Novoresume says cover letters still matter to HR

Novoresume released survey findings from more than 200 HR professionals and 1,000 U.S. job seekers showing a gap between cover-letter usage and review rates. The company paired the research with a cover letter maker that uses a resume and job post to draft a tailored letter in minutes.

Why it matters: - Novoresume's data suggests cover letters still influence hiring decisions, even as many job seekers skip them. - The findings point to a practical problem for applicants: the people reviewing resumes do not all treat cover letters the same way. - The company's new tool is built around that mismatch, aiming to make tailored cover letters faster to produce.

What happened: - Novoresume released survey findings on October 15, 2026, alongside its cover letter maker. - The company surveyed more than 200 HR professionals and 1,000 U.S. job seekers. - About 60% of HR professionals said they read cover letters. - 21.5% of job seekers said they always send a cover letter. - The full findings are available in Novoresume's cover letter statistics report.

The details: - 21.3% of HR professionals said they read the cover letter before the resume. - 25.7% said a strong cover letter can tip the decision on an application. - HR managers were the most likely to read cover letters, with only 22.9% skipping them. - Recruiters were more likely to skip them, with 52.8% saying they do not read cover letters. - Job seekers who always tailor their cover letter reported a 35.8% hiring rate. - Job seekers who never write a cover letter reported a 21.2% hiring rate. - The cover letter maker lets users paste a job description and upload a resume, or fill in a few fields. - Novoresume says that first step takes under two minutes. - The AI then matches job requirements to the user's background and writes a draft for that role. - Users can edit the letter in a template that matches their resume and download it as a PDF. - The product includes 16 cover letter templates in professional, simple, creative and student styles. - Novoresume also offers templates for explaining an employment gap. - In Novoresume's research, 49% of hiring managers preferred a half-page letter and 26% preferred a full page.

Between the lines: - The survey results help explain why cover letters persist even as some applicants treat them as optional. - The product design reflects a common pain point: many job seekers do not lack motivation, but they do struggle with structure. - Reviews from recruiters, HR leaders and career coaches largely frame the templates as a way to reduce blank-page friction rather than replace content quality. - Andrei Kurtuy, co-founder of Novoresume, said tailored cover letters appear to get people hired more often and that the company wanted to make the process take minutes instead of an evening.

What's next: - The AI cover letter generator is free to try at the cover letter writer. - All 16 templates are available at the cover letter templates. - Novoresume is likely to keep using research-led product launches to promote its resume and cover letter tools.

The bottom line: - Novoresume is betting that speed and structure can close the gap between what job seekers send and what hiring teams read.