I have been asked by workers, several times in the past,  if they should bother sending in a cover letter after they apply for a job.  I always offer them the same answer:  even if employers don’t explicitly ask for a cover letter, it is good practice for you to send one in after you have expressed your interest in applying for the job.

Why, you ask?  Well, have you ever applied for a day job without presenting an application letter?  An online job is very much like a day job, only it is done online.  In any job application process, a cover letter is recommended.

However, you should not send in just any cover letter.  Never send in the same one to all of the jobs you applied for.  Doing so would be a reflection of bad taste.  You should write a new one for each job you apply for.  You should tailor-fit it to the job description.  Doing so will show that you pay close attention to detail and will set you apart from other freelancers who send in a generic one.

A good cover letter is also a display of your English communication skills and will give the employer a preview of your writing skills.  So make sure to read through it and edit it for spelling, grammar, and syntax.

Your cover letter is also evidence of how well you read through the job post.  Some employers pose questions for you to answer and some even give code words that they require you to integrate into the letter.  It helps them weed out those that clearly didn’t pay attention to what was written in the post and narrow down their choice of applicants.  Writing a well thought out letter will increase your chances of making it into the short list.

However, only send in a cover letter if you are really serious about a applying for a job post.  You don’t want to flood the employer’s inbox only to disappear when you are contacted for an interview.  In fact, do not apply for a job if you’re not serious about seeing it through.  So, whenever you want to seriously apply for an online job, know that clicking the “apply to job” button is sometimes not enough.