Miketheguy

very very valuable! also connections are great! they have groups for job openings and are a great way to give a professional vibe before they ever see you in person.

It all depends on the size of the company, and where you are applying to. Large companies in fact screen for buzz words and dont count them. The #1 best way to get your resume noticed is to start every single sentence with an "Action" word. such as :

Wrote xxxxxxx

Reviewed XXXXX

Reported regarding xxxxxxxx

make them eye catching, and also very very important - have action words similiar / identical to the ones in the original job description or posting, if there is a system it usually screens for those with extra weight!

Threatening and cocky as hell. Not a good one man.

I love HR, im a just nerd at heart who happens to like people hah

It depends on the position and company.

Small companies really care about the little details, same with high up managers looking at people for executive / senior managerial positions because attention to detail and extra effort really matter.

The most important thing behind a cover letter is not the letter itself but rather that you want this job bad enough to tailor your resume extra to it - it shows them that you are not just cramming your "HEY LOOK I CAN WORK TOO!" page everywhere.

But for a large company / entry level job it doesn't particularly matter, I usually take a 3 second glance at it because I have a stack of 100 in front of me. But a good cover letter will almost always push you from the "No" to the "hmm maybe" pile just out of interest if it is an entry level position.