Am I wasting my time by writing a cover letter for job application?

With this in mind, I asked Dr Andrew Dhaenens, a senior lecturer in management and leadership at RMIT University, about your question. He said he commiserated with you, noting that modern job searches are notoriously frustrating for those applying. But he said that despite huge technological changes, “the essential elements of good application are the same” as they’d always been.

Loading

“Can you quickly and succinctly show that you check the boxes in terms of skills, know the right people and demonstrate the right behaviours? Ultimately, employers will almost always hire the best candidate that they can afford.”

But Dhaenens underlined the importance of being “connected to the right people”. He said an unfortunate reality was that once a hiring team had checked the skill boxes and found no clear standout, they moved to the next distinguishing characteristic. And that, he says, is often whether a candidate comes recommended or is known beyond their application.

As for whether your cover letter is covering the right things, Dhaenens said a good letter concentrated on “fit and connection”.

“What values do you bring in your work? How do you know you would be successful in this role? Who do you know that will support you in this work? These are the qualities that secure the interviews and get the offers.”

I know you’re not doing this, but Dhaenens also strongly advised against using AI to write your letter. He suggested that although what it produced could seem tidy at first glance, “it carries a certain tone that hiring managers quickly come to know and get tired of reading”.

My guess is that the problem isn’t your letter. You may want to tweak what you say based on the above advice, but I’m reasonably sure you’re not being ignored because your cover letter isn’t hitting the mark.

And it certainly sounds like there’s nothing wrong with your résumé. I suspect what you’re confronting is what many people looking for a new job are confronting: a work world in which the courtesy of putting time and thought into an application is rarely reciprocated.

Send your Work Therapy questions to jonathan@theinkbureau.com.au