Resume Cover Letter
A cover letter is your first chance to make an impression on a potential employer; it is your introduction, the summary of why you are the perfect candidate for the job. At the very least, this letter should aim to ensure your application is given due consideration. Considering this, is a handwritten cover letter ever appropriate?
The application process.
When a job is advertised the employer receives hundreds, if not thousands of applications. Often, these are initially evaluated by someone who is not the hiring manager. This person has a list of requirements they are looking for and they will assess applications based on that premise. Only a small group of qualified candidates will be passed on for the manager's review.
To ensure they can manage the volume of applications, they often have an early screening process. A quick glance at the cover letter and any unprofessional or sloppy looking cover letters will be discarded immediately without even a glance at the resume. Things they look for include misspellings, bad grammar and yes, handwritten cover letters.
First impressions count
Your cover letter is a representation of your professional self, so what impression do you want to give? You may be a warm, caring and personable individual with a great sense of humor and that's terrific, but how will that help the employer ship 2000 units a week? Consider the job, what the employer will be looking for, in that context how appropriate would a hand written cover letter really be?
Hand written implies that you're not very serious about the job or how they see you, perhaps have an issue with personal versus professional boundaries or perhaps don't care enough. None of which should be in your top five first impressions list.
Professional versus personal
In an age of email, social networking and texting, there is something wonderful about receiving a handwritten letter in the mail. That someone took the time to sit down and write to you, well, that's so...personal. Personal is nice.
The question is, when an employer looks at your application are they looking for the nice personal touch or the details of the professional you?
A cover letter should be a succinct summary of why you are qualified for the job in question. It should make the hirer want to read on and find out more about this candidate. They can get to know your personal side after you get the job.
A little respect goes a long way
What if you have a personal connection with your potential hiring manager, say they are family or a friend, or perhaps a you have a recommendation from someone within the company? Someone is going out of their way for you so, no matter how close your personal connection is, show a little respect to them and their professionalism and don't hand write your cover letter.
A hand written cover letter can prevent your application being reviewed with proper consideration and can severely impact you obtaining a job. A cover letter is supposed to assist you, not act as a preventative measure. Err on the side of caution, present yourself professionally and that is one area of the application process you don't need to be concerned about.
