Are Cover Letters Still Relevant [POLL]
Estimated reading time: 2 minutes
I’ve been seeing a lot of talk lately about cover letters and whether they’re still relevant in today’s job search. Some of the talk has to do with the popularity of artificial intelligence (AI) and ChatGPT.
But the discussion about AI and job search is very confusing. For example, I read an article on Lifehacker about “Why You Shouldn’t Use AI for Your Cover Letters” and then an article on Resume Builder that says “3 in 4 Job Seekers Who Used ChatGPT to Write Their Resume Got an Interview”.
Back to cover letters. I’ve always thought of a cover letter has a way to introduce yourself. And I still do. But if everyone hates cover letters so much, then I have to believe the quality of them diminishes because candidates aren’t writing them for their intended purpose.
CNBC published an article last year saying 58% of workers feel cover letters are unnecessary. To offer some context, only 32% of people despise pineapple on pizza. And regardless of your thoughts about Hawaiian pizza, you have to admit it’s a pretty passionate topic. So when 58% of people are anti- cover letter, I think you have to pay attention.
I wanted to get your thoughts on this, so I’ve put together a quick poll. And because I could see opinions being different depending on whether you’re a recruiter or a candidate, I’ve constructed this one to address both.
If the poll above did not come through on an email, please click through to HR Bartender and answer there.
Thanks so much for taking the time to complete this totally unscientific one-question poll. I’m sure there are other nuances we can explore but this is a great place to start the conversation. And in case you were wondering, I already asked my fave AI platform what they thought of cover letters (but I wouldn’t want to influence your reply by sharing their response).
As always, I’ll publish the results in a couple of weeks. It will be very interesting to see where the similarities and differences are.
Image captured by Sharlyn Lauby at the SHRM Annual Conference in Las Vegas, NV
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