Should You Use a Cover Letter? (POLL)

By Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter

When I started in recruiting, which feels like 100 years ago, there was no Internet; there was no Microsoft Office or Adobe Acrobat. When a secretary made a mistake (and there were secretaries back then), they would correct it with his gloppy product called Liquid Paper invented by a former secretary who was fired for her intervention.

It is too time-consuming to retype resumes to demonstrate how a person’s background for a job. Thus, cover letters were invented to be stapled on top of the resume (hence, why they are called “cover letters.” They covered the resume) and would serve the purpose of pointing out things in a person’s background not included in the resume. What was typed in the cover letter would show a reader that you had the experience they were looking for.

Moving ahead to today, cover letters seem anachronistic. After all, who needs a cover letter when you can tweak your resume to demonstrate a fit for the job. Although some hiring managers like them because they show attention to detail and, when used well, can reveal personality, I know from experience that many don’t want them anymore.

I decided to use a poll on LinkedIn to see what people thought of them in today’s world. I asked a very simple question:

If you interview…