Should cover letters be written individually for each company? Or should one use a template?

Question

I feel like writing a different one each application takes too much for something that’s unlikely to accepted. Is there any way to make them individualized but also without taking too much time?

smartypantsfyi · Accepted Answer

Cover letters are thing of the past.

Graham · Answer

Just skip those companies requiring it. Why spend 30m on a company when you can apply for another 10 in the mean time?

engineinengineering · Answer

Unless you are in a profession such as technical writing or copywriting, don't waste your time with Cover Letters.  Even then, those types of people have portfolios or samples of their work they can provide through links in their resumes.

I've been in recruitment for 15 years and I have never looked at a Cover Letter.  Everything I need to know about you should be in your resume.  If it's not, I'll assume you don't have that experience or skill.

You also don't need to send me a cover letter to tell me you are interested in a position.  Submitting your resume is all the proof I need!

Cover letters seem to be one of those things that because we've always asked for them we always will, which is silly.

If a company requires a cover letter (other than for the types of roles I described above) avoid them, the company is most likely a dinosaur or doesn't care about its recruitment process (if they don't care about the candidate experience, why would they care about the employee experience). Both are red flags.

If Cover Letter is optional, don't send one.

MrStar · Answer

I would say to have a general cover letter since you will be applying to software engineer role it should apply to all

Should cover letters be written individually for each company? Or should one use a template?

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