The Question: I am wondering about your thoughts on cover letters. I read them first, before resumes, and I know other administrators who don’t pay attention to them whatsoever. What are your thoughts?
– How Would Sherlock Hire? program participant
The Answer: Your colleagues are missing an opportunity to learn more about applicants before deciding who to invite to be interviewed. Job-specific cover letters can provide more insight about the applicant than resumes, which tend to generic. Job-specific cover letters show you a candidate who knows how to explain why they want the job you’re offering.
Not all cover letters contain useful information. Some read like they were written with no one particular in mind. These can be categorized as “Dear Occupant” letters. They are usually short (“Here is my resume”) and are personalized only by changing the name of the intended recipient and organization to which the writer is applying.
Job-specific cover letters feel like they were written with you, your organization and your vacant position in mind. The letter addresses the specifics of your advertising.
Advertising can establish a framework for the hiring process if it includes more than basic requirements (minimum education, experience and skills). It should identify the competencies and attitudes you desire, such as a commitment to teamwork, a customer service orientation or an innovative approach to problem solving.
Whenever I discover that one of my programs which is intended to help leaders grow their hiring skills has also attracted audience members who are planning a job search, I offer a few thoughts on how they can make their job search successful and I suggest they write cover letters.
Those letters should include examples from their past employment experiences to illustrate how they are creative, a team player or committed to customer service—whatever competencies and attitudes the job posting identifies.
When you advertise that you are looking for someone who is “innovative” the applicant may respond that “I demonstrated my innovative approach to problem solving when I …”
When applicants address what is in your advertising it may indicate that they see a position with your organization as more than “just another job.”
By illustrating how what they have done in the past relates to what you are looking for now, the applicants make it easier for you to select who to invite to an interview.
Usually, the description of what they did will only scratch the surface. So you should explore their competencies more deeply in your planned interview questions (which are linked to what’s in your advertising) or by taking time early in the interview to ask about what the candidate highlighted in their cover letter and resume.
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