Poll: Do you attach a cover letter when you apply for a job?
Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
ProZ.com Staff
ProZ.com Staff
SITE STAFF
Aug 14, 2018

This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "Do you attach a cover letter when you apply for a job?".

View the poll results »



 
Thomas Pfann
Thomas Pfann  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 18:10
Member (2006)
English to German
+ ...
Yes Aug 14, 2018

I haven't applied for a job in almost 20 years and I might not apply for one ever again (as I am pretty happy with my current job), but if I were to apply for a job it would probably include some sort of cover letter (or "cover email") – even if only to say "here's my application".

 
Nikki Scott-Despaigne
Nikki Scott-Despaigne  Identity Verified
Local time: 19:10
French to English
Always Aug 14, 2018

Whenever you apply for a job, the letter of application enables you to demonstrate your writing skills. A CV alone does not do that.

As the years have gone by, my letter has become much shorter. The CV presents the experience and the letter directs the recruiter's attention to the relevant elements, enabling you to highlight relevant transferable skills and savoir-faire that are often not evident otherwise. Why deprive yourself of the chance to make things clearer?

Edit
... See more
Whenever you apply for a job, the letter of application enables you to demonstrate your writing skills. A CV alone does not do that.

As the years have gone by, my letter has become much shorter. The CV presents the experience and the letter directs the recruiter's attention to the relevant elements, enabling you to highlight relevant transferable skills and savoir-faire that are often not evident otherwise. Why deprive yourself of the chance to make things clearer?

Edit. When I was younger, I was told that the aim of an application (letter + CV) is not to get you a job, but to get you to an interview. If an interview is involved, it is important to bear that in mind. The interview will get you the job.
However, in our line of work, there may be no interview, so the letter may well be your only chance to get the job.

Last but not least, freelancers often say they have not applied for a job in years. I reckon that we are constantly applying for jobs. Clients can be referred to us by word of mouth and they come to us, or we can contact them directly, be they an agent or a client. The client needs to trust our ability and what better way to do so than by writing correctly in all dealings with the client, many of which are by email from start to finish?


[Edited at 2018-08-14 08:51 GMT]
Collapse


Natalia Pedrosa
Ricardo Suin
Debora d'Amato (X)
 
Muriel Vasconcellos
Muriel Vasconcellos  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 11:10
Member (2003)
Spanish to English
+ ...
Other Aug 14, 2018

Obviously one would attach a cover letter. However, I haven't applied for a job since 1968.

 
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida  Identity Verified
Portugal
Local time: 18:10
Member (2007)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
Other Aug 14, 2018

I very rarely apply for jobs on here anymore (I don’t accept low rates), but when I do – usually because of the subject matter - the email itself acts as my cover letter.

P.S. I interpreted this question as meaning jobs posted on Proz...

[Edited at 2018-08-14 09:40 GMT]


Natalia Pedrosa
 
Yetta Jensen Bogarde
Yetta Jensen Bogarde  Identity Verified
Denmark
Local time: 19:10
Member (2012)
English to Danish
+ ...
No Aug 14, 2018

I said no, because I don't apply for jobs since I run my own business and have done so (happily) for quite a few years.

I thought the question was addressed to our current situation, and was wondering if the question was about quotes.
But now I realize that some freelancers may still be looking for in-house jobs?

In the old days, when I did apply for jobs, I obviously attached a cover letter, even way back when we sent paper applications by post.


 
neilmac
neilmac
Spain
Local time: 19:10
Spanish to English
+ ...
Other Aug 14, 2018

If I ever had to formally apply for a job, I suppose I would include a cover letter. I used to do so back in the day.
However, nowadays I assume these things are mostly done by email, which I see as an inherently less formal medium. The art of letter writing seems to be dying a death these days.


 
Noni Gilbert Riley
Noni Gilbert Riley
Spain
Local time: 19:10
Spanish to English
+ ...
I receive applications Aug 14, 2018

I am in charge of recruitment for the language school I run [in my spare time, ha ha] and receive many applications, both in response to advertisements and out of the blue. It is time-consuming to respond to applications when I haven't asked for them, but I send a brief response to those who bother to write a cover letter. No cover letter, no response.

 
Mario Freitas
Mario Freitas  Identity Verified
Brazil
Local time: 15:10
Member (2014)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
I used to, not anymore Aug 15, 2018

I used to attach a nice standard cover letter before. But I soon found out most of what a cover letter contains actually irritates the outsourcers because you are providing information they did not request and doing some sort of undesirable self-promotion thing. Since I started replying the proposals providind strictly the information required and asking the questions that are important to me for the negotiations, the results suddenly became a lot more positive and faster. We are living in a ver... See more
I used to attach a nice standard cover letter before. But I soon found out most of what a cover letter contains actually irritates the outsourcers because you are providing information they did not request and doing some sort of undesirable self-promotion thing. Since I started replying the proposals providind strictly the information required and asking the questions that are important to me for the negotiations, the results suddenly became a lot more positive and faster. We are living in a very dynamic world. People simply don't have time for all the ornaments anymore, and do not appreciate them either. We have to be really careful with old-fashined habits, because their effects may be the exact opposite of what you expect.

P.S. - Most colleagues below are considering applying for a job as applying for an in-house job. When you apply to work as a freelancer for an outsourcer, you are applying for work. I considered this when I replied, because I haven't applied to any jobs since 2011, and I do not intend to do so again until I die, if that was the question.


[Edited at 2018-08-15 02:57 GMT]
Collapse


Ricardo Suin
Debora d'Amato (X)
 
Debora d'Amato (X)
Debora d'Amato (X)  Identity Verified
Italy
Local time: 19:10
English to Italian
+ ...
I do, most of the time Aug 16, 2018

Sometimes a cover letter could turn into something boring.
I think, however, it could be a strong point using the cover letter to give a good impression and, as already said above, to show your own writing skills within the limits of common sense, of course.


 


To report site rules violations or get help, contact a site moderator:

Moderator(s) of this forum
Jared Tabor[Call to this topic]

You can also contact site staff by submitting a support request »

Poll: Do you attach a cover letter when you apply for a job?






Protemos translation business management system
Create your account in minutes, and start working! 3-month trial for agencies, and free for freelancers!

The system lets you keep client/vendor database, with contacts and rates, manage projects and assign jobs to vendors, issue invoices, track payments, store and manage project files, generate business reports on turnover profit per client/manager etc.

More info »
Trados Business Manager Lite
Create customer quotes and invoices from within Trados Studio

Trados Business Manager Lite helps to simplify and speed up some of the daily tasks, such as invoicing and reporting, associated with running your freelance translation business.

More info »