Ain't nobody got time for that crap!

In biology, the top one is called K-strategy and the bottom one R-strategy.
Both are valid strategies.

But generally, K is better suited for highly developed, intelligent, cooperative and social animals.
R is better suited for animals that live alone in a hostile environment full of predators.

There's a message about the modern job market in here somewhere I guess.

https://rxresu.me/

LPT for all of you job seekers.

Stop putting cover letters on your resume. Recruiters spend 7 seconds or less on 1 resume. A cover page essentially is a skip button because we don’t see any pertinent information and move on.

Resumes should be 1 page with a layout that attracts attention but isn’t distracting. Sentences should be structured like bullet points, short, sweet, and to the point.

I still don't know what a cover letter even is. never used one and don't plan on starting. no one's reading that crap anyway

Tried both, tried a normal resume and a resume with an ATS-focused layout, tried AI-based tools meant to help you improve your resume, and a few other things, and after more than forty applications in six months, what finally got me an interview and then very quickly an offer was an internal referral from a friend/ex-coworker. For context, I am a software engineer.

Fun fact: the average response time after submitting an application was 48 days.

Plot twist: make a one size fits all resume, but have AI tailor it and transmit it everywhere.

Is the bottom one not what we've all been doing for the past 10 years? If you haven't worked more than 5 or so places it should also look like that right?

Also fuck cover letters. Never making one, I don't care who they send

Cover latter? Is it the 50ties? If a company wants a cover letter, I ain't applying. You got my CV. Need more info? Call me, the number is on the CV.

Maybe it's the shit market that I'm applying to, but when I apply for a retail job, they want a fully filled out application (that auto fill always Borks, so I have to type everything in manually) as well as a cover sheet and some places want you to take a personality quiz that you have to pass for hr to even see your application. I couldn't imagine applying to 4 jobs a day, let alone 40.

I imagine we are talking about corporate postings where you just paste a link to LinkedIn and that does most of the work?

I stan bottom sentiment.

Spray and pray baby. Getting the recruiter or HR department to like you only gets you in the door. You can't shortcut actual connections with your actual coworkers.

Had one guy apply for a job in my field saying "My experiences in different field> will help me as <job title>."

There is very little overlap in hard skills (soft ones obviously do help). Not like that matters a whole lot - their actual list of past jobs and skills would have landed them an interview at least, because we already expect it to be a learn-as-you-go type of deal. Bro would have been better off leaving it out and I would have just assumed they're trying to strike out in a different direction.

(I told HR to invite them for an interview anyway, because fuck cover letters - I'm not gonna hold anyone to a higher standard there than I'd like to be held to)

I think cover letters are still absolutely relevant to the job process.

I liken cover letters to cheat sheets that you prepare for an exam. You may not need to make one to be successful, but can be very helpful.

Usually with cover letters, I try to make the argument that I'm good for the company, and the company is good for me. This usually allows me to frame the way I look a new job as a business agreement where both parties can benefit, and that I'm not a parasite taking from them and not giving.

I don't make cover letters for each and every position I apply to or look into, but for those ones i think I have a good chance of landing and those companies I believe in, I'll absolutely put in more effort with cover letters.

That's how plants do it. For a billion years. Must be the best strategy.

As someone from outside the US, I have no clue wtf is a cover letter, this isn't a thing in Brazil, you just send your resume.

Unless something really good comes up yeah. Also most of the time I just put my generic CV up and get calls from recruiters. So the actual people hiring don't even see my CV

So how is that working out for you? Genuinely curious.

Just use a cover letter template with changeable placeholders

Neither approach is good if you are looking for work in the tech sector without an existing referral network.

I suggest that you;

• Ditch the cover letter
• Have a bulleted summary of your skill set that lists every skill and every technology you are comfortable with right on the first page
• In your experience, when listing your past jobs and positions, include list of every technology you worked with during your time there
• Customize your resume for every position by simply highlighting or emboldening every instance of the key technologies they are looking for in your resume

Note: Sometimes, when highlighting skills you might notice that your resume undersells your experience with that particular technology. Go ahead and edit it. This happens a lot and it is ok to view your resume as a living document that is constantly being revised. Don't just set it and forget it.

if everyone would stop making and sending cover letters unemployment would skyrocket

Spray and prey?

none of the positions are real anyway. they just make them appear open because it benefits them financially.

when an employee leaves they just close the position and spread the work across existing employees.