Answers to the Main Questions / Write a cover letter

Do you need a cover letter?

InsightGuidanceAI amplification

Insight

Include a cover letter when the posting asks for one, when you are changing fields, or when a human is likely to read a file you email. Skip it when the form has no place for it. A letter does not fix a resume that does not match the role.

Guidance

  1. Read the posting: required vs optional vs no mention.
  2. If you email a person, a short letter in the body can replace an attachment.
  3. Spend the time on the resume first; the letter is secondary.

AI amplification

Optional. Copy this into ChatGPT or a similar tool if you want a first draft. Replace the [PASTE] sections with your own material. The work stays in that tool; we do not save it here.

Prompt to copy

Rules: Do not invent employers, job titles, dates, metrics, team sizes, or outcomes. If something is missing, ask me or write [unknown]. Keep hedges such as "approximately" and "more than" exactly as I stated them. Never turn a qualitative result into a number.

Here is a job posting. In 4–6 sentences, should I include a cover letter, and why? Do not write the letter unless I ask.

Posting:
[PASTE]

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