Most job boards have a separate space to copy and paste, or upload, the cover letter. If applying directly through email though, why not just include the cover letter in the same document as the resume and reference them both in the email. Some job descriptions specifically state to provide one document that inlcudes the cover letter and resume.

A cover letter can cover points that your resume may not show or go into slightly more detail than a resume bullet point. There are some excellent points in the comments which I will use as part of my job search to minimize the risk of employers not reading the cover letter.

Kevin, I am sure, in today’s economy, that hiring managers and recruiters only have so much time to look at incoming emails. What would be the ideal set up for a cover letter to put it in the right pilr?

Good cover letters may often be overlooked by applicants. But even when they do make the effort, good cover letters are only effective with recipients who appreciate good writing skills.

Recruiters often don’t bother with the quality of the writing in the resume. With so many applications received, their priority is to scan the documents and check the job requirements tick-boxes. Very often to reduce the pile quickly, the approach is to find a reason to rule out candidates (process of elimination).

There’s a lot of talent out there that is missed by these blunt instruments of recruitment and selection.

Under such circumstances, how does one get a good cover letter to work in one’s favour?

I would recommend making your cover letter the body of your email. When sending multiple attachments you run the risk of a) the email getting flagged as spam and b) the recipient not openning all the attachments.

Best,

Kevin

More peeps could be cutting themselves out of the pack (in a really good way) with this technique!