At the end of last year, ERE published an article called “9 Talent-acquisition Trends to Watch for in 2017.”  I was excited to see one of the bullet points was as follows:

A/B testing will become a critical factor in the battle for talent. Do fewer candidates drop off during the application process if you reduce your number of screening questions? Is a candidate…

That’s right another joins in…the New York City Council has enacted legislation (effective in 180 days) prohibiting employers from inquiring about a job applicant’s “salary history.”   They are not the only ones.  There are several cities and states thinking about passing similar laws – some already have.  For example, Philadelphia passed…

From what I can see, it seems most companies still ask for cover letters.  Isn’t this just one more hurdle and inconvenience to make applicants go through that really doesn’t add value?

Based on my experience, cover letters are not needed anymore.  I know I am not alone in this (from speaking with peers), but I have not read a cover letter in years.  By and large, we don’t care what is on the cover letter.  Everything we need to see should be on the resume.…