Quick check
Guess first, no penalty. A big company's online form doesn't ask for a cover letter (a short letter sent with an application). You have one free hour. What's the best use of it?
Not every application needs a letter. If the form does not ask for one, your time is often better spent on your resume and a short note to the hiring manager, the person you'd work for.
Send a letter in these cases:
- The job post asks for one.
- You are changing career, and your resume alone does not explain the move.
- You have a gap, and you want to handle it in one clean sentence.
- The company is small. A founder or a small team is more likely to read every word.
- The role needs writing: marketing, support, sales, teaching, content, or product work.