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

SuzieSue

emmaanddave wrote: »

If you wanted everyone to send in a covering letter then it should have been clearly stated in the job advert. 200 plus potential employees will not presume that a letter is needed if not asked for one. Maybe next time before slating all those that didn't send in a cover letter to actually request one in the first place. Cover letters can be an important part of the application and more effore is put in by myself if it is directly asked for etc.

I am not slating them, I am just curious to know if the importance of covering letters has diminished in the 10 years since I have been involved in recruitment. I and everyone I knew always sent a covering letter with a job application in the past so I didn't know that I had to specifically ask for one when I placed the ad. This is the whole point of this thread.

grudz

emmaanddave wrote: »

If you wanted everyone to send in a covering letter then it should have been clearly stated in the job advert. 200 plus potential employees will not presume that a letter is needed if not asked for one. Maybe next time before slating all those that didn't send in a cover letter to actually request one in the first place. Cover letters can be an important part of the application and more effore is put in by myself if it is directly asked for etc.

I have to disagree, providing a covering letter with your CV is like attending an interview in a shirt and tie. It's one of those unwritten laws like

Friday night is chippy tea, IT'S THE LAW!!

emmaanddave

SuzieSue wrote: »

I am not slating them, I am just curious to know if the importance of covering letters has diminished in the 10 years since I have been involved in recruitment. I and everyone I knew always sent a covering letter with a job application in the past so I didn't know that I had to specifically ask for one when I placed the ad. This is the whole point of this thread.

Maybe some research into other job ads, what they are asking/looking for would have helped you gain a better understanding of the current marketplace.

SuzieSue

diable wrote: »

What sort of jobs are you advertising for, director level or minimum wage jobs?

Clerical but twice the minimum wage.

emmaanddave

grudz wrote: »

I have to disagree, providing a covering letter with your CV is like attending an interview in a shirt and tie. It's one of those unwritten laws like

Friday night is chippy tea, IT'S THE LAW!!

It all depends on who it is too - an agency I would not bother as they contact me regardless. I have got my last few jobs without a covering letter.

On the otherhand one of my last jobs was to give unemplyed people the skills they needed to gain employment and that included the benefit of having a good covering letter and we covered the different types of letters that could be written.

I do not disagree that cover letters have their place but it is not essential all of the time.

grudz

I'll take the job for minimum wage, lol!!

Torry_Quine

grudz wrote: »

I have to disagree, providing a covering letter with your CV is like attending an interview in a shirt and tie. It's one of those unwritten laws like

Friday night is chippy tea, IT'S THE LAW!!

Actually it isn't essential to wear a suit and tie as the person I know who just got a job would contend to. They also sent in the CV but no covering letter as it didn't ask for one.

diable

SuzieSue wrote: »

Clerical but twice the minimum wage.

Then the people applying for the job don'y have the experience or care about the work for £11ph, in the trade these are known as "accidentals" they just apply for anything hoping to get an interview. You should have a scheme at work where if someone recommends someone then after 6 months they get a bonus and the person they recommended also gets a bonus.

SuzieSue

emmaanddave wrote: »

I

On the otherhand one of my last jobs was to give unemplyed people the skills they needed to gain employment and that included the benefit of having a good covering letter and we covered the different types of letters that could be written.

.

But did you tell them to only send covering letters if asked for specifically or as a matter of course?

SuzieSue

diable wrote: »

Then the people applying for the job don'y have the experience or care about the work for £11ph, in the trade these are known as "accidentals" they just apply for anything hoping to get an interview. You should have a scheme at work where if someone recommends someone then after 6 months they get a bonus and the person they recommended also gets a bonus.

All the people I work with on around £20k do care about their jobs.