It's not unusual for job seekers to treat the cover letter as an afterthought. They've put so much time and thought into their resume that they may view the cover letter as nothing more than a required but unimportant attachment. In actuality, this introductory document can be instrumental in helping your resume leap to the top of the pile.

According to a survey from our company, 86 percent of executives polled said cover letters are valuable when evaluating job candidates. And even though the job application process has mostly moved online, a cover letter is still needed. Eighty percent of managers surveyed said it is common to receive electronic resumes accompanied by cover letters, which are typically pasted into the body of an e-mail message.