Do I really need a Cover Letter?

Do I really need a Cover Letter?

Yes! Absolutely you must! Unless you want your resume to go from the HR’s or Hiring Manager’s hands and straight into trash can, you had better have one. The cover letter is your first impression to potential employers. Not having one will immediately give the impression that you are lazy or not aware of the importance of having one. Think of it like this, would you go out and spend time and money on finding the perfect outfit for a very important date, but not spend any time fixing your hair or putting on your makeup? The same is true for a cover letter, why spend time or money on the perfect resume and not put the effort into having a great cover letter that draws attention to your strengths and skills? You see, the problem with finding a job is the competition.  You have to have something that sets you apart from your competitors. The cover letter is what puts the “Icing on the Cake!” The hiring and selection process is very costly and time consuming for employers. They must find cost effective ways to swiftly sort through their list of prospective employees.

Please post your answer and thoughts on this scenario:

Company X has a job vacancy that they must fill. The HR received fifty online applications for this vacancies. The HR’s initial screening of these applications established that fifty percent of these potential employees have the necessary skills and education requirements for recruitment. Out of these twenty-five, fifteen of them did not submit an online resume. The remaining ten have very similar resumes but only five have cover letters. To save time and money on hiring costs, the Hiring Manager decides to interview five potential employees for the open position. Who do you think will be the five that get the interview?