Creating a cover-letter

Hi! I'm putting together a resume, and despite my research and questioning, I'm still a little confused about the purpose of the cover-letter. Any help would be appreciated, thanks!

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OK, rule #1 (and I'm really not trying to put you down here): please don't ever say you don't see the purpose of a cover letter!

Since we're on a Broadway board let me use a great lyric from Chorus Line "Who am I anyway? Am I my resume? That is a picture of a person I don't know."

If you're comfortable handing over a resume and saying "that's all you need to know, that's me in a nutshell" then fine.

But for most, especially when you're starting out, a cover letter lets you introduce yourself and gives you a chance to say "Hi, I'm so and so, and even though I dropped out of junior college you should hire me because..."

Anyway, enough ranting. It's a useful tool! Especially if you write well. I've gotten many interviews based soley on my cover letter.