Cover letters are a waste of time when breaking into tech.
You spend hours crafting a letter that shows how interested you are in the company and what skills you can offer. But let’s be real: when breaking into tech and applying for loads of jobs, you are not interested in the company until they accept you for the next round.
Here’s why they are a waste of time.
The company has yet to show interest in you
You need to invest time into a company’s hiring process to get a job.
But why waste time on a cover letter before a company has shown any interest? That time is better spent in the next round, where preparation is necessary.
A cover letter is just a way of rewording your CV to fit in with the company’s job description. It’s an unnecessary hoop to jump through when your CV should do all the talking for you.
If you have the skills an employer needs, why do you need a cover letter?
That time is better spent practicing your skills for the technical round or applying for other jobs
The job-hunting process is time-consuming.
Especially in tech, we already have to spend time with a take-home test that takes days to complete. Time spent creating a cover letter is better used preparing for technical interviews or applying for other jobs.
If you can spend a day applying for one job with a cover letter or ten jobs without a cover letter. I believe the latter is the more successful approach.
And if you are not getting through to the next round, your CV needs improving, not your cover letter.
The only exception is when you are applying for a dream role
Sometimes you need to pull out all the stops for your dream job at your favourite company.
This is the only time it is acceptable to insert a cover letter. A vacancy at your dream job only comes by occasionally.
Jump through all the hoops for your dream job.
