Should You Include A Cover Letter With Your Resume?

Some companies specifically ask for a cover letter, some don't. Plus, more and more Internet job boards have their own systems set up that require you to submit your resume according to their often strict guidelines and you may not actually have the option of including a cover letter.

I look at it this way: If a company asks me for a cover letter, I'll send one. If they ask me for my resume, I'll send a cover letter too. If they're using a submission method (ie. a job board) that doesn't allow me to send a cover letter, I won't include one.

Often, Internet job boards include a box that enables you to fill in additional details regarding your suitability for the job and this is a great opportunity to tell them what you would have told them in the cover letter ie. why should they interview you?

You might spell out specifics related to why you are interested in the job and in the company and anything else that you feel might help your cause. If the job description stated that they need to hire someone as soon as possible and you can start a new job right away, mentioning this might increase the likelihood that they interview you. Alternatively, you might highlight a specific skill or experience that you have that the job requires.

Basically, these job boards tend to make applying for a job less formal in the sense that if they don't have you submitting a cover letter, you often find yourself submitting a text version of your resume and perhaps some additional comments also in text.

Are the days of formal cover letters with nice fonts and formatting a thing of the past? Not yet but many of the Internet job boards are certainly shying away from accepting attachments such as Word documents which often limits your ability to make a fancy looking resume and instead concentrate on the content which is really what it's all about anyways.

To learn more about cover letter writing check out my cover letter main page that includes many different cover letter resources.