I am shocked by how many people don't send a covering letter with their CV

SuzieSue

skylight wrote: »

Yes - I think you are being unreasonable with the amount of detail you seem to want in a covering letter. That's what the CV is for, surely?!!

You can't make a decision on a covering letter - I have had lots of covering letters that have been tailored to meet the job requirements but dont match the CV (and vice versa!) and a quick glance through the CVs for your keywords should suffice

But I have now nearly 200 CVs most of which meet the job requirements so how do I separate the wheat from the chaff?

hcb42

well the ones with no covering letter can go in file 13.:eek:

SuzieSue

hcb42 wrote: »

well the ones with no covering letter can go in file 13.:eek:

I have just had one with a long rambling covering letter (probably one and a half A4 pages), but it hasn't been tailored to the job or the company. This is as bad as no covering letter.

sapphireeye

I always make the effort to write a covering letter detailing why I want to work for the company and how my skills match the job description/person spec but having written a personalised covering letter to every job I've applied for and them not even confirming they received my application, I can see why people might start just firing off their CV only. You get to a point where you do start to wonder what the point is in making the effort to write a covering letter when you're not even sure if it's being read. Saying that, I do continue to write them because I think they're important and I make it easier for myself by using a covering letter I've written before and keeping any relevant parts and changing the others. If you're applying for similar jobs then a lot of the time the same skills are important. On most application forms it has a section where it asks you to detail why you want the job or why you think you're suitable for the job so I don't see why a CV application should be any different. I have to say that long application forms put me off applying for a job, I'd much rather write a covering letter to accompany my CV!

DCFC79

Ive been under the impression that when a cover letter is requested then send 1 and if you dont send 1 then dont expect to be shortlisted. If it is requested then its not hard to follow the request is it. Have you had any cv's with a cover letter

SuzieSue

sapphireeye wrote: »

I always make the effort to write a covering letter detailing why I want to work for the company and how my skills match the job description/person spec but having written a personalised covering letter to every job I've applied for and them not even confirming they received my application, I can see why people might start just firing off their CV only. You get to a point where you do start to wonder what the point is in making the effort to write a covering letter when you're not even sure if it's being read. Saying that, I do continue to write them because I think they're important and I make it easier for myself by using a covering letter I've written before and keeping any relevant parts and changing the others. If you're applying for similar jobs then a lot of the time the same skills are important. On most application forms it has a section where it asks you to detail why you want the job or why you think you're suitable for the job so I don't see why a CV application should be any different. I have to say that long application forms put me off applying for a job, I'd much rather write a covering letter to accompany my CV!

I agree with everything you have said. When I was last applying for jobs, no-one had computers and so covering letters had to be handwritten which was a real effort. Now that they can be sent by email, it is very easy to tailor them for the specific vacancy so I can't see a reason not to do them, even if in this market you are sending off dozens of CVs.

SuzieSue

DCFC79 wrote: »

Ive been under the impression that when a cover letter is requested then send 1 and if you dont send 1 then dont expect to be shortlisted. If it is requested then its not hard to follow the request is it. Have you had any cv's with a cover letter

Yes, some people have sent covering letters but I haven't found one yet that has been tailored to the vacancy.

SuzieSue

I have finally (after around 150 applications), found one with an excellent covering letter (succinct and informative) and her CV also seems ideal. Let's hope she is a good as she seems at interview.

SueC_2

ohreally wrote: »

How would you respond to a cv that disclosed the applicant was disabled (not simply informing of adjustments ahead of an interview)?
Or listed certain school attained qualifications that permitted the applicant to be "aged" by their inclusion (suddenly the applicant is informed they are over qualified).

What do you do with cv's which contain a DOB?

Job seekers are likely to include elements into a cv which perhaps should not be included.

There's absolutely no reason for jobseekers not to include any of this information. Granted, recruiters can't seek out these things, but the candidate can offer up whatever information they like.

Personally I volunteer all sorts of personal details - age, dependents, marital status - as personally I prefer a potential employer to know as much about me as possible to ensure that I am a good fit with their environment. And I've never once felt discriminated against because of it.

emmaanddave

My last couple of jobs I have applied through Reed's website and not included a covering letter and got the jobs! However, if sending direct to employer from a newspaper advert etc I would def send in a covering letter.

I agree with another poster that you can not just judge someone based on the fact they have not sent in a covering letter.

Where did you advertise? If it is somewhere like Reed.com then many people presume when applying their CV goes direct to other agencies.