Every job asks for them, but do cover letters matter?

And do recruiters really read through your resume or is it all just fed into an automated system? Welcome to ask a recruiter.

Hey, everyone, it’s Abby and Gabby. Recruitment consultants here at Frazer Tremble Executive.

Something that’s part of our job every day is setting our candidates and our clients up for success.

We get a lot of DM’s on LinkedIn. We get phone calls, emails on how to provide you guys with some insights and tips you’ve been asking. There’s a lot of similar questions. So we thought;Why not jump on here and answer your questions as best as we can?

So welcome to Q and A with G and A

Let’s go!

Do you recruiters or businesses use software to screen resumes for keywords instead of just reading through every application they receive?

Gabrielle: I think it is becoming a lot more prevalent nowadays. A lot of people are starting to implement it in their system. It’s very convenient. It can speed up the process.

But I know good recruiters do like to read between the lines.

Sometimes if you haven’t typed in a keyword, or perhaps it’s just something as simple as a grammar error, spelling error in your resume you miss out on great talent.

So as mentioned, you know, good recruiters will read between the lines. And we like to increase our diversity and mix of talent when we are presenting clients. So we’ll always give you a call if we need clarity on your something in your resume.

Do cover letters really matter?

Gabrielle: I think they’re polite, but they’re not necessary.

Abby: 100%!

Gabrielle: They’re useful. It gives context to a little bit more about your own situation and adds elements in terms of what you can’t add on your resume. If it’s a little bit too, you know, Waffle-y

Abby: Your resume is a play by play of every single role you’ve had.

Your cover letter is, why are you applying for that particular role and what is your current situation at the moment?

I think cover letters are often ignored. They kind of get tossed aside. What’s the resume, what’s the experience? And not a lot of people come back to them.

If there are some important things that you’ve put in a cover letter, that might mean that someone overlooks you, such as you’re in a different state, you’re moving to the country, you’re changing roles, you’re trying to break into a new industry.

Just chuck it on the resume at the top, and I think you’ll get a lot more cut through.

Because I think cover letters are often ignored.

Next time – “Should you list career breaks in your resume?” More Q and A’s coming soon!

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