The cover letter might be among the most debated document among recruiters, job seekers, resume writers, and career coaches alike.

If you go on LinkedIn you'll be sure to find someone opining on the positives and drawbacks of a cover letter.

I've personally read thousands of cover letters and good ones are few and far between which I believe has diminished their value in a modern job search.

Most cover letters are just regurgitations of content that already exists on a resume, which doesn't really bring any additional value to your job search.

But, being the diligent resume writing professional that I am, I went straight to my trusted recruiting sources to ask them if they thought a cover letter had any value.

Caroline Pennington, Executive Recruiter and Founder of The Feminine Founder
"I hate a cover letter. They are a waste of time."

Adam Bourgoin, Talent Acquisition Manager, RS&H
"Zero. I never read cover letters."

Summer Weinspach, Senior Talent Acquisition Consultant, Piedmont Augusta
"Half the time I don't even read a cover letter. Less is more."

Kelli Long, Founder, KG Workforce Solutions
"Our recruiters have mixed opinions on the value of cover letters. I think a cover letter's greatest value is articulating something to the recruiter or hiring manager that can't be identified or inferred from the resume, such as relocations, job transitions, references, or clarification on why a candidate might be taking a potential step back."

Katie Gardner, Senior Recruiter - Technology, Wells Fargo
"I honestly do not see value in a cover letter, UNLESS you are applying to a small company and, in that case, it could make a lasting impression. Most people do not want to read them, and don't. Especially hiring managers. I think the same thing can be accomplished by writing a brief intro at the beginning of the resume."

My Thoughts:
I, shockingly, agree with all of them. In my recruiting days I didn't have any interest in reading your cover letter.

Now that I am a Resume Writer and Career Coach and write them professionally for job seekers, I do a good job of staying ahead of the game in terms of what makes a cover letter a good one.

Kelli and Katie brought up some good points on when a cover letter can add value - applying to a small business or touching on a relocation or transition.

I also think that a cover letter can come in handy when you're moving from an individual contributor to a leadership position for the first time, exiting the military, exiting the government, or exiting academia to the private sector.

As Kelli pointed out, in your cover letter it's important to infer something you're not getting from the resume. On that note, my philosophy on cover letters is to not even make them about the job seeker, but to make them about the job description.

A few years ago, I wrote a blog on how to write a cover letter and you can check that out for more information on my approach to them.