Recently I have been asked about the importance of a cover letter when submitting your resume. Do you really need one? Is it actually read? Will it help me stand out? These are all great questions. But more importantly, I would ask if the cover letter is still relevant.

Originally, the cover letter was created as a letter of introduction to accompany a resume when submitting an application via mail. This formality seems logical for a different age and time, but in today’s world of online applications and resume submittals I would argue that it’s out of date.

We live in a world where it’s easier to find and apply for a job than 30 years ago. Technology has made it simple to apply online for a variety of positions simultaneously. As a consequence, people are applying to more jobs and recruiters are inundated with resumes on a daily basis. Typically I receive a minimum of 150 resumes each week. I don’t have time to read the cover letters. Instead I focus on evaluating the resume to understand a person’s previous work experiences, skills and education. It’s a matter of efficiency and effectiveness. Let’s say I usually spend at least 5 minutes on each resume. That’s a minimum of 12.5 hours of work dedicated to reading resumes each week. And I wonder why I’m loosing the war to my inbox.

So scrap the cover letter when applying online and instead write a great objective or summary in your resume. It’s more likely to be read and will be more meaningful to the recruiter. Don’t you agree?