Manuscript vs. Machine

Over the past year, TheLadders’ editorial team has done extensive research into what exactly happens to your resume once you submit it.

A sign of the times: Whether it leaves your desk as an electronic file or an old-fashioned paper document, the chances are its first stop will be screening software known as an applicant tracking system (ATS). This ATS applies an unforgiving set of rules to determine whether your qualifications match the requirements of the job; many distinguished candidates are eliminated from consideration before human eyes ever see their bona fides.

In this era of software screeners, how does your cover letter make the cut?

To answer that question, reporter Lisa Vaas spoke with resume writers, ATS vendors and HR pros. Bottom line: Not every computerized or human screener pays attention to cover letters, but any applicant worth her salt had better assume that letter will be screened. After all, executive career coach Phil Rosenberg reports that most hiring managers he surveyed had passed on candidates with great resumes because of their inadequate cover letters.

Cover letters may seem like small stuff, but sweating the small stuff could make the difference between making the cut or missing your chance.