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Comment by BazookaMusic | Hacker News Reader

All of the things mentioned as requirements for the cover letter are stuff you'd add to your CV in short form. Why companies require the ritual of writing the same things in prose addressed to the company is beyond me.

I'd understand it if the cover letter was the place to write your unique motivation and what makes you stand out, but this article confirms it's just bureaucratic nonsense.

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A good cover letter is easier to scan than a CV and therefore makes the work of the person having to read all these applications a lot easier.

Simply put: if your cover letter sucks, there's no need to read your CV - and they won't.

The author seems to be British (mentioning GCSEs) and I always thought that cover letters are not really used anymore. Anywhere I applied, about 3 years back, most of the recruitment agencies and job listings used those janky auto-fill CV forms. I am a bit confused about the importance of cover letters anyway.

Back in Germany, a good cover letter is the first step through the door, but I always assumed through experience, that in the UK it’s usually not really used even - especially not in paper form.

Anyway, I might have to apply for new jobs soon, so I’ll take any advice and go any extra mile I possibly can.

An Indonesian here. If you apply for a job through recruiting platforms, you'll find some companies still require you to submit your cover letter as well as your CV.

Perhaps those see CV and cover letter are different. Cover letter summarizes why you are fit for the job. Then if you need the details/supporting facts, then see the CV.

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