I can only speak from my own experience, but I have had hiring responsibilities for around 10 years now and I’ve hands down read every single cover letter I have ever received. Whenever you apply somewhere, you are starting a dialog with a person, even if you don’t know them yet.

I think I have a bad view of cover letters because the 'standard' is generally a long text about why you are better than others you don't even know... Idk maybe I will try to write something more genuine and focus on saying why I want to work in the company

This is exactly what I’d be looking for: a short intro that is honest and authentic that describes what you are looking for in a job, why you think this job would be a good fit for you, and some thoughts on the company you apply for.

If you don't mind the question, What would you be looking for if it's a job for a junior with some experience and would you be reading a cover letter from a person who has no professional experience at all? Like, what could highlight this person besides the portfolio?

I would definitely read it. I value motivation higher than professional experience, so I’d like to understand what the candidate is doing to educate themselves, what they are curious and passionate about, and why they are choosing a career in design in the first place.

That's interesting. Could a portfolio with case studies from different industries (health, fintech, etc.) devalue the perception of the candidate's passion for a niche? (I believe it's an individual opinion, so I would like to know your perspective since you value motivation)

I don’t think so. The best designers I know are curious by default and interested in most anything.

To be honest, mostly don’t. TAs might read them. I often read them as a sign of respect of the time the person put into that. But I wish I didn’t need to, as most of the times I can get the same info by glancing their portfolios.

Yes, there is already a lot of participant information in their portfolio, LinkedIn, and resumes. But maybe a cover letter is useful for candidates who don't have any experience (like me)? Idk

In that case, I read the letter to find more about the person and their ways of thinking. But I would recommend having some sort of portfolio even if you don’t have experience. It’s fairly easy to publish something, for free, using Framer, for example. Post your playground stuff

Oh, yeah, a portfolio is crucial, and I actually have one already. I'm searching for a job for more than a year, and I always put a lot of time into writing cover letters. I will probably stop with it completely from now on and focus on finding some freelance projects anywhere

Btw, loved your portfolio and your case studies!

Thanks, man! I really appreciate it :) Perhaps I should write them a little shorter haha

i know it's a bit old article but i feel like there're some good thoughts and tips for resumes and cover letters :) medium.com/who-what-why/w…

Why I didn’t look at your resume

I’m frustrated.

medium.com

It's a valuable article, thanks for sharing! I'm always unsure whether I should email or contact the recruiter on LinkedIn. Vacancies usually have 300+ applications and I feel that recruiters don't have time to read applications outside of the link they provide

I mean, I literally did this once just to experiment hahaha but I haven't heard back from the company, so I think it might not be a good thing