Keep writing those cover letters and make ’em sing!
The Sydney Morning Herald publishes letters from people who have workplace or job hunting questions. A workplace expert answers them. I have included my comments at the bottom in italics.
Q. I have been applying for jobs and have found some excellent ones. These are jobs I’m certain I’m well-suited to. In some cases, I can confidently give myself a “high mark” in every selection criterion. But I’m hearing nothing back. This is the first time I’ve been job hunting for a while. I wonder whether my cover letter may be the problem? Is there a chance I no longer understand what hiring managers are looking for, and I am writing cover letters full of irrelevant details?
Q. Cover letters are still the norm. But from the conversations I’ve had with people in hiring positions, it seems the majority of applications they receive include little more than a CV.
Jobseekers have been conditioned over the past five to 10 years to understand that seriously researched and carefully crafted applications are not worth the effort. We live in a work world in which the courtesy of putting time and thought into an application is rarely reciprocated.
Almost everyone reading this will be familiar with spending hours – even days – on a job application and hearing nothing back from the potential employer. Not, as you said, a “pro forma rejection.”
That is not a reason to stop writing cover letters. All the hiring managers I spoke with said that they appreciated cover letters and tended to favour applications with one attached.
With this in mind, I asked Dr Andrew Dhaenens, a senior lecturer in management and leadership at RMIT University, about your question But he said that despite huge technological changes, “the essential elements of good application are the same” as they’d always been.
“Can you quickly and succinctly show that you check the boxes in terms of skills, know the right people and demonstrate the right behaviours? Ultimately, employers will almost always hire the best candidate that they can afford.”
Dhaenens also strongly advised against using AI to write your letter. He suggested that although what it produced could seem tidy at first glance, “it carries a certain tone that hiring managers quickly come to know and get tired of reading”.
My guess is that the problem isn’t your letter. You may want to tweak what you say based on the above advice, but I’m reasonably sure you’re not being ignored because your cover letter isn’t hitting the mark.
Malcolm King: Keep writing crafted cover letters tailored to the position. They are read. Make sure you answer the ‘knock out’ questions correctly, such as you have work rights, the right qualifications if required, etc.
Then read this:
https://www.republicresumes.com.au/blog/the-crazy-ats-resume-rejection-myth/
and this:
https://www.republicresumes.com.au/blog/a-z-of-cover-letters/