“I wrote 91 cover letters in 6 months, and I probably could have done more.”

When I heard a friend utter that sentence, I realized something: Over the course of your job search, you can spend a LOT of time outlining, drafting, editing, and proofing email cover letters.

While my friend was looking for a new job, it wasn’t unusual for her to take several hours to write each letter, asking friends and family to edit and proof multiple drafts…

…And she’s a writer! For someone less comfortable wielding words, crafting a cover letter for every job application can feel like competing on American Ninja Warrior, but without the supportive crowd.

And that got me thinking—Why do we put so much time and effort into these things? Do employers actually read cover letters nowadays?

Most Email Cover Letters Barely Get a Cursory Glance

In a recent Slate article, engineering recruiter Ambra Benjamin says…probably not. Referring to recruiters she says, “Not only do we not usually read them, most of the time we don’t even open that attachment or give cover letters a cursory glance.”

She’s got a point. When we read through job applications here at Skillcrush, the standout cover emails are the ones that are short, to-the-point, and totally relevant.

And while, as Benjamin says, hiring managers at smaller companies are more likely to read cover letters, “Similar to ‘objectives’ on a résumé, cover letters are a bit of a throwback to another era in job-hunting.”