Hiring Leaders on AI-Driven Cover Letter Trends for Forbes

📣SEEKING EXPERT SOURCES: IMPORTANCE OF COVER LETTERS in 2026 There seems to be a debate about how much written materials like cover letters matter to hiring managers vetting candidates for jobs. I'm trying to provide some clarity on this topic for an article I'm writing for Forbes on how important cover letters are, looking ahead to 2026. Especially in the context of AI, where candidates will inevitably use AI to assist them with writing cover letters, hiring managers may increasingly struggle to differentiate between candidates who have the ability to write an effective, compelling cover letter and those who simply used AI to do the writing for them. If you're an experienced hiring manager, HR professional, or seasoned recruiter/headhunter from globally recognized, reputatable firm/company, I'd welcome your input (ideally, respond via Qwoted link or DM me) on the following 3 questions: 1. How much do cover letters still matter to the hiring process in 2025, and looking ahead to 2026?  2. What unique role will cover letters continue to play, if any, to the candidate vetting process?  3. Why should (or should not) candidates continue to invest time into writing a solid cover letter? I'd also very much welcome any data (especially global, not solely US-based) on the importance of cover letters (e.g., percentage of hiring managers who prefer them, how they can favor candidates, how not including a cover letter can hurt you as a candidate, etc). Please, no comments from independent career coaches or those not actively and currently involved in hiring. I'm trying to get input on this by end-of-day Nov 5. Thanks so much! Qwoted request: https://lnkd.in/ei_6G-HK #journorequest #journorequests #coverletters #hiring