Many job seekers think cover letters are outdated, but recruiters disagree

By Nick Kossovan

Nowadays, landing a job requires doing what others don’t. That’s why the ongoing debate about whether to include a cover letter with an application is perplexing.

As a job seeker, you should want to do everything possible to differentiate yourself from the competition. The common argument against writing a cover letter is that recruiters and hiring managers won’t read it, leading many job seekers to believe it’s not worth the effort.

Nobody knows exactly what percentage of recruiters and hiring managers read cover letters or how much they influence hiring decisions. Most insights on this topic are anecdotal or based on limited survey data.

Some job seekers look for the easiest route—putting in minimal effort. But nothing worth having comes easy. Given today’s competitive job market, it’s essential to increase your chances wherever possible. A cover letter provides a competitive advantage by making it easier for hiring managers to connect your qualifications and experience to the role.

Not including a cover letter is a missed opportunity to:

1. Pitch why you’re the right candidate for the job.
2. Show that you’ve taken the time to understand the role and its requirements. Many job seekers apply indiscriminately, so those who demonstrate they’ve read and understood the posting stand out.
3. Provide additional evidence to support your candidacy.
4. Demonstrate your writing skills.

This isn’t a debate. The level of effort you put in reflects how much you want the job. Sending a cover letter—or a thank-you email (another topic for another day)—demonstrates your seriousness and strengthens your application. No hiring manager rejects a qualified candidate for including a cover letter. However, some hiring managers consider omitting one unprofessional.

Not including a cover letter is lazy. And hiring managers don’t hire lazy.

Recruiters and employers favour applicants with cover letters, if only because it shows passion and investment in the role.

A common question is whether to include your cover letter as an attachment or in the body of an email. I recommend the latter, as it makes an immediate impression when the email is opened. Keep it short (75 to 150 words) and concise. This highlights two essential career skills: written communication and the ability to articulate the tangible value you bring to a company.

Your cover letter has one job: get the recipient to read your resume. With attention spans shrinking, getting to the point is critical. Writing with brevity will serve you well throughout your career. Keep it short and simple.

[Date]
[Recipient’s first name],

I’m writing to apply for the IT Project Manager position advertised on LinkedIn. Having led Global X’s development team (12 IT professionals) for seven years, overseeing key projects from conception to delivery, I am an ideal candidate for this role.

Some of my career highlights:

• Directed a $5.8-million digital transformation project for an air transport company, reducing lost/damaged cargo incidents from five percent to 0.8 per cent.
• Reduced costs for a clothing manufacturer by $2 million by conducting a gap analysis of its supply chain process.
• Implemented a cloud migration strategy for over 200 legacy applications, achieving zero downtime and cutting operational costs by 35 percent.

Call me at (XXX) XXX-XXX to schedule a mutually convenient time to discuss how I can contribute to [Company].

Sincerely,
Name
Attached: Resume

That’s it. No long-winded claims about being a “team player,” “detail-oriented,” or a “fast learner.” Employers hire based on results, not self-assessments. The key is to provide three achievements not found in your resume or LinkedIn profile.

Ask yourself: What results did I achieve in past jobs, projects, or tasks?

If writing a concise cover letter that could improve your chances of landing an interview seems like too much effort, you might need to question how badly you want the job.

Nick Kossovan, a well-seasoned veteran of the corporate landscape, offers advice on searching for a job.

© Troy Media

The views, opinions and positions expressed by all Troy Media columnists and contributors are the author’s alone. They do not inherently or expressly reflect the views, opinions and/or positions of Troy Media, TV Punjab and Ubiq Broadcasting Corp.

The post Why smart job seekers still use cover letters appeared first on TV Punjab | English News Channel.

Ottawa: At present, there are many great places to visit across the world. One of best travel destinations is Canada. This country is very famous for its diversity and popularity.

There are a lot of tourist places here with natural beauty to bright beauty, which attracts a large number of people every year to see and visit.

Canada is an attractive tourist destination, where many major and beautiful tourist destinations are seen. So let’s know in detail about some of the best tourist places present in Canada:

National Park of Canada

Canada’s National Park is famous all over the world for its beauty. This national park in Canada is surrounded by beautiful hills. This place is so beautiful that it is considered no less than heaven on this earth. It has also been declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

Niagara Falls

Niagara Falls is one of the most beautiful tourist destinations present in Canada. It’s a kind of waterfall. Here the waterfalls of water falling from the high hills enhance the beauty of this place even more and that place is also known as the “Honeymoon Capital of the World”.

There is also a very good arrangement for food and drink at this place.

Capilano Suspension Bridge

This bridge is one of the most beautiful place present in Canada. This bridge was built in 1889 and it was built over the Capilano River in Canada. The length of this bridge is about 137 meters. The more beautiful this bridge is, the more scary it looks. Therefore, people who are afraid of heights should not go here. This bridge was also shown in many TV shows and films.

Lucy Lake

Lucy Lake is also one of the famous and major tourist destinations present in Canada. It is a very beautiful lake. The water of this lake is blue in color, which looks very clean and beautiful.

This lake is present in Banff National Park located in Canada. The length of this lake is 2.5 kilometers and the depth is 90 meters. Skating is also done on this lake during the winter season.

Toronto

The Toronto is Canada’s most populous city. This city is known as the mutual culture of Canada. It has very beautiful and attractive lakes.

Apart from this, Toronto is also quite famous for its culture and tradition. Theater, music, museums, gigantic buildings, delicious food, etc. are also attract tourists.

Victoria

One of the very beautiful tourist destinations present in Canada is the city of Victoria. This place is famous all over the world due to the fragrant climate, natural beauty, things of ancient times and history. Due to the history and ancient things here, this place is a favorite place for tourists in Canada.

Quakers

Quakers City is a major city in North America, helping to retain old European charms. Queeback City is one of the places to see in Canada. The things like culture, art, natural beauty, religion, luxury, adventure activities, architecture, Montmorency waterfalls, religious places, etc. are seen. That’s why if you have gone to visit Canada, then you must visit Quake City.

Montreal

The city of Montreal is one of the second largest cities in Canada. It is one of the most beautiful places in Canada. The city is known for its culture and history. Architecture, festivities, old-fashioned classical architecture, modern skyline, night lifestyle, fusion restaurant, market, amazing museum and delicious food are also found in this place. The city of Montreal is also known as the metropolis of Canada.

Vancouver

Vancouver is one of the very beautiful and famous tourist destinations present in Canada. Vancouver is famous all over the world for its natural and attractive beauty and diversity. The city is surrounded by mountains and large buildings. The beauty and attractive views of the big buildings and mountains present here help to make this place even more beautiful. Music is also organized here, which makes the nightlife there even more entertaining.

The post Best places to visit in Canada this summer appeared first on TV Punjab | English News Channel.

Ottawa: Statistics Canada said that 150,000 people were employed in the economy in January.

Last month, 153,000 people joined the labour force and the unemployment rate remained steady at 5 per cent. Earlier, unemployment had registered a steep decline of 4.9 per cent. There has been an increase in employment in almost every sector and the biggest benefit of this has been wholesale and retail.

During this period, an increase of 4.5 percent was recorded in allowances on a year-on-year basis.

Experts say that the increase in interest rates will slow down the pace of the economy, but the way the situation is visible, the situation is not so bad.

The post Canada adds 150,000 employment in January appeared first on TV Punjab | English News Channel.

Ontario: The Bank of Canada has announced an increase in its interest rates today to 4½%, with the Bank Rate at 4¾% and the deposit rate at 4½%.

With this, these interest rates will reach 4.5 per cent and it will be the highest since 2007.

The Bank of Canada has raised interest rates seven times since March to curb inflation that has crossed all limits. Economists believe that these interest rates will not be increased further by the bank after the increase to be made today.

How these interest rate hikes will affect Canadians’ spending habits will also be known over time. But the Bank of Canada is hoping that the economy will get back on track in the coming months and the situation will also be closely monitored by the bank.

The post Bank of Canada to raise interest rates by 25 basis points appeared first on TV Punjab | English News Channel.

Ontario: Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc said that the federal government wants to sign long-term funding agreements with provinces and territories before presenting the 2023 federal budget.

LeBlanc said strengthening the health care system by compromising with provinces is a key priority for the Liberal government. LeBlanc also confirmed that the federal government is willing to sign an agreement to increase the funding to be given to provinces, which canada health transfer (CHT), as well as to put federal funds in key priority areas over the coming ten years.

In an interview during the ongoing Liberal Cabinet Retreat in Hamilton, Ontario, LeBlanc said he did not expect a deal in the coming two weeks, but hoped to reach an agreement that would benefit Canadians before the federal budget.

He said the issue is also likely to be discussed in more detail with the provinces in the coming weeks. LeBlanc said he thinks the premiers are right if they think the five-year deal isn’t enough to address some of the key health care challenges. He attributed the growing population of Canada to the ageing population for this step.

Ensuring access to family health teams, reducing the surgical backlog and improving staffing are some of the key things that the federal government is looking at at right now, he said. He said this was also the main topic of discussion in the Federal Liberal Cabinet Retreat.

The post Federal minister aiming to ink long-term health funding deals before 2023 budget appeared first on TV Punjab | English News Channel.

Ontario: Premier Doug Ford is set to introduce changes that will allow licensed health care workers registered in other provinces or living in other provinces to immediately start working in Ontario.

Health care professionals must currently be registered with one of ontario’s health regulatory colleges to start working in the province. But Ontario is willing to relax these rules to eliminate a variety of bureaucratic delays.

The Ford government said changes to the law will be made in February.

Making the announcement in Windsor, Ontario on Thursday, Ford said that for nurses, doctors and health care workers working in any province and territory across Canada, he wants to say that if they are thinking about making Ontario their new home, there is now a golden opportunity to do so.

Meanwhile, in a news release released on Thursday evening, the Canadian Medical Association welcomed Ford’s approach and said it was the best step towards improving health care.

The post Ontario looking to poach health workers from other provinces to tackle shortage appeared first on TV Punjab | English News Channel.

Toronto: A 17-year-old Sikh man was killed in a road accident in Canada’s British Columbia province. He lost balance with the vehicle and met with an accident.

The youth was on his way home earlier this month when the accident occurred on Fraser Highway in Langley, British Columbia. Victim has been identified as Taren Lal.

The accident on January 7 was so horrific that the fence was uprooted and a tree fell. Lal’s mother Sarbjeet Kaur said she had spoken to her son shortly before the accident.

The post 17-year-old Sikh boy killed in road accident in British Columbia appeared first on TV Punjab | English News Channel.

Nihal Singh Wala: Amarpreet Amri, a well-known kabaddi raider of village Patto Hira Singh, died of a heart attack in Surrey, Canada this morning. Amarpreet, 28, had gone to Canada to get married in December and got married last year. Amarpreet Amri was a famous kabaddi raider.

It is said that he felt chest pain and was admitted to local hospital but could not be saved.

The post 28-year-old Kabaddi player Amri dies of heart attack in Canada appeared first on TV Punjab | English News Channel.

Toronto: At least three people are missing in an explosion at a fuel distribution company in the Lanaudiere region, said Quebec Provincial Police (SQ). No casualties have been confirmed yet.

SQ spokesman Alois Cossette said police could not reach the scene during the day due to safety reasons. The police launched an investigation when a team of 50 firefighters brought the fire under control.

Cossette said the investigation is likely to go on overnight but there could be some difficulty due to heavy snowfall.

During the day the SQ did not say that one person was missing. But the number of missing persons reached three on Thursday evening.

According to the information received, this number may also increase. The explosion occurred at 11:17 a.m. Thursday at a propane facility in St-Roch-de-l’Achigan, 50 kilometers north of Montreal.

It was also informed that the buildings within a radius of one km of the building were evacuated at the earliest.

The post Explosion at propane company, 3 missing: Quebec police appeared first on TV Punjab | English News Channel.

Ottawa: Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada said that international youth contribute valuable and diverse skills to Canada’s economy when they come from abroad to gain meaningful work and life experiences here, therefore, it is going to resume the International Experience programme to invite youth to Canada.

Sean Fraser, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, announced that the International Experience Canada (IEC) season is now open to international youth who have expressed interest in gaining work and travel experience in Canada. Those who are already in the IEC pool will begin receiving invitations to apply for their work permit.

This year, Canada will be extending this opportunity to nearly 90,000 international youth, as announced on December 1, 2022. This expansion will help Canadian employers find the workers they need to fill labour shortages across the country, he said.

The post Canada begins International Experience program to welcome international youth on work permit appeared first on TV Punjab | English News Channel.