Cover letter submitted as an attachment or as the email itself?
When submitting an application for a job, what is the standard for the cover letter? I’ve read different things which treat each way as the standard. Most of the time I submit the resume and cover letter as attachments unless it is specified that it is to be the text of the email.
Is it standard to have the cover letter as the email and the resume as an attachment? Or is it okay to have them together as attached files? No one has ever said anything to me either way and I feel that it’s better to submit as attached files so the formatting, file types, etc. are the same.
I tend to agree with Bobby. I’d rather see a short, concise email/cover letter that is tailored to the position that *I* am hiring for. Give me a compelling reason to open your resume! Yes, recruiter’s can get SWAMPED with too many, depending on the company/opening/etc.
I feel this is a good way to stand out – but I’m afraid there are other recruiter’s who like different things … There is no single "RIGHT" way for this (except, like you mentioned, if they TELL you to put it in the body of the email, please do! That usually means they CAN’T open attachments, they are purged by the email system.)
As long as your cover letter & resume are strong – recruiters will look. That’s what they do!
Best of luck!
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For sure send them as attachments only. Looks much more professional. You have more option for formatting etc. Remember that an employer is looking at potentially heaps of applications – your has to stand out from the crowd. Very hard to do that in an email.
Also, use the letter to highlight how you meet a couple of key job criteria – gets you a head start straight away!
References :
Personally, I think you should do whatever ensures that your cover letter will be read! Afterall, a resume is important, but your cover letter explains why you are applying for this job, how you think you are specifically qualified, etc.
What I have always recommended to people is to type a brief email (here is my resume and cover letter) and then submit a single attachment that has a cover letter and then the resume after it. There should still be no formatting issues in this case.
This is the best way to me, because they are forced to read the cover letter. Many personnel or HR people want to just peruse the resume, and then they never see the more personal side of you in your cover letter.
Wishing you much luck in your search for a job, and God bless!
References :
Cover letter is your key to a success job interview. Cover letter must be written in your email. Employer will first thing read your email first. If they get impressed, then they read your attachment. Putting cover letter as an attachment do not show your sincerity as this make the cover letter like a standard letter. Employer do not like standard cover letter. Every cover letter must be written specifically for that particular job and you must let the employer think that you write this cover letter only for this employer.
References :
I tend to agree with Bobby. I’d rather see a short, concise email/cover letter that is tailored to the position that *I* am hiring for. Give me a compelling reason to open your resume! Yes, recruiter’s can get SWAMPED with too many, depending on the company/opening/etc.
I feel this is a good way to stand out – but I’m afraid there are other recruiter’s who like different things … There is no single "RIGHT" way for this (except, like you mentioned, if they TELL you to put it in the body of the email, please do! That usually means they CAN’T open attachments, they are purged by the email system.)
As long as your cover letter & resume are strong – recruiters will look. That’s what they do!
Best of luck!
References :
Years in Staffing.