This is what I think. Recruiters look at the resume first.

If they have the desired technical skills then they will look at the cover letter. The cover letter will determine if the person has good enough other qualities to them, besides what is shown in the resume.

Cover letters are like the Cliff’s Notes version of a resume. They exist to help recruiters weed through resumes to try to quickly get to the best applicants. A recruiter might not read a cover letter if it is badly put together, contains spelling errors, typos or poor grammar. If the recruiter doesn’t find anything wrong with a cover letter at first glance, he will read it over, to see if a applicant’s experience and goals are fitting for the position. In this way, a cover letter is like a gateway to the actual resume. A recruiter has no way of knowing if the applicant has written the cover letter themselves, and many people do consult with paid professionals to put together the best resume and cover letter in order to attract job prospects. The important thing is to get past the resume process and into an interview, so if a professional resume consultant helps with that, then they’re worth the money.

I've been a manager and had to read many, many resumes and cover letters, so I think I can answer your questions.

A: Cover letters are short. A couple of paragraphs takes less than a minute to read and can say a lot. And I always, always read the cover letters. Were I hiring, a resume without the cover letter would definitely lose brownie points.

B: See above. Now, if the person were uniquely qualified, I *might* still consider him, but if I'm getting all these resumes, I'd be more inclined to offer the interviews to those who took the time to write me the letter.

C: Of course the interview is important. But guess what: interviews are far more of a time suck than reading a two-paragraph letter. Naturally, you can't always be sure that it wasn't written by someone else, but considering the many, many cover letters I've seen with poorly-constructed sentences and spelling mistakes and incorrect (or absent) punctuation, they're a great tool for weeding people out. If I've got limited time for interviews, I'm going to choose people who can communicate effectively. Writing a professional letter is a skill I'd expect any employee of mine to have.

That said, go ahead and skip it if you really hate the idea. But odds are you'd just be shooting yourself in the foot. Instead, why don't you write that well-crafted, interest-grabbing letter (or pay someone to do it, like you said), and then you can spend your time wowing these managers in all the interviews you're going to get?

Contrary to what you state in part (a), an effective cover letter will answer the following question for the employer: Why should I read your resume? I know many managers that do not look at a resume if a proper cover letter is not included.

Having a cover letter that clearly identifies your qualifications and enthusiasm for the job opening will signal to the employer that you should be considered for the job. Your resume is factual or historical evidence supporting your claims in your cover letter.

On the other hand, just because you have a flashy cover letter that makes you sound good, you still need the resume to provide your work history and job duties. Keep your cover letter statements precise and meaningful to the employer.

Cover letters are like previews or thriller of a movie. If the thriller looks interesting then we watch the whole movie. Cover letters are like bird's eye view. It is like a preview of what the applicant is made of. If the cover letter looks interesting then the recruiter reads through the resume.

We are aware that somebody else may have composed the cover letters. Recruiters read the resume and if it looks interesting they continue to read through the resume and if the applicant has the right technical skills recruiters call him/her for an interview. Cover letters are not the only basis, neither are the technical skills alone. What good is a skilled worker who's more bossy than his boss? What's a technical skilled person who always comes to work late? What good is a skilled person who does not know teamwork? At that point, the only way to find out about the applicant's personality is to personally interview the person. Personal interview alone cannot however assure the recruiter that he has hired the right person but it is better than not interviewing at all.