How to Email Your Cover Letter and Resume

Question:

Many employment ads indicate that to apply, I should email my resume to a certain email address. Should I put my cover letter in the body of the email and attach my resume as a Word document? I've heard that many hiring managers don't even look at cover letters and some delete emails with attachments. If that's true, then what is the best way to apply by email?

First Answer:

A recent study conducted by Manchester, Inc., a staffing firm, found that 82 percent of employer respondents prefer to receive resumes by e-mail, and of those, 44 percent prefer to receive them as attached Word documents. While it is true that many employers want to receive resume as Word docs, what you've heard about employers deleting attachments is also true in many cases. Among the reasons some employers don't like attachments are that they can contain viruses.

As for the cover letter, it's also true that some employers don't read cover letters. However, cover letters are still expected to accompany resumes unless the employer explicitly states "resumes only." Many employers DO read your cover letter because they want to see how well you communicate and express yourself. They also sometimes want to see how well you relate your qualifications to the requirements listed in the job posting or ad. Some employers scan cover letters for keywords the same as they do resumes.

In my opinion and the opinion of other experts, the ideal electronic presentation is the following:

1. Cover letter in text format in the body of the e-mail message. It should be shorter than a print cover letter. See the article, Tips for a Dynamic E-mail Cover Letter.
2. Resume in ASCII-text form pasted into the body of the e-mail.
3. Resume as Word doc also attached BUT ONLY if the employer has specified attachments as the preferred way to send resumes. Most employers are specific about how they want you to send your materials, and following their exact instructions is extremely important.

-- Katharine Hansen, former speechwriter and college instructor who provides content for the Web site, Quintessential Careers, edits QuintZine, an electronic newsletter for jobseekers, and prepares job-search correspondence as chief writer for Quintessential Resumes and Cover Letters

Second Answer:

One course of action is to email in advance with a subject line "Query: re resume submission" and ask if you may send your resume in an attachment, and then follow the instructions. Not all employers/recruiters will welcome the double email, but perhaps such action will encourage them to put such instructions in their future ads.

A better course of action is to do both: I recommend putting the letter in the body of the email, followed by your résumé in plain format, and attaching a Word file of both letter and resume. That way the employer has the option of printing out a well-formatted document; if attachments are discarded, the substance of your communication will still be there.

Regarding the cover letter, better safe than sorry. Recruiters who ignore letters can do so--and have probably tired of seeing hundreds of transmittal letters that said nothing--but you don't want to risk being judged "too lazy to write a tailored letter" by employers who want to see what level of effort you've put into researching their organization and demonstrating exactly how you fit their requirements. It's worth the effort you'll spend to write an employer-focused letter that says "my qualifications meet your requirements as follows:"

I also recommend that, if you can get a snail mail address, you follow up an email submission with hard copy (not faxed). You create a second opportunity for someone to notice and read your letter and résumé, and a polished document that makes a better impression.

-- Carol Anderson, Career Development and Placement Office, Robert J. Milano Graduate School of Management and Urban Policy at New School University in New York City

Third Answer:

I don't think that there is a right or wrong answer to your question. E-mail job search is still in the infant stage and there are no hard and fast rules.

Keep in mind that if you include your resume as an e-mail, you have no guarantee what it will look like on the other end. Much of the spacing and other features can be lost.

I would suggest that you send an e-mail cover letter with the information that your resume is attached. You can always tag it to let you know what the e-mail is ready and then I would follow up with another e-mail in a few days.

-- Linda Wyatt, Career Center Director, Kansas City Kansas Community College

Fourth Answer:

The best way to apply by mail, if requested, is to follow the instructions given with the application information. That means, using attachments if required, or putting everything into the body of an email, is requested.

If you aren't sure what the employer wants, the best way to send your credentials is in some easily readable text (E.g. Ascii) with limited formatting and generous margins as an attachment, labelled with your name and resume (not just resume--they will get hundreds of those and won't know which one is yours). If your resume is relatively short, I see no reason why you couldn't also put it in the body of an email with a short cover letter, referencing the fact that you have also attached it separately. Make sure any letters (and attachments) you send are typo-free and glitch-free, and properly downloadable in a variety of popular word processing programs.

As with any application, you will probably have to follow up. Use email if specified. If not, you can try to locate the right person and phone number, and call to request the status of your application.

-- Alison Blackman Dunham, life & career expert, columnist, personal public relations consultant, half of THE ADVICE SISTERS®, and the author of the ASK ALISON career advice column

Fifth Answer:

The effectiveness of sending your resume and cover letter via email is increasing; in fact, many companies/recruiters prefer you send your documents this method. Send both the resume and cover letter in the body of the email, this will ensure it will be read. I also recommend attaching the MS word documents. If you get lucky, they will open the attachments and see the beautiful formatting, if not, they will still see the ASCII text versions.

Now, an ASCII text version is not a copy and paste from a word document, it's a conversion from MS word to text. Try to customize the cover letter, address it to the hiring authority. Make sure you spell the name correctly and professional address the letter. If you don’t know who the decision maker is, use the term Dear Hiring Manager or Dear Hiring Executive. Never used, To Whom it May Concern or Dear Sir/Madam. In the subject line, used Resume of [Your Name] or Resume for [Name of Position] or Resume for [Job number or advertisement].

-- Candace Davies, Director and Founder of Cando Career Coaching and Resume Writing and All Trades Resume Writing