Do You Actually Need a Cover Letter in 2025?

The short answer

Yes — unless the application explicitly says not to submit one, you should include a cover letter. The reason is simple: when a cover letter is optional, most people skip it. The ones who submit one stand out. At the same time, a bad cover letter is worse than no cover letter, so the quality matters as much as the presence.

When a cover letter actually matters

Roles where culture and communication are central

If you're applying for a role that involves writing — marketing, content, product management, customer success, sales — the cover letter is itself a writing sample. Skipping it signals that you didn't care enough to write one. Submitting one gives you a chance to demonstrate the exact skill the role requires.

Small and mid-size companies

At startups and SMBs, applications are often read by the founder or hiring manager directly, not filtered through an ATS first. These readers are looking for genuine interest, not just credentials. A short, specific cover letter that says why you want to work at that company in particular goes a long way.

Career transitions

If your resume doesn't obviously qualify you for the role — because you're changing industries, returning from a gap, or moving from a different function — the cover letter is where you close that gap. It's your chance to explain the logic of the transition in your own words.

Competitive roles at companies you really want

If the role matters to you, do the extra work. A tailored cover letter shows you've thought about the company specifically. It's not common. It's noticed.

When a cover letter probably doesn't matter

• Mass-hiring roles with hundreds of applicants — the ATS filters by keywords, not narrative
• Technical roles at large companies with rigid processes — many FAANG-style applications route candidates through structured interviews regardless of cover letter
• Applications through employee referrals — the referral does the work; the cover letter is secondary

The "optional" trap

When an application says "cover letter: optional", most applicants interpret this as "cover letter: skip it". That's exactly why submitting one is an advantage. You're being assessed relative to other applicants. If 80% don't bother, and you submit a good one, you're already in a smaller, better-looking pool.

Why most people skip it (and why that's beatable)

Writing a cover letter is time-consuming when done from scratch. Most people don't have a template that works, don't know what to say, and don't want to spend 45 minutes on something that might not matter. So they skip it.

This is where AI changes the calculus. QuickCover generates a tailored, ATS-friendly cover letter in under 5 seconds. You paste the job description, add your skills, and get a draft you can review and personalize in a few minutes. The total time commitment drops from 45 minutes to 5.

At that cost, the question "do I need a cover letter?" becomes easier to answer. Submit one. It costs almost nothing and the upside is real.

What a good cover letter actually looks like

Three to four paragraphs. Under 350 words. Opens with why you want this role at this company. Includes one specific, quantified achievement. Mentions the key skills from the job description. Closes with a clear, confident sentence. That's it.

Read our guide on how to write a cover letter for software engineering roles for a full breakdown of each section.