Cover Letter Help - Should I Include a Cover Letter With My Resume?

I was reading through an online job discussion board recently and I came across a few threads I just couldn't believe. People were actually asking, "Should I include a cover letter with my resume?"

At first, I couldn't believe job seekers would actually ask a question that has what I consider to be such an obvious answer. However, the more I read I realized these poor stressed out job seekers had been reading the advice of others on the net who were actually advocating for NOT sending a cover letter with your resume.

What bone headed so called expert started this round of really bad advice, who knows!

I just want to warn you that if you see this suggestion, ignore it! The cover letter is usually the first thing most employers look at when reviewing resumes and many won't even read your resume if you don't include one of they don't like what they see in the cover letter. The cover letter is an essential part of any job application. Do not omit this important step. In fact, you should spend time customizing your cover letter for each application. The only exception would be in the employer explicitly states not to send a cover letter in the job advertisement. However, this should be very rare and the only time I can think of is if they are asking you to submit it online and they are running it through some automated software to check for keywords. Even then though, you can use the body of your email as a cover letter of sorts... just abbreviate it a little.

You most definitely need a cover letter, in fact you need a cover letter that is going to set you apart from other applicants. It is actually MORE important than your resume. Check out this site for a tool that will help you create a very unique and professional cover letter. It has really helped my clients get more interviews.