Cover Letters - Old and Outdated?

Cover letters... are they old and outdated or should you add one to your next job application? Forbes released an article on how a cover letter can boost your application and why you should write one with your CV. This got us thinking, what is our opinion on cover letters, do we still think they're required, and how important are they in the chemical industry?

The Pros of Cover Letters

So, what is it about cover letters that make them an important addition to your job application? Well, cover letters have always been a crucial part of your job application, whether this is going through a recruiter, the company website, or directly through email.

Cover letters are there to help boost your application and provide evidence of why you would be a great fit for the vacancy and company, personality-wise and skill-based. It is thought that most internal or external recruiters only briefly look at CVs/Resumes, checking working experience, any prolonged career breaks, and if the skillset matches up with the job requirements.

This is where the cover letter comes into play! Here you can let your personality sign through more, whilst also backing up your skillset and experience. Being able to tailor your cover letter to each application allows you to get across why you are passionate about the role and the company, as well as being able to address any potential points of concern on your CV.

The Cons of Cover Letters

That sounds great, so can there be any cons with using cover letters? Well firstly, cover letters take time to write, and having to adapt them to each application can cause a lot of extra work for candidates during the application process which can put candidates off applying. I know what you're thinking, why not just use a more generic cover letter, but that defeats the point of being able to personalise your cover letter and skillset to stand out! You also want to avoid just replicating your CV/Resume on the cover letter, as this can be a common mistake that makes the cover letter useless and can make the employer feel like you have just wasted their time.

Another issue is that you never know how often your cover letter will be read or passed onto the employer, as this will be on a case-by-case basis depending on the company or internal/external recruiter. This is a major reason more and more people decide not to include a cover letter.

We are also finding that more websites and job boards are using "Quick Apply" software where you just need to upload your CV and it will take all your information from there, whilst not giving you an option for cover letters. We have noticed a lot of candidates will focus on applying to these roles and it saves them time due to the amount of sheer applications it can take to get a job in the current market.

What is our opinion on cover letters in recruitment and the chemical industry?

Being in the chemical manufacturing recruitment industry, we have seen how cover letters have been used across the EMEA region over the years. Whilst we believe a cover letter is a good addition to certain applications, we do not think they're required when you are using a recruitment agency and are not something we would personally ask candidates for in the chemical industry. For example, if the role requires good communication or writing skills, or you want to highlight a specific skillset/experience that would be vital to the role, you can easily show this off in your cover letter, but we wouldn't recommend them for more generic style positions.

What we have found best is once we have received a candidate's CV through either headhunting or their application, and we think they would be an interesting candidate, we set up a short phone interview with them. During this call, we will gain all the information required by our client and make sure the candidate understands the position and what the position would require. After this, we create a candidate profile of the important experience, skillsets, and potential points of concern that we send over to the client along with the candidate's CV. The reason we do this as recruiters, rather than asking for a cover letter is that we understand what the role requires and what the client is after in terms of a candidate's personality and skillset. We can then make a more effective, concise candidate profile and tailor it to each client, making it easier for them to compare applications and see what applications stand out.

Of course, being in the chemical industry there is a wide range of high-skilled base roles where certain skills and experience in a necessity, and yes cover letters would be a good addition to applications in certain scenarios but in general as a recruitment agency, they're not something we use and not something our clients commonly require. With the chemical industry continuing to grow and develop, this is creating a high demand for new roles and specific skill sets, meaning it is a great time to find a job in this industry. It also means interview processes and job applications are moving quickly, so candidates do not have the time to waste constantly adapting and redoing cover letters when applying for roles. A cover letter might cause you to stand out but we think you are better off getting your application in and not having to worry about making the perfect cover letter, as this can hold you back from completing the application. Candidates can also use a recruitment agency to help them find the perfect role, where for us cover letters would not be required.

Conclusion

To conclude, we think cover letters are definitely a good addition to your job application and not old or outdated, but may only be worth your time for specific jobs/roles that require certain experience and skills to be highlighted. We also believe that it makes more sense if you are applying directly to a company's website or email, rather than through a recruiter to think about adding a cover letter.

The honest truth is that a lot of companies won't have time to read a cover letter unless the CV hits all their requirements, and even then they may prefer just to interview the candidate. I think there will always be that risk of a cover letter and we are slowly fading away from them being a requirement in the job market, but there are still times when a cover letter is vital to your application.

As mentioned, as a recruitment agency we personally don't like receiving cover letters as we prefer to have a discussion with the candidate and create a candidate profile to send to our clients. Our clients receive this service, which has proven to be a better system for us, our candidates, and our clients. When applying directly, I recommend finding out if you need to submit a cover letter, if you believe a cover letter will help you with your application, and if you are able to effectively use it to highlight your personality and skillset. However, I wouldn't let it stop me from applying for any roles. It is more important to get the application sent in than worry about adding a cover letter!

If you would like to discuss this in more detail, or even if you would like to understand how we work and can support you in more detail, please feel free to reach out to me.

Jack Ludford

Customer Success Manager

Email: jackludford@witansearch.com

Tel : +44(0)1908 920 426