Can a Resume Writing Service Write Your Cover Letter?

Many job applicants use a resume writing service to write their resume from scratch or to improve their current resume. I don't see anything wrong with this with one BIG exception. I strongly discourage my clients from using such a service to create their cover letter.

Here's why...

Although most resume writing services offer cover letter creation as an add on service or even throw it in for free, they are almost never exceptionally adept at doing so.

The cover letter is the very first thing a hiring manager is going to see. In fact, many hiring managers don't bother to read all the resumes they get when they have a lot of applications for a single job. They go through the pile and narrow it down based on the cover letter alone.

What does this mean?

The cover letter is often more important than the resume in getting you on the "short list" and getting you the interview.

Creating an exceptional professional resume requires a different skill set than preparing an exceptional cover letter. Yes, the better resume writing services are skilled writers but they are more adept at technical writing than with writing advertising copy.

And... to get on the short list in this competitive job market what you need is exceptional advertising copy. You need marketing language with a call to action. You need language in a 1/2 to 3/4 page cover letter (with lots of white space) to succinctly sell YOU and convince the hiring manager that he or she needs to meet you in person. You need time tested marketing magic.

This is why I always recommend to my clients that they use the cover letter software that I review at the top of this page to create their cover letter, even if they have hired a professional resume writing service. For those who do both and end up with 2 cover letters to compare side by side, they always choose, without exception, the cover letter that is created with this particular software (there is other cover letter creating software out there but I've never found one that worked as well as this one).