‘Cover Letter Optional’: Do You Actually Need One or Not?

When a posting marks a cover letter optional, whether it’s worth writing one depends on company size and hiring volume, not a universal rule. A 2024 survey of 948 US hiring managers found only 26% read cover letters regularly, and 44% never read them at all, largely because high-volume employers with automated systems don’t have the reviewer-hours to spare. At smaller companies and in communication-heavy fields, a short, specific one-paragraph letter still gets read and still helps. The honest answer is: skip the generic version entirely, and only write one if you have something specific to say.

Do recruiters actually read cover letters, or is that outdated advice?

Depends heavily on which recruiter and which company you ask, and this is where a lot of career advice gets sloppy by citing whichever stat fits the point it’s already making. The most specific, named survey on this, a 2024 ResumeBuilder poll of 948 US business leaders, found that only 26% of hiring managers read cover letters always or frequently, while 44% skip them entirely. Large employers with automated application systems and high requisition loads are the biggest drivers of that number. A recruiter reviewing 100+ applications per role, often triaging resumes in under 10 seconds each, simply doesn’t have the time to open every attached letter.

Plenty of other stats floating around (numbers like “83% of hiring managers say cover letters matter”) come from surveys run by companies that sell cover letter writing tools, which have an obvious incentive to make cover letters sound essential. That doesn’t make those numbers false, but it’s worth reading them with a more skeptical eye than the named, independent survey above.

So why does “cover letter optional” still show up as advice to submit one anyway?

Because reading rates vary enormously by company size and industry, and blanket advice (“always write one” or “never bother”) gets it wrong in both directions. Smaller companies, startups, and roles where writing itself is part of the job (marketing, communications, client-facing roles) are far more likely to have an actual human read every application closely, cover letter included. Large, high-volume employers running everything through an ATS are the ones most likely to fall into that 44% who never read them.

The practical version of “optional” advice: it’s genuinely optional at high-volume, automated employers, and it’s a real, if modest, differentiator at smaller ones.

When does skipping a cover letter cost you nothing?

When you’re applying to a large employer through an online application system, especially one where the field is a simple upload box with no prompt asking for anything specific. If the posting explicitly says “do not include a cover letter” or the application system doesn’t offer a field for one, that’s your answer already. In these cases, spend your time instead on tailoring your resume to the posting, since that’s the document actually getting reviewed.

When does it quietly still matter?

When you’re applying somewhere small enough that a real person reads every application, when the role involves writing or communication as a core skill, or when your resume alone doesn’t fully explain something worth addressing (a career pivot, a gap, a non-obvious connection to the role). In these cases, a short, specific letter (three paragraphs, under 250 words, with at least one detail unique to that company) still does real work. A generic one, copy-pasted with the company name swapped in, does close to nothing either way, since a recruiter who’s read fifty of them can spot the template instantly.

What’s the actual mistake most people make with “optional”?

Treating it as a binary. The choice isn’t “always write one” or “never bother.” It’s: write a real, specific one when you have something worth saying and it’s likely to be read, and skip it entirely rather than submit a generic filler version when it isn’t. A bad cover letter can actively hurt you more than no cover letter at all, since it signals mass-applying rather than genuine interest.

FAQ

Does skipping an optional cover letter hurt my application? At large, high-volume employers, usually not much, since a large share of hiring managers never open them regardless. At smaller companies, it can cost you a small edge, especially if other candidates included one.

Is a short cover letter better than a long one? Yes. Three paragraphs, under 250 words, reads faster and is more likely to actually get read in full than a full page.

Should I write a cover letter if the application system doesn’t have a field for one? No, don’t force it into a resume upload or a random text box. Read that as the company signaling they don’t want one.

Is it worth using AI to draft a cover letter if it’s optional? Yes, as long as you feed it real, specific details rather than letting it fill the gaps with generic enthusiasm. A specific AI-assisted letter still reads completely differently from a templated one.

Do certain industries care more about cover letters than others? Yes. Fields built around written communication, finance, law, consulting, marketing, tend to weight cover letters more heavily than high-volume operational or technical hiring.

If you’re going to skip the cover letter, make sure your resume is doing all the work instead. Search entry-level jobs and internships on WayUp to apply directly to employers who are hiring right now.