[Kalium]

> This is so true. It's really shocking how little effort and originality some/most people go to in getting the job they want.

I used to believe that putting in effort and showing originality would help me get the job I wanted. Over time, I came to understand that was a huge drain on my time, energy, and emotional well-being for the sake of people who basically never noticed.

For instance, at my current employer we use JobScore. In theory, an applicant can submit a cover letter and a portfolio and so on. People who look at engineering applicants go straight for the resume and ignore details like cover letter.

[johns]

That's too bad. A cover letter is 100x more valuable than a resume.

[Kalium]

Could you explain why you say that?

[kbeckmann]

A good cover letter tells more about the person and not just the cold facts. What motivates the person, details about side projects etc.

[Kalium]

Those are valuable details, but I think that it makes the application largely about the applicant's ability to author prose. This is appropriate for a copywriter, but I find it of less certain value for a software engineer.

[dangerlibrary]

The best argument for a cover letter over a resume is that relatively few people tailor their resume to each application. As a result, a resume is the job-application equivalent of a mass-mailer. Cover letters (when written correctly and not templated) convey a certain amount of interest in THIS job, and show that the candidate is serious about the position.

[Kalium]

I think that's only significant if you believe a candidate's display of interest correlates significantly with their ability to perform on the job. I am not convinced that that is a significant correlation or that it should be aggressively selected for.

[ameister14]

I have gotten multiple jobs and a lot of interviews by writing a cover letter and not attaching a resume to it.

[OJFord]

You get not only a list of facts, but also an idea of what the applicant thinks is important - that is, important to them, or that they perceive as being in line with the company's objectives.