Published Wed, Feb 26 202012:16 PM
ESTUpdated Thu, Feb 27 20201:15 PM EST
Searching
for a new job is a time-consuming endeavor. By some estimates, the typical
worker takes about six weeks to apply for, interview and
finally land a new job offer. And across any industry and level of work,
there’s one step to the process that’s bound to slow down even the most
qualified and enthusiastic candidate: the cover letter.
But
findings from one new report offer some motivation to draft a good elevator
pitch, even in a time when cover letters are becoming increasingly optional.
According
to a survey of 200 hiring managers from
ResumeLab, a resume advice site, 83% of HR professionals agreed with
the statement “a great cover letter can make me decide to interview a
candidate, even if I don’t think their resume is good enough.”
That
means, out of every 10 resumes where the applicant might not have the right
work history, set of skills or management experience, eight job seekers are
likely to advance, as long as they can make up for it in their cover letters.
A
majority of hiring managers said cover letters were crucial to their hiring
decisions, and 77% give preference to candidates who submit one, even if
they’re deemed optional on the application form. A similar share always expect
the document, even if they’re not required in order to apply.
Cover letters only matter if job seekers do this
While
cover letters can give candidates a leg up on the competition, they come with a
major caveat.
Companies
are increasingly relying on applicant tracking systems, often shortened to ATS,
and artificial intelligence software to
review resumes. These algorithms scan resumes for specific words and phrases
around work history, responsibilities, skills and accomplishments to identify
candidates who match well with the job description.
Ian
Siegel, CEO of jobs marketplace ZipRecruiter, estimates more than 70% of
resumes are now reviewed by robots before they reach a human reader.
That
means resumes, and how they’re written, matter first and foremost.
To be
sure, the ResumeLab survey was designed to measure the impact of a cover letter
only after a resume passed an ATS scan and made it to a human reviewer, explains
Maciej Duszynski, career expert and researcher behind the study.
Siegel
offers three recommendations for a resume to make it past the bots:
1. “Use
standard file types — no more trying to stand out by putting your resume into
Photoshop,” he tells CNBC Make It. Instead, “Use Microsoft Word or
Google Docs to give something the parser can parse.
2.
“Check your grammar and spelling. It seems obvious, yet a surprising number of
job seekers don’t do it.
3.
“Clearly list your skills and make it easy for the parser to understand your
years of experience,” Siegel says.
If
possible, Siegel says to demonstrate mastery of each skill by listing your
years of experience learning or using each one in your work history.
The only 3 things to include in your cover letter
While
workers should be detailed about their qualifications on a resume, they need to
be quick — and creative — when it comes to their cover letter. Siegel estimates
that hiring managers spend an average of 20 seconds reviewing a given cover
letter.
The
majority of hiring managers from the ResumeLab survey said the most important
thing they’re looking for in a cover letter is the applicant’s reason for
wanting to join the company.
Siegel
agrees this is one of just three things job seekers should include in their
cover letter.
“The
golden rule of applying to a job is showing specific interest,” he says. “A lot
of people write cover letters to describe their background and explain why
they’re a fit for the role. But I would start my cover letter with the
sentence, ‘I’m so excited to apply to this job because ... ’ and fill in the
blank about the business.”
Beyond
that, Siegel boils down the most important things to include in a cover letter
to three points.
“Show
enthusiasm, show you’ve done research, and show you want to come in there and
make a contribution,” he says.
According
to the ResumeLab survey, hiring managers also find cover letters helpful in
understanding anything surprising about the candidate’s work history, such as a
reason for changing careers or explaining an employment gap.
A strategy with even better odds
While a
good job candidate can increase their odds of cutting through the noise by
perfecting their resume and cover letter, it’s still not the most surefire way
to land an interview.
“The
cover letter may be one way you can break out, but a far better way to receive
consideration if you’re an imperfect candidate is via reference,” Siegel says.
“Roughly 19% of the people who are getting hired are doing it because they had
a friend recommend them.”
LinkedIn
data supports the referral method. According to the networking
site, 70% of professionals get
hired at companies where they have a personal connection. Yet 51% of millennials feel
uncomfortable about reaching out to their connections for a referral, and 40% say they avoid
this step altogether during their job search.
https://www.cnbc.com/2020/02/26/the-3-only-things-you-should-include-in-a-cover-letter.html
No comments:
Post a Comment