Not "are cover letters dead." Whether this one, for this role, will be read, and whether it earns its place.
Not "are cover letters dead". Whether this one, for this role, will be read at all, and whether it earns its place if it is. Six questions, then a decision with the reasoning attached rather than a rule of thumb.
About the role, the reader, and how the application actually reaches them.
Write it, skip it, or write it only if you can do one specific thing first.
What the letter has to do to be worth the reader time it asks for, and what makes it get skipped.
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"Are cover letters dead?" is the wrong question, and it is why the advice you have been given contradicts itself. Cover letters are not universally read. They are read by particular people, in particular situations, and they move the outcome most when a candidate is borderline.
The gap between 83% and 48% is the entire decision. Who opens your application first determines whether the letter is an asset or wasted effort.
Question 1 of 6
Who is most likely to open your application first?
Not sure? Let the posting tell you. A company careers page usually routes to HR or the hiring manager. A job board listing with an agency name routes to a recruiter.
Question 2 of 6
Which of these describes your situation? Choose every one that applies.
These are the five situations where a letter does work a resume structurally cannot. The more that apply, the more there is to explain.
Question 3 of 6
What does the posting itself say?
Question 4 of 6
How closely does your resume already match the posting?
Be honest. This is the biggest single driver, because a letter helps borderline candidates most and near-perfect matches least.
Question 5 of 6
Do you have something specific to say about this employer?
This is the tailored-versus-generic line, and it is worth 22 percentage points of callback rate. Not "I admire your mission." Something only someone who actually looked would know.
Question 6 of 6
Realistically, how much time will you give this one?
A generic letter still lifts callbacks by about 31%, against 53% tailored. If the honest answer is fifteen minutes, that changes the advice rather than invalidating it.