The Signals That Matter: Resumes, Cover Letters, and Success on the Job Search

Abstract

Although organizations commonly collect resumes and cover letters to screen job applicants, the features of these materials that affect hiring remain unclear. The current study tracked 183 students applying for full-time, paid jobs in their field, in connection with a postsecondary co-operative education program in Canada. We found that applicants whose cover letters and resumes were written with more detail, clarity, and structure secured substantially more interviews (relative to the number of applications submitted) and took less time to secure a position. These effects remained strong after controlling for content factors (work experience and achievement) and tailoring of materials, suggesting that organizations may be hiring applicants based on compositional factors that can be easily produced by new technologies like ChatGPT.