Not just engineers. My wife recently went through this. Application after application, each expecting a cover letter, as to why my wife is the ideal candidate, and how she would be a great fit in the company.

It's an absolute waste of time.

Then when you get through the first filter, you need to do x aptitude tests and a degrading personality test.

And only THEN, when you understand how those tests work and get to get a perfect score, then you might get an email to set up a phone call.