Cover Letter Important?
 

just wondering if you guys thought cover letters are really all that imporant?? or does it depend what your applying for?

Extremely

depends what you're applying for, and some jobs say specifically no cover letter.

so now my question is, what if your resume is 2 pages, i've heard that people don't really want more than 2 pages.

so the cover letter is not included in that 2 pages right? 3 pages including cover letter would be the maximum someone would normally uhh accept right?

Generally, an above entry-level applicant would have a 2 page resume. Entry-level applicants would have one-page, depending on their experiences.

Length depends on the type of job you are applying for. Resume length can also vary due to your skill set, experience, projects, etc.....

You can try to fit everything on one page, take away some white space and try not to make it too wordy. Remember to make it readable. Employers take a glance of your first page (the must see page). They only start to read the rest when something about you catches their interest, otherwise they move on to the next applicant.

yea i dont got a cover letter and my resume is 2 pages. i just cant cram everything onto one page. my work experience continues to the next page pretty much no matter what even if i take some away then my references take over.
i was applying for a job at futureshop and they have a cover letter spot and a resume spot, i only gave them my resume

If there is a cover letter spot, that should be enough of a hint to PUT ONE THERE.

References do not need to put on a resume. If they want your credibility, they can talk to you first. Writing a simple "references upon request" is enough to satisfy that need. I don't even bother putting it on my resume at all.

if it's like retail/food and beverage and other minimum wage jobs..nah.

anything more than $10/hr job = yes. I'd keep my resume no longer than 2 pages...and i delete my weaker experiences

just make sure you know the employer's name..and gender preferrably ( i called a Dr. (a dude) a Ms. when address the coverletter..oh noes
$0.02

guys know any good websites that show you how to make a good cover letter?

try monster or workopolis, they might have some tips

alright thanks

I've never gotten a job where I've attached or given them a cover letter.

but every place I seem to just hand my 'regular' resume to, gives me work... tell me wtf is up with that?

^
try applying to a supervisor or manager position without a cover letter...

Lots of jobs don't require a cover letter. Most entry level positions do not require one.

Cover letters are required for any career type gig though.

if it's for minimum wage jobs then cover letters are not needed but if you are applying for a job that requires you to have special knowledge or education then attach a cover letter but don't use the same cover letter for all companies or you won't stand out.

if you do land an interview, a thank you letter also helps. One of the companies that hired me told me it was very professional to do such thing.

have, and have gotten them.

You don't need one if you are applying for McJobs.

Cover letters is a detailed version of your resume and it should list the skills, knowledge, etc that you have that meets the job postings requirements.

it is good to customize your resume/cover letter for the job that your are applying for. The best way to show an employer that you are actually interested in their particular company (not just any job in general) is to write the cover letter describing how you would be a fit for that ONE particular company.

I actually spent most of my work day today screening over 100+ resumes
and ended up calling about 20 for prescreens and 10 for interview..and almost all of the ones that I called, had their resume/cover letter tailored towards my company/store, and not just a generic resume.

in today's economy, even the entry level positions have a lot of competition these days.

As part of a school work experience program, I was required to write a cover letter (Career Planning for some, that and a Co-op program for me) for my position as a mechanics assistant at a dealership. I usually only do cover letters if I REALLY wanted a job, but as a high school student, I think I'm overkilling it with my e-mails to simple summer jobs. I've resorted to short statements about myself with my resume attached. My overly generic cover letter got me a couple places, but I haven't seen any real results with it as of yet.

I read over 100 resumes and application every day...from job website, corporate email,
recruitment agents, internal staff, fax, mail...

HR people like us don't read people's cover letters. Speaking from our experience, the
candidates who didn't submit a cover letter to us are generally more knowledgeable and perform
better in our interview, including management level staff.

Like last year, we hired 4 manager trainees, they are MBA grads and none of them wrote us
a cover letter. Two things we look for. 1) Education 2) Work experience...if he can meet our
requirement, he will get an interview.

Very very very important in todays world