Atlanta Recruiters Say Cover Letters Are Dead: Here’s Why

Crawford Thomas Recruiting Blog

The New Resume: No Cover Letter

Not too long ago, job seekers who wanted to secure a new position were charged with the task of first writing a stellar cover letter.

Today, however, the tables have turned.

While many people still regard cover letters as an essential piece of the job-seeking process, Atlanta recruiters disagree.

In fact, upwards of 2/3 of recruiters surveyed by JobVite reported that cover letters were no longer an essential component of the hiring and job seeking process.

Here’s what today’s job seekers need to know about the death of the cover letter, and what’s taking its place.

Why the Cover Letter Bit the Dust

Before technology began to morph the world of hiring, the cover letter served a few important purposes. In addition to giving managers an idea of who the candidate was and what he or she cared about, a good cover letter also served the purpose of providing some context for an application.

Today, however, this has all been made obsolete by technology.

In the modern world of hiring, companies do much of their recruiting online, and many jobseekers come to available positions via digital job boards or even social media. When companies do their hiring and preliminary evaluation via a digital software platform, there’s often not even a space to include a cover letter.

In addition to the fact that many companies are now conducting their hiring online, even the businesses that adhere to old-school hiring methods often don’t have the time to sift through hundreds of cover letters anymore.

As a result, the cover letter has become obsolete in the world of modern recruiting, and companies and recruiters are starting to look for different things in their stead.

How to Strengthen Your Resume Without a Cover Letter: 3 Tips

The first question that many people ask when they begin to realize that cover letters are dead is how the lack of these once-essential job-seeking pillars will affect a resume.

Luckily, the answer is that resumes can still be strong and complete, even without a cover letter.

Here’s how you can fill yours out even more efficiently:

1. Pitch yourself at the top of the resume

In many ways, a cover letter was just an opportunity for a job seeker to tell a company what made him or her special. Luckily, you can do this even without the space a cover letter provides. The secret is simply to add a summary to the top of your resume.

Typically 2-3 sentences long, a summary is a space in which job seekers sum up their skills and give a brief statement about why they’re qualified for the position. Think of it as a cover letter, but much more compact.

2. Give your resume a personal touch

Many job seekers believe that a resume is all business and no fun. While that used to be true, today’s managers want to get an entire picture of an employee before they make a hire.

In light of this, modern resumes are expanding to include personal information like hobbies and relevant clubs or memberships. While this may seem like unneeded information, it can give your resume the personal touch that a cover letter used to do.

3. Infuse your resume with your social media profiles

Today, social media can either help or hurt you in your job search. If you’ve maintained a professional and complimentary presence in your social media profiles, though, it’s a smart move to include your handles in your resume.

By adding your Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram handles, you can help a hiring manager understand who you are and what you care about more deeply. Bonus points if your social profiles also showcase your previous achievements.

A Better Resume Made Simple by Atlanta Recruiters

Even though cover letters aren’t as important today as they once were, these three simple tips can help you improve your resume and stand out to Atlanta recruiters, starting now.

Crawford Thomas RecruitingAtlanta Recruiters Say Cover Letters Are Dead: Here’s Why