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What is the difference between Cover Letter and Resume?
Cover Letter
A Cover Letter is exactly that: a letter. It starts with Dear [person or company name] and ends with Sincerely [your name]. The Cover letter introduces you to the person(s) making decisions as to who gets an interview. It used to be that a Cover Letter was printed and signed in ink and mailed in an envelope along with the resume. Now everything is electronic, but the Cover Letter is just as important as it always was.
A cover letter can be as simple as:
[date]
Hiring Manager, [name of organization]
Dear Sir or Madam: OR [Mr. or Ms. Last name if you have it]
I read with interest your posting on [site where you saw the job] for the position of [title of position].
With over [number of years] years of experience in [appropriate area of experience or expertise] I would love to learn more about this position and how I could help you to achieve your goals.
My resume is attached. Please feel free to contact me if you believe that my experience and expertise might meet your needs.
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
[name][email][phone]
You can see more examples of cover letters here.
It is important to note that all cover letters are not equal.
Of the letters that I receive, too many are obviously copied from somewhere (or just poorly written) and make no indication of the job that you are applying for or why you want or are qualified for it. These are actually worse than failing to include a cover letter.
Below is an actual example of a letter that I received as part of an application:
“I am writing you today to introduce myself as a candidate for this open position here at your company. I am aware of the Company’s excellent character that upholds a performance-driven environment, hard work, effort and attainment. The company mission statement and values are aligned with my own personal values and vision.”
This person clearly uses the same letter for every position, indicating that he is not really interested and has no idea what the company mission statement or values are. He is also advertising that he can’t write well.
He did not get an interview.
You don’t need to reinvent the wheel with every cover letter, but please at least mention the organization and the job title for which you are applying.
Resume
Your resume is a summary of your education and professional experience. There are lots of templates that you can use (just search for Free Resume Template). If you don’t have a lot of experience, you will want to use a very simple template that has space for your education and a few jobs. Unless you have been working for many years, your resume should fit on one page.
The thing about resume templates is that they often have space for lots of information that you don’t need. You don’t need to fill out every section if it doesn’t apply. You do, though, need to delete the section. I so often see people fail to do this, and it doesn’t present well.
For instance, some templates include sections for Publications or Awards. If those don’t apply to you (and if this is your first resume they probably don’t), then just delete those sections.
Your resume does not need an Objective Section unless you can gear it very specifically to the job for which you are applying
A woman applying for a job as a case manager in a social services organization sent a resume with an objective saying that she was looking for a position with the airlines.
It doesn’t matter if her actual experience was relevant to the position for which she was applying. Why would you send that resume? Either remove the Objective Section entirely (my preference) or tailor the Objective Section specifically to each job that you apply for.
You might not want to refer to yourself as an Excellent Communicator
Most of us are not and, if you really are, you can let others make that designation. When I see typos, misspellings and poor grammar on resumes, which is frighteningly frequently, they are very often accompanied by a letter or Objective or Core Competencies section lauding the applicant as an Excellent Communicator.
It would be so much better to send such an excellent document that the interviewer exclaims, “What great communicator!” all on his or her own rather than to tout such a thing yourself and not be accurate.
Here’s an example that I received recently:
Objective: A strong analytical thinker, constructive problem solver, and an excellent communicator seeking to obtain a respectable position in which I can experience growth in network, knowledge, diversity, and community outreach to contribute to the improvement of the community in which I reside.
- That’s a lot of words that really don’t say anything at all (see my issues with the Objective Section above)
- This gentleman called himself an Excellent Communicator
In reality, he applied for a position in Pennsylvania while his resume shows him living and working in Nevada. Perhaps he is planning to relocate. I have no way of knowing that, since he did not include a cover letter stating his plans, when he would be available, etc.
So this person is more of a Non-Communicator. And no, I did not call him.
Yes, you need both a Cover Letter and a Resume
Many positions allow you to apply without a cover letter. Don’t. I will tell you from many years of experience that, if you include an appropriate cover letter, you will have a much greater chance of getting an interview.
First of all, it will make you stand out, in a good way. Fewer than 20% of applications that I see include a cover letter. When I see one, I can assure you that I read it.
Some jobs allow you to fill out an application without either a resume or a cover letter.
I very much suggest including both. I recently received this in place of a resume:
“I can provide a resume as soon as possible! I am applying from my phone at the time!”
I understand this woman’s desire to get her application in right away. But I really would advise against doing it this way. Being the first applicant (which she was not, by the way), does not give you a better chance of getting an interview.
If you’re looking for a job, you should have your resume and ready-to-customize cover letter ready to go. It’s ok to wait until you get home to use the computer, or go to the library, or wherever you have to go to be able to attach these essential documents.
Before embarking on your job search, It is worth it to take the time to create a good resume and cover letter that you can customize to fit whichever job you’re applying for. For more on preparing to look for a job, read this post.
You can download a Free checklist here to assure you have everything ready before you begin your job search.
