Will Form Cover Letters Lose You Interviews?

Ideally you want to send resume cover letters that are memorable. But many people still use oh so forgettable “one size fits all” form cover letters — the same exact body for each with only the addressee being different. (OK. I did it my first job search. It did NOT go well.)

Job hunting is tough. And you really have little if any way of knowing who is going to say “yes” to an interview. So I understand why so many job seekers send out the same interview request letter to many, many employers — hoping to hit the odds jackpot.

Can form cover letters work?

Sure. Could happen. Especially in today’s job market where initially a machine is most likely scanning submissions and searching for a few keywords or phrases. Automated screeners don’t understand or care about originality. At least not yet.

But your resume if selected eventually gets to human hands. And human eyes that want to see something more than a set of general phrases. Does this applicant even know who they are? Or is one job as good as any other to this person? (That may be true at this point, but employers don’t need to know that.)

Why more can be much less

Despite the occasional hits, most likely flooding employer inboxes with bland interview form letters will decrease your chances. And it doesn’t take all that much to help you stand out while still reaching a good number of potential jobs.

In a jobseeker-friendly job market using the same interview form cover letters might actually get you interviews. But you may miss out on the better ones — the ones you really want. Those employers are probably looking for some originality or at least a sign you consider them worth the extra effort.

And in a tight job market, well-crafted targeted resumes and cover letters can make a big difference. Employers get overwhelmed by applications. So, apart from strategically including keywords and phrases from the job description, your cover letter can turn a wavering decision into a “yes”.

⇒   What Makes a Good Cover Letter Good?

 

How to brighten dull form cover letters

Not everyone is a writing whiz and good cover letters can be hard to craft for anyone. So if you put together a basic format that you then tailor to each job, that can be a perfectly good way of approaching your resume submission.

And if you still want to blanket the job market with lots of extra applications, fine. But at least choose your 10 or so favorite job openings / companies and tailor what you’re sending (both resume and cover) to them.

⇒  10 Steps To Match Your Resume To the Job

And, having researched each company, see if you can add a sentence or two that will help them see what a great match you’ll be for their particular company and job. That extra effort can make all the difference.

I once hired a woman who did not have everything theoretically required, but her carefully tailored-to-the-job cover letter won me over. At least enough to bring her in for an interview and see if she truly fit the job. She did. (Thankfully humans still know more than machines when it comes to other humans.)

More posts to help

What Is a Targeted Resume or Cover Letter?

10 Steps To Match Your Resume to the Job

21 Resume Checklist Tips: Did You Forget Anything?

 

Resume Fonts: Beware Tiny Font Size on Resumes!

Cover Letter Basics: What Goes Into a Strong Cover Letter?

Why a Resume Gets Rejected — Even Good Ones!