My (brief) thoughts on cover letters

Originally published on July 19, 2017 at www.linkedin.com.

A journalist from an online media company recently emailed the NYU Stern Office of Career Development asking for our thoughts on “what hiring managers look for in a cover letter in 2017.” Below are some brief comments that I came up with on relatively short notice. If you are a hiring manager (or not) and want to weigh in, please feel free.

In my opinion, a solid cover letter is characterized by:

1) Authenticity: in a time when many job applications can be submitted with a couple of clicks, many students assume cover letters do not get reviewed. However, alumni and recruiters routinely tell us that cover letters do matter — and they can tell very quickly if someone has just used a template and swapped in a new company name. Students should take the time to write authentically about why they like the company and want the job.

2) Directness: the best cover letters are those that address the job description at hand and make a strong case that the student has the relevant skills and experiences to be successful in THAT job. If the job description mentions data analytics, for example, the student should make sure to discuss how they have worked with data in the past.

3) Brevity and clarity: much like the resume, the cover letter should be a place where skills and experiences are described concisely. Hiring managers do not want to read a 1,000-word thesis about why you are the right fit for their open role. Writing concisely — and without errors — is not only going to increase the chance that your cover letter gets reviewed, it is also a demonstration in itself of a skill that almost all employers want: strong communication and writing skills.

The MBA students I work with on a daily basis continue to have conflicting feelings about cover letters, and they also receive conflicting messages from companies and recruiters (not to mention classmates and alumni) about whether or not cover letters are important. Until this debate is settled (hint: it never will be), my advice is to operate under the assumption that your cover letter will be reviewed (by a human being) and that it WILL be a factor, however big or small, in the hiring process.