Should I write a cover letter if it's optional?

Yes. Write it.

"Optional" only means they won't reject you for leaving it blank. It doesn't mean nobody reads it. Most of them still open whatever you send.

I know you're looking at that field and thinking "finally, one less thing." I get it. Job applications are already enough of a grind. But skip it and you're basically handing the advantage to everyone who didn't.

Why "optional" isn't the same as "don't bother"

The form marks it optional so it doesn't block people who don't have one ready. That's a software setting, not a message from the hiring manager.

They still look at what comes in. When your resume looks a lot like the other twenty in the pile, the letter is often what tips it.

What you actually lose by skipping

Here's the part people miss: when something is optional, most applicants just... don't do it. That's human nature.

So the people who bother stand out by default. Not because the letter is genius. Just because most of the competition left that box empty.

I'll take that edge every time.

When it's fine to skip

The posting explicitly says not to.
Some do. Respect it. Their process probably isn't set up to use cover letters anyway.

There's literally nowhere to add it.
No upload, no text box. Don't try to force it somewhere weird. Just move on.

It's a high-volume, skills-first role.
Warehouse, retail, shift work. Those usually come down to availability and a quick check that you can do the job, not how well you write.

Outside those three cases? Write it.

Make the ten minutes count

A letter that just swaps in the company name doesn't do much. It won't tank you, but a hiring manager who's seen a hundred of these can tell when someone didn't actually look at the job.

What works is one real link between something you've done and what they're asking for. That's the entire job of the letter. How to tailor a cover letter to a job description walks through how to find that connection.

Writing something specific for every application gets old fast. A quick AI draft is tempting, but a generic one is almost as easy to spot as no letter at all.

So, should you write one?

Yes — every time it's optional, unless the posting says skip it, there's no place to put it, or the job doesn't involve writing in any meaningful way.

It's one of the last free advantages left in applications. Take it.