Shocking as it may seem, employers rarely read cover letters. Yet many job seekers believe that elaborating on their experience and skills in a cover letter enhances their chances of getting an interview.

Hiring managers have limited time and nearly unlimited resumes to screen. The most efficient way to screen resumes is, well, to screen the resume and not bother with the cover letter. A quick review of a resume is all that’s required to place it in one of three categories: not qualified (the vast majority of all resumes); possibly qualified; and, almost certainly qualified.

In most cases, the number of almost certainly qualified candidates must be reduced, so the employer will take a more detailed look at each of those resumes and possibly read the cover letter. If the letter is long-winded, contains stupid comments ("out-of-the-box thinker"; "I'm a people person"), contains some otherwise benign detail that is viewed negatively, or any one of a thousand other problems that the job seeker may not anticipate, the resume will move out of the "interview" pile and into the "not now, maybe later" pile.

Since one cannot know with certainty how the person reading the cover letter will react to any particular bit of information, packing a lot into the cover letter can backfire. It is best to let your resume carry the full load of securing an interview and avoid the risk that your cover letter will undo what your resume may have already accomplished. The ideal letter may simply say, "Please consider me for the position you recently advertised".

Nevertheless, if you feel obliged to write a cover letter, do not use a "boilerplate" letter that is not specifically tailored to the job for which you are applying. Nothing is more frustrating than reading a page-long cover letter in an effort to learn about the candidate's interest in a position, only to find vague generalities with no tie-in to the position being filled.

To sum up, I prefer candidates who respect my time by keeping the cover letter mercifully short. If the candidate has something important to say, the resume--where it will be seen--is the correct place to say it, and not just in the cover letter. The letter may exceed a paragraph if the candidate is providing answers to the following questions: How does the candidate's work experience satisfy the specific requirements stated in the job posting? Why is the candidate interested in this job?

Michael G Smith