Cover Letters: Outdated or Essential in the Modern Job Hunt?
Publié le 11 November 2025
If you’re anything like me and have ever spent much time applying for jobs, it’s likely there are four simple words that can bring up a whole bundle of anxieties: ‘Submit cover letter (optional)’. Just how ‘optional’ is the cover letter? And I know many people who refuse to even apply for companies that make cover letters a requirement because they see them as a time waste when they could be out there applying for other jobs with companies that they think value their time.
Just how necessary are cover letters these days? Are they an outdated practice that companies should do away with and candidates ignore? Or do they still play a vital role for recruiters?
With recruitment increasingly becoming an automated process on both sides due to AI-driven applicant tracking systems (ATS) and predictive algorithms, and AI usage rife in the actual writing of cover letters, it’s time to take a good hard look at cover letters in modern recruitment.
The Traditional Purpose of Cover Letters
Traditionally, cover letters were supposed to be the bridge between a candidate’s resume and the job description. They humanize the applicant, offering a space for them to articulate their passions, show how their personal values align with a company’s mission, and provide context for things like career transitions or gaps that usually can’t be done with just a resume.
A candidate pivoting industries might use a cover letter to frame their transferable skills, while a recent graduate could highlight internships or volunteer work. Cover letters should also be an opportunity to showcase your communication skills, which are important in just about every professional role.
The Candidate’s Perspective
Most job markets are incredibly competitive at the moment, so for job seekers, the cover letter dilemma often boils down to effort versus reward. Crafting a tailored letter for each application is time-consuming, particularly when competing against hundreds of applicants. Would they be better off playing a numbers game and submitting more applications to companies? Of course, since they can run lower-effort application processes in the time it would take to craft the perfect cover letter for one job.
That’s why various resume automation techniques can speed up the process of creating cover letters tailored to specific roles at scale. But, these tools are a long way off from being good enough that you can submit their results without extensive editing.
AI is also automating a lot of the recruitment process, so the big questions that trouble most candidates are: ‘Is it worth submitting a cover letter when it’s marked optional?’ and ‘Does anyone actually read the cover letters I write?’.
Unfortunately, there aren’t precise answers to those questions…
The Recruiter’s Perspective
I’m sad to say that the answer to whether recruiters read or value cover letters is ‘it depends on the role’. There are many conflicting stats on whether recruiters actually read cover letters, and the rates can vary by role and industry.
One thing we can pin down is that the higher the volume of candidates for a role, the less likely a recruiter is to read your cover letter, with 76% of hiring professionals stating they prioritize resumes over cover letters for high-volume roles.
In general, recruiters do believe there’s value in cover letters. They can be effective in determining whether a candidate is a good cultural fit for a role before they submit them to hiring managers. Especially for software developers and other roles that aren’t as ‘expressive’ or creative, they can be a good gauge of a candidate’s capabilities. In fact, 45% of recruiters will reject applications for management and leadership roles that prioritize communication if it doesn’t have a cover letter.
But it’s not enough to just throw a one-size-fits-all cover letter that you haven’t proofed onto every application. If your cover letter has spelling or grammatical areas, your application has a 58% chance of being rejected immediately. Things are even worse if a recruiter decides your cover letter is generic and template-based, with a 90% chance of being rejected no matter how strong your credentials are.
The message is clear: if you’re going to submit a cover letter, it needs to be top-notch, otherwise, it could do more harm than good.
The Company’s Perspective
The majority of large companies are automating large parts of the hiring process, with over 70% of large companies using ATS technology to screen candidates. It’s even higher in the biggest companies: over 98% of Fortune 500 companies use ATS. Modern hiring is increasingly shaped by technology. These technologies scan for keywords, which would seem to make it pointless for candidates to spend time crafting a perfect cover letter, and instead focus on optimizing their resumes.
Furthermore, many large firms have instituted application-form-based recruitment, with screening questions tailored to the company’s needs. This gives candidates and companies more guidance on the specific requirements for the role, removing a lot of the guesswork required when writing a cover letter.
While this might seem to indicate that companies don’t value cover letters anymore, the story is a little different when you look at the sentiment of the hiring managers, or how things work in smaller companies. Hiring managers in creative fields seem to value cover letters quite highly.
You can’t just say you’re ahead of the curve and stop doing them completely. If a cover letter is ‘optional’, it’s probably best for you to buckle down and write one, despite the time it can take.
Cover Letter Alternatives
Many companies and candidates are using alternatives to cover letters. Video introductions are becoming popular, as they give a candidate more of an opportunity to display their personality, and are probably more relevant for roles that don’t require much prose writing.
Similarly, in certain fields, like tech or creative, a digital portfolio can be a more effective alternative to a written cover letter. Similarly, a polished LinkedIn profile can display everything a cover letter might communicate.
However, it’s worth noting that it’s probably better to only submit these alternatives when asked for. While a dazzling, creative video might go down well in creative industries, it’s probably not going to do what you want for a job application to a serious law firm.
Conclusion
Apologies to all the job seekers who hate writing cover letters. It seems that for many roles, the need for cover letters is going to be sticking around for a bit longer.
However, I’m going to appeal to any recruiters or hiring managers who might be reading this. Please remove the ambiguity around whether a cover letter is going to be useful for an application. Don’t indicate a cover letter is ‘optional’ if you’re only going to consider candidates who submit one. Furthermore, if you know you’re not going to have time to read a cover letter, don’t even ask for one, optional or not.
It’s only fair. The job market is brutal right now, and job seekers need to be able to prioritize their resources effectively if they’re going to land their dream roles. Plus, you’ll reduce the chances of missing out on the perfect candidate due to the ambiguity around your application requirements.
