The purpose of a cover letter is to move prospective Employers to two actions. First, you want the employer to take your résumé seriously. And second, you want to motivate the recruiter or manager to put aside what they are doing and call you.
Before you can persuade an employer to pick up the phone and call you for an interview, you must understand the cover letter is not about you, your skill base or your educational background. It is about a need or problem that the company has that must be solved in order to reduce expenses, drive revenue or improve business processes.
If you've done your research, you know something about the company - perhaps more importantly about the vision and players on the corporate team that you want to join. Picture in your mind's eye for a moment the qualities this employer demands of its applicants. Now you have some of the concepts necessary to build your bridge to the interview process.
Everyday people ask me, Are cover letters really that important?
My answer is an unqualified, Yes, because in the letter you have the opportunity to speak in the voice of the employer. The path to failure is paved with letters written with the voice that says, it's all about me. In your cover letter you have the opportunity to change that voice to its all about the company and its vision for the future as you place yourself in the middle of the picture.
Some surveys suggest that high-impact cover letters increase your effectiveness 60+ %. If you are struggling to land quality interviews, your cover letters may need a new voice - one of confidence, perspective and challenge. What would you invest in a cover letter that could land you a $10,000 increase in annual income? One of my clients paid $35 dollars for such a letter. You can have such a letter. While I can't promise the same results, you should improve your interview to résumé submitted ratio.