[bpires]

I highly doubt this has to do with cover letters. From Google's Job FAQ: "Cover letters are optional, and applications with them are not preferred over those without. We recommend using a cover letter only to bring up anything that would not be evident from the rest of your application. It can also be an opportunity to let Google know about you as an individual, in addition to why you're a good fit for the organization. We strongly recommend using your resume to represent your candidacy." http://www.google.com/intl/cn/jobs/students/sga/mba/internsh...

From a Google Screener: "As a heavy interviewer and occasional resume screener at Google, I rarely look at the cover letter. Your resume should give me enough context for whether you have the key experience for the role." http://www.quora.com/How-should-a-cover-letter-for-Google-lo...

[ColinWright]

Right. Based on one of the other comments I've gone to have a look at that. Things have changed, and may be significantly different at places like Google as opposed to my experience. I've only ever been hiring at startups and small companies, and never in the US.

I guess it's also different for an internship as opposed to a job. As someone with 20 years of experience in running companies, when faced with a bare CV I can never tell what someone will be like in a company. I always like to see someone tell me why they add value, and then back up their claims with evidence from their CV, but I guess that doesn't apply here.

All that being said, if all they look at is the CV then a bare recitation might not be the best presentation. It would be interesting to look at how to make a better "CV" for this purpose.

Anyway, thanks for the information - appreciate it.