[amorphid]

When I was recruiting, a generic application wasn't an automatic deal breaker, but it wasn't good. If you can't take the time that you're applying to a specific job for a specific reason, that's usually a sign that you've basically "swiped right" on a job that sounded interesting. Usually a generic application for a qualified person goes to the bottom of the pile of people worth considering.

[watwut]

What specific reason would you expect me to cite when I apply for senior developer position?

[amorphid]

Anything that makes you a strong fit or that makes you really like the position. Even if you don't have much to say, anything that makes your application not look like spam, and spamming out a resume is exactly what the author of this article is doing, is a good start.

"I wrote one of the open source packages you use!"

"You make software used in my toaster!"

"Your office it two blocks from my house!"

[alexashka]

This'd imply your company is so interesting, that it warrants a cover letter. When I job hunt, I email literally every posting, as does everyone I know. When you're looking for 'strong fit' - what you're really selecting for is desparation.

When I was a junior, I wrote cover letters for every job. Now that I'm senior, I haven't written one in years and get more callbacks than ever before.

[amorphid]

And I bet you don't need to write a spam bot to spam your resume out to N * 10^50 job postings. It sounds like you've outgrown the need to seeks answers to questions you might have asked earlier in your career. That is a nice position to be in :)

Still, one could argue that flirting w/ the company a bit at the point you make a first impression, possibly in a cover letter, is in your best interests. If someone needs you, they'll offer to pay what they need to. If someone wants you, they'll pay whatever it takes to retain you. Sometimes those numbers are the same. But if a company would be willing to go the extra mile to make you happy, and you give them no reason to feel that way, you're leaving money on the table.

[icebraining]

I'm curious, what are you expecting to read?

[amorphid]

For starters, anything that indicated the person was specifically interested in the opportunity for some reason. This wasn't usually a good start.

"Dear Sir or Madam,

<generic blob of text>

Sincerely, <applicant name>"

[flukus]

Were you recruiting for a well known and respected company that was listed in the job ad or for a random generic company?

If you're someone like google or in a very specific niche that I'd like to be in then I'd write a cover letter, but that is not most jobs.

[amorphid]

My observation was that job applicants who tried to get the job by making a notable effort to show genuine interest in a specific opportunity seemed to be the one's who eventually got the job. Being interested doesn't make one qualified, but it does tend to make one stand out.

Getting a good job is hard, and you can't always tell from the outside if a job is one you'd want. It doesn't take much time to show genuine interest in any opportunity that's worth applying to, no matter how prestigious the company may be.