Many of our clients ask if a cover letter is absolutely necessary when responding to a job advertisement.  The answer is yes, definitely!  Always include a cover letter!

Without one, the employer will wonder just how serious you are about the job and whether you have just been saturating the market with your resume with the good old "a-job, any-job-will-do" attitude.  Without a cover letter you cannot tell the employer of your interest or desire to work in their organisation.  Without a cover letter you cannot sell yourself to your employer by highlighting the key areas of skill which match the requirements of the employer.  You also need to outline why they should hire YOU!  A cover letter is an introduction, a summary of what you have to offer.

I have witnessed applications being culled when a cover letter has been omitted, particularly when a cover letter is specifically requested. I have also sought the feedback of recruiters on this subject. Belinda McLean of HR Focus has a wealth of recruitment experience and has told me "If they didn’t write a cover letter when it was requested, the applicant clearly cannot follow instructions." You can now see why recruiters would take this view. Not a great selling point in a job application.

If you are approaching a company requesting them to consider you for a position, then the least you can do is ensure you include a written introduction. Even when a cover letter is not requested and you take the initiative to include one, I really cannot see that this would damage your application. Quite the contrary – it would probably hold you in higher stead than all the other applicants who couldn’t be bothered.

Bottom line is, you have nothing to lose. Would you want to miss out on a fantastic career opportunity over one piece of paper?