The following is a quick quiz to test your knowledge about cover letters. Answer true or false to the different statements and then read the correct answers below.
1) Cover letters are a waste of time. Nobody reads them.
2) You should apologize for not having all of the requirements listed in the vacancy announcement and then talk about what you have to offer.
3) You should explain your career goals in the cover letter.
4) You should postpone disclosing salary information until you are made an offer unless the vacancy announcement states that resumes will not be accepted without it.
5) All you need is a generic cover letter. You can change the company information as you apply for more positions.
Here are the correct answers:
1) Cover letters are a waste of time. Nobody reads them.
False. While it is true that many recruiters do not read cover letters, up to half of them do. And hiring managers are likely to read cover letters of the top candidates that have been referred to them.
2) You should apologize for not having all of the requirements listed in the vacancy announcement and then talk about what you have to offer.
False. Don’t talk about what you don’t have. It only draws attention to the negative. Talk about what you do have. If what you have to offer is compelling, you will get past the initial screening. If it isn’t, you won’t.
3) You should explain your career goals in the cover letter.
False. This document is not the place for discussing your career goals. Instead, you should give the employer compelling reasons to call you in for an interview.
4) You should postpone disclosing salary information until you are made an offer unless the vacancy announcement states that resumes will not be accepted without it.
True. There is no need to disclose salary information unnecessarily. It can knock you out of the running before you even get an interview. However, if the vacancy announcement states that resumes will not be accepted without it, you can include it.
5) You should tailor each letter to the different positions that you apply for.
True. Recruiters and hiring managers can spot generic cover letters a mile away. What they want to know is that you are interested in the job you applied for, not that you are interested in any job. When you take the time to customize your cover letter for each position, you send the message that you are interested in the specific job that you applied for.
