導讀：又一年秋招即將拉開帷幕。隨着越來越多公司採取了網申的招聘形式，求職信的重要性似乎正日益減少。然而，不少招聘經理都認爲，求職信可是令應聘者脫穎而出的一大關鍵。
Cover letters seem like a lost art when it comes to applying for jobs in this digital world. They are becoming less of a requirement and more of an option.
在這個數字世界中求職時，求職信就像一門失傳的藝術。它們不再是一個必備條件，而更像是個可選項。
Electronic application processes make it easier for many candidates to apply, which sometimes means many more applications need to be sorted through before decisions are made. This may be the reason that a cover letter doesn’t hold the same value it used to, and in many cases, job seekers are *glossing over it.
電子申請流程簡化了不少求職者的申請，這有時也意味着（人事人員）在做出決定前需要整理更多的申請。這或許成爲了求職信不再如往日般重要的一大原因，求職者們在很多情況下都忽略了求職信。
“Only a small percentage of applications we receive include cover letters, perhaps 10 percent,” says Tracy McShane-Wilson, executive director of talent acquisition at a US-based accounting firm.
“我們收到的申請中，只有很小的一部分附上了求職信，大約只有10%左右，”美國一家會計師事務所人才招聘執行總監Tracy McShane-Wilson表示。
However, those who *omit a cover letter, or submit one with an obviously *halfhearted effort, could be missing out on an opportunity to set themselves apart from the crowd.
然而，那些忽略求職信，或者求職信看着就寫的很敷衍的人，或許會錯過一個令自己在衆人之中脫穎而出的大好機會。
“You can generally tell when a candidate is very interested in a particular position and/or the organization, as they will take more time to *delve into why the role and/or organization fits well within their own professional goals and passions (in a cover letter),” says Valerie Keels, head of D.C. Office Services for Gavi, The Vaccine Alliance.
“你能大致上看出來應聘者對某一職位以及（或者）某個組織很感興趣，因爲他們會花更多的時間（在求職信中）深入探究爲何該職位及（或）組織和他們自己的職業目標與熱情十分契合，”全球疫苗免疫聯盟華盛頓特區辦公室負責人Valerie Keels表示。
Set yourself apart
令你脫穎而出
A well-written cover letter could be the difference between getting your foot in the door and getting the response letter from a company telling you that those in charge of hiring are impressed with your qualifications but have decided to pursue other candidates at this time.
一封行文得當的求職信會成爲你的一塊敲門磚，而不是獲得一封應聘公司的回信，告訴你招聘主管對你的資歷留下了深刻印象，然而這次他們卻決定將機會留給他人。
“The number of applicants has increased significantly over time, due to the greater *availability of information about open roles through job sites and social media,” says McShane-Wilson. Given the amount of competition, she and other hiring managers say putting a little effort into *composing a thoughtful cover letter could go a long way.
“求職網站和社交媒體令人們更容易地獲取到招聘信息，申請者的數量也隨之大大增加，”McShane-Wilson說道。由於競爭激烈，她和其他招聘經理都表示，花點心思精心構思一封求職信將大有作用。
For one, it tells a hiring manager how passionate you are about the position you’re applying for.
一方面，求職信告訴了招聘經理你對應聘的這一職位有多熱情。
“If you are the type of person that is thorough, fully engaged and takes the time to write a cover letter, then you’re probably also the type of person that cares about making sure it is well-written, informative and persuasive,” explains McShane-Wilson.
“如果你是那種周密又全情投入的人，肯花時間好好寫封推薦信，那麼你或許也是那種在意推薦信質量，確保其行文得當、信息豐富、打動人心的人，”McShane-Wilson 解釋道。
Including a cover letter also tells a lot about a candidate’s most basic communication skills.
附上一封求職信也大大體現了求職者最基本的溝通技能。
Andrea Alaimo is the director of human resources at US-based *logistics firm Redwood Logistics. She said that normally she’s normally not the only person involved in the hiring process, meaning candidates have to impress more than one person if they want to make it to the next round of the hiring process.
Andrea Alaimo 是美國物流公司紅杉物流的人力資源總監。她指出，通常情況下並非只有她一人蔘與招聘流程。因此，應聘者們如果想要進入招聘流程的下一環節，單給她留下深刻印象還遠遠不夠。
“In the end, each hiring manager determines how important *mastery of the written word is for the role they are seeking to fill, but confirming good written communication skills can only help our review of a person’s total communication skills, from traditional writing skills to today’s technology-based communications methods,” she said.
“每位招聘經理最後會權衡掌握書面語對於他們招聘的崗位而言的重要性，但只有體現出良好的書面溝通技巧纔能有助於我們評審一個人總體的溝通技巧，從傳統的寫作能力到如今使用科技進行溝通的方法，”她表示。
