When should a cover letter be used?
Under most circumstances, a cover letter is used as an introduction and should accompany your resume, whether e-mailed, posted on a job site, mailed, or hand delivered to an employer.
There are a few exceptions to this rule: being a personal introduction that accompanies your resume, a cover letter is not needed if you are hand carrying a resume to a prearranged interview (such as arranged by a recruiting firm, network contact, etc.) since you will be present to introduce yourself. If an interview is not prearranged when hand delivering a resume, then a cover letter is appropriate since you would not want to be so presumptuous as to assume you will have an interview — even if that turns out to be the case.
In most cases, e-mailed resumes and resumes submitted to job sites should begin with a cover letter, except where instructions indicate otherwise.
It is not necessary to provide a cover letter to recruiters if they approach you. However, if you are initiating contact, a cover letter is appropriate.
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