In this day and age, you can find a job without needing to step foot outside your home, because you don’t need to physically go to the place where you want to work, and can just send an online application. It allows you to save time and send out more applications, increasing your chance of getting an answer back.
On the other hand, there is a lot more competition and because of that, the application process takes longer as recruiters have to take more steps to select the best candidate. However, candidates are quite annoyed with all the steps because they feel they are repeating themselves and just wasting time.
The topic was brought up once again when the official account of LinkedIn posted a tweet looking down upon people who don’t apply to jobs when they see a cover letter is required. Twitter users were quick to respond and while there were some who agreed, most of them were annoyed with the tweet.
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LinkedIn thinks that cover letters are an important part of a job application process but Twitter couldn't agree less
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LinkedIn, as they introduce themselves, is “the world's largest professional network on the internet.” It is basically a website where you can look for jobs or connect with the right people who can lead you to your desired position.
LinkedIn also has social media features as people like to share posts about their career changes, achievements, advice, events and anything else related to working or their jobs. The posts receive likes, comments, and people share them, so it’s quite interactive and you never know when a new career opportunity will come to you.
LinkedIn posted a tweet implying that people who don't apply to jobs if there is a cover letter required are not trying hard enough
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Because the platform itself is so up-to-date, catering to young people who spend so much time on social media leads followers to believe that the company also has modern views shared with the majority of the working class today.
Most of the time, it seems like this is the case, because previous tweets include statements that mental health is more important than a toxic job, encouraging people to take their PTO, and supporting professionals who have tattoos, but one of their recent tweets ticked people off.
But Twitter users had completely opposite thoughts
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LinkedIn said: “little miss gives up on a job application if it requires a cover letter.” The company jumped in on a meme trend that became quite popular for no reason, creating relatable characters who are ‘a little miss.’
This is actually a real character that you can find in the children’s book series Mr. Men and Little Misses, popular in the United Kingdom. There are other characters such as Little Miss Curious, Little Miss Giggles, etc. So people started creating their own versions pointing out sad, annoying or admirable things about people, like Little Miss Can’t Be Wrong or Little Miss Compulsive Target Run, followed up by cute illustrations.
So contrary to some people’s belief, LinkedIn was not trying to be sexist here, making it seem that only women give up or are lazy, but were just using a meme template.
A lot of people considered cover letters to be a waste of time
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Even though most of the time, memes are harmless and make you smile internally or painfully relate, LinkedIn missed the target this time. They were implying that people who just don’t bother with a job application if they find a cover letter is required are wrong.
Twitter users responded that in this case, LinkedIn is not making sense. Most people explained that they don’t think a cover letter should be necessary because it contains information that is already available in their resume and in the application form.
They claimed that the job application process is already lengthy, so why require a cover letter that includes the same information provided in the resume
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People were arguing that cover letters take too much time to write and when you are looking for a job, you have already dedicated a good chunk of the day looking through listings and sending out applications and having multiple interviews for a position.
There were also people from the other side of the fence who actually hire people, some of whom confirmed that they don’t even read the cover letters and it has somehow become this formality that companies can’t get rid of.
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While a lot of people agreed that cover letters are unnecessary, there were a few who defended it and believed it says more than just a resume
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While most people in the comments considered cover letters to be a waste of time, there were some who believed in it. In their opinion, a cover letter highlights your strengths and may reveal your other skills that don’t fit into the resume template.
It may be that people have forgotten what a cover letter is and assume it has to contain the information that they already provide in their CV.
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Another problem people saw with cover letters was that they spend time writing them when recruiters don't even read them
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Turns out, LinkedIn is aware of this situation. In an article published earlier this year, they write, “Today’s cover letters are trapped in a kind of chicken-egg situation: hiring pros stopped reading cover letters because cover letters were generic and boring. Meanwhile, hirees started writing generic, boring cover letters because hiring professionals weren’t reading them anyway!”
So they believe it is your opportunity to stand out and give more than anyone would expect. There are quite a lot of suggestions online for what can make your cover letter draw the eye of the hiring manager.
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This was confirmed by people who hire employees, which raises the question of who decided a cover letter should be a requirement
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Many resources suggest adjusting your cover letter to a specific position in the specific company. They also believe it is important to address the hiring manager personally and try to write in a condensed way. Try giving examples instead of talking vaguely and point out the skills that are relevant only to the position for which you are applying at that time.
It may seem like a lot of effort, especially knowing that recruiters don’t always read cover letters, but if you feel like it is a waste of time, you shouldn’t feel bad for not applying. Every step of the process reflects what the company’s values are and if they don’t match with yours, you wouldn’t even want to work there anyway.
So you can follow the commenters’ steps and not apply if there is a requirement to submit one or only write a cover letter to the companies you truly want to work at, as the genuine interest will definitely come through the screen of the person who is reading it.
According to LinkedIn, cover letters are an opportunity to stand out exactly because everyone is done with them and don't put effort in writing
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Many companies still require a cover letter, but the Twitter thread showed that it should be more of an optional application step and applying for a job doesn’t need to be such a complicated process.
We would like to know how you feel about cover letters. Do you write them? Do you think they have ever helped you to get a job? Or do you avoid job listings with a required cover letter? Let us hear what you have to say on the topic in the comments!