Are Cover Letters Necessary in 2026? When to Skip One
Are cover letters still necessary? What hiring manager surveys say, when you can safely skip one, when it decides the outcome, and how to write one in 15 minutes.
By Onward ScoutPublished 6 min read
In short: yes, in most cases. Write a cover letter whenever the application allows one and you can make it specific to the job. Skip it when there is no way to submit it, when a referrer has told you not to bother, or for high-volume hourly roles. The rest of this article explains the evidence and the exceptions.
Are cover letters still necessary in 2026?
In short
For most professional applications, yes. Most surveys that ask hiring managers directly find a majority read cover letters, including optional ones, and a specific letter can decide a close call. They matter less for high-volume hourly hiring and not at all where the form has nowhere to put one.
The best-known survey on the hiring side is clear. Resume Genius asked 625 US hiring managers in 2022, and 83% said they read the majority of cover letters they receive[Resume Genius survey, 2022]. Even where a company did not require one, 73% said they read them anyway[Resume Genius survey, 2022].
Candidates believe the opposite. When Novorésumé surveyed 1,000 US job seekers in July 2026, only 20 to 22% in every generation believed hiring managers read most cover letters[Novorésumé, 2026]. That gap is the opportunity. If most applicants assume nobody reads letters and write lazy ones, a specific letter stands out more, not less.
A fair caveat: both surveys come from résumé companies, and other polls report lower reading rates. The direction is still consistent. The people who make the final decision read letters more than candidates think.
When can you skip a cover letter?
In short
When the application has no field or attachment slot for one, when a referrer inside the company tells you it is not needed, for high-volume hourly or shift roles, and when you genuinely cannot say anything specific. A generic letter is worse than no letter.
Skip it in these four cases:
- No place to put it. Some portals have no upload slot and no free-text box. Do not paste a letter into a field meant for something else.
- A referrer says skip it. If someone on the team is walking your résumé to the hiring manager, their note does the cover letter's job.
- High-volume hourly roles. Retail, hospitality and warehouse hiring usually runs on availability and quick screening, not letters.
- You have nothing specific to say. If you cannot name why this company and what this job needs, the letter will read as a template.
Our view on the fourth case is firm. A generic letter actively hurts: it shows the reader you are mass-applying, and it costs you the benefit of the doubt your résumé might otherwise have earned.
When does a cover letter decide the outcome?
In short
When your résumé alone would raise a question: a career change, a gap, a move to a new city, an unusual path into the field. Also for small companies, competitive programs and roles where writing is part of the job. In those cases the letter answers the question before anyone asks it.
A strong letter can carry a weaker résumé. In the Resume Genius survey, 49% of hiring managers said a strong cover letter could get them to interview an otherwise weak candidate[Resume Genius survey, 2022]. Career changers benefit most, because the letter is where you connect old results to the new role.
Small employers matter here too. US small businesses employ 45.9% of private-sector workers[SBA Office of Advocacy], and at a small company the person reading your application is often the person you would work for. They read letters because hiring one person is a big decision for a small team.
Should you write one when it says optional?
In short
Usually yes. "Optional" mostly means the system will not reject you without one. If you have a specific reason for the company and a result that matches the job, an optional letter is a cheap way to stand out from the many applicants who skip it.
Here is how we decide, case by case:
| Situation | Write one? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Optional field, you know the company well | Yes | Easy differentiation; most applicants skip it |
| Career change or employment gap | Yes | The letter explains what the résumé cannot |
| Small company or startup | Yes | The reader is often the decision-maker |
| Referral who says it is not needed | No | Their recommendation does the work |
| Hourly or shift role | Usually no | Screening is about availability |
| No upload slot or text box | No | Email the hiring manager instead |
| You cannot make it specific | No | A generic letter hurts more than it helps |
How do cover letters fit with screening software?
In short
Most large employers run applications through an applicant tracking system, which stores your letter with your résumé. Software does not usually decide based on the letter, but the people who open your file later can read it, and many do at the shortlist stage.
Jobscan found an applicant tracking system at 97.4% of Fortune 500 companies[Jobscan, 2026]. That means your letter reaches the hiring manager inside the same file as your résumé, often at the moment they are choosing between a handful of candidates. That is when a specific letter pays off.
Use the job's language in the letter for the same reason you use it in your résumé. Our résumé keyword matcher pulls that language out of a posting in seconds.
What if there is nowhere to submit a cover letter?
In short
Send a short version directly to a person. Find the hiring manager or recruiter, write three or four sentences with your best result and why this company, and mention that you applied through the portal. It often works better than a letter buried in a file.
Volume is the reason this works. LinkedIn reports about 8,200 job applications submitted every minute[LinkedIn newsroom], and in Greenhouse's 2024 survey 38% of job seekers said they mass-apply[Greenhouse, 2024]. A short, specific note to a person lifts you out of that pile. Our cold email for jobs generator writes exactly this kind of note.
What should a short cover letter include?
In short
Three paragraphs: why this company and role, one or two results that match what the job needs most, and a clear next step. Around 250 to 400 words. If a sentence would fit a letter to a competitor, cut it or make it specific.
The structure is simple once you see what each part is for:
- Opening: the reason. Name the role and one specific thing about the company that made you apply: a product, a project, a market move. This proves the letter was written for them.
- Middle: the proof. Take the job's most repeated requirement and answer it with your best result, with a number. Add a second result only if it proves something different.
- Close: the next step. Say what you would contribute first and ask for a conversation. Thank them in one line.
Everything else is optional. Skip your life story, the list of skills already on your résumé, and any sentence that begins "I believe I would be a great fit". Readers decide whether you fit; your job is to give them the evidence. For the length, one page is the ceiling, and most strong letters come in under it.
How much time should a cover letter take?
In short
About fifteen minutes once you have a strong base. Keep one well-written letter, then change three things per application: the company reason, the job's main need, and which of your results you lead with. Anything more elaborate rarely pays off.
That routine keeps letters specific without turning each one into an evening's work. Start from the free cover letter generator, sharpen the first sentence with the opening line builder, and check the result with the cover letter length checker. If the employer has no posting at all, a letter of interest is the version to use.
Frequently asked questions
Is a cover letter necessary if it says optional?
Treat "optional" as "recommended if you have something specific to say". Many hiring managers read optional letters, and it is one of the few places to explain a career change or a gap.
Do recruiters actually read cover letters?
Surveys disagree, but most that ask hiring managers directly find a majority read them at least sometimes. Recruiters screening hundreds of applications read fewer; the hiring manager deciding between finalists reads more.
Can a bad cover letter hurt my application?
Yes. A letter with the wrong company name, a generic template or obvious errors can sink an otherwise good application. If you cannot make it specific, skip it.
Should I write a cover letter for an internal job?
A short one, yes. Explain why you want the move and what you have already done for the company; the hiring manager may not know your work.
Are AI-written cover letters a problem?
Only if they read generic or claim things you have not done. Use tools to structure your own facts, then rewrite in your voice.
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