the importance of cover letters

With only being a newly minted attorney for a couple years now, the memory of job searching is still fresh in my memory.  The constant resume tweaking.  The incessant writing and re-writing of cover letters.  The due diligence of research on possible employers and locations.  All in an effort to obtain a job.  Luckily, after receiving a mounds of rejection letters for various reasons, I landed several interviews, and obtained my current post, which has been a perfect fit in so many ways.

Anyway, fast forward a couple of years, and I am a junion partner in my firm and we have the need for a part time receptionist position.  Due to time constraints on the senior partners, and my eagerness to learn anything I can about running a business, I'm in charge of shifting through the candidates we get for the position, scheduling and conducting the interviews, reporting back, and ultimately having a fairly large share in making the decision.  (Sometimes you wish you would stop and think what you're getting into before volunteering, but I digress).

So candidates have been selected for interviews, which will happen early next week.  We received an incredible amount of interest in the position, particularly considering its part time, but due, in all likelihood, to the extreme state of our local economy.  I think we had somewhere between 40 and 50 resumes submitted.  All of which brings me to the title of this post.

 Cover letters are important.  They matter.  When someone submitted a resume without a cover letter, and their resume doesn't have specific office experience, its hard to know if they have any skills other than those mentioned.  (Could have been addressed in a cover letter).  If the cover letter is a form letter (which I know exist, I often started with a form letter when writing mine), and the candidate makes no changes to it, it shows.  If you are applying for Job A, say a receptionist, you don't talk about qualifications for Job B, i.e. an inspector, or sales, or whatever.

Make it relevant.  Customize the cover letter.  Respond directly to the ad or posting.  These are all things that were hammered in our head by the career center during law school.  At the time I didn't think much of it...in part because it made sense, but also, when always applying for an attorney position, there's not a whole lot to customize about the letter besides some tidbits about practice areas or location, which was easily accomplished.  Being on the other side of the table now, I see why its so important.  A hiring company has to go through many applications and cover letters.  The letter is for that company to get to know you, to understand why you are interested specifically in that position as opposed to an "any job will do mentality."  Businesses don't want to be hiring all the time.  You have to convince them that this is the job you want, why, besides being a good worker and all that, they won't be back going through this time consuming process again in a short period of time.

Cover letters matter.  I always heard that throughout college and law school.  And I always nodded in agreement, even though now I realize, I didn't truly get it then.  Sitting on this side of table, its a whole lot clearer as to why those pesky little letters count for so much.  To use sports terminology (in my mind), it truly separates the contenders from the pretenders.

Next week, we'll see how I do conducting my first interviews (really not so much an issue from a question standpoint - after all, with a philosophy degree and law school and all, one thing attorneys know how to do is ask lots of questions), but from attempting to evaluate the person for a particular job.