"YES," you need a professional cover letter. In fact, if you don't send a cover letter to a company, the decision makers won't review the resume, 98% of the time. I have spoken to thousands of hiring managers and recruiters in the last 13.5 years and all but one said cover letters were critical and they would not read the resume unless there was a cover letter.
I spoke to a Hiring Manager yesterday employed by IBM, and she told me that resumes without a cover letter don't stand a chance! She said if a candidate is too lazy to write a cover letter, she doesn't even want to talk to them, let alone hire them. Well, "lazy" may be a strong word, but I get her point! :) Perhaps the job candidate was not aware they needed a cover letter.
Not only do you need a cover letter to go with your professional resume, but you need all types of letters! Don't think you can simply write one letter, and you are done. :) Not in today's job market.
If you are searching for a job, you will be writing all types of letters --- follow up letters, networking letters, letters to recruiters, letters for job openings, hiring proposal letters, introduction letters, letters to venture capitalists, private equity firms, CEOs, Board of Directors, resurrection letters, etc. The list goes on and on!
The fact is cover letters are a primary document in your job search. Don't be fooled in believing that one cover letter will be the only one you need. It doesn't work that way. Letters are used to respond to all types of and opportunities.situations
Most people find cover letters exceedingly PAINFUL and difficult to write. If you are confused about letters or struggle writing your cover letters, I can help. I've written thousands of successful cover letters as a Certified Professional Resume Writer. If you need help, contact me at 1-800-265-6901 or info@agreatresume.com and let's talk about the letters you need.
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