Do cover letters still matter in 2026?
When a cover letter helps, when it hurts, and how to write one in minutes with AI.
Cover letters are optional more often than they used to be, which leads many candidates to skip them entirely. That is usually the right call — but not always. Knowing when a letter earns its place is the real skill.
When it helps
A short, specific letter is worth writing when you are changing industries, explaining a gap, or applying somewhere you genuinely admire. In those cases it answers a question the resume raises and gives context the bullet points cannot.
When it hurts
A generic letter that restates your resume wastes the reader's time and can count against you. If you would send the same paragraph to any company with the name swapped, it is better to send nothing at all.
Write it in minutes
When a letter is warranted, ASoc drafts one from your resume and the job details in a few clicks. You keep the parts that ring true, cut the rest, and end up with something specific rather than templated.
