I do not particularly like writing cover letters, mainly because you need to sell your professional qualities to the hiring manager to be considered for an interview. That is something I need to improve on doing. Writing the letter as if I had already received a medical coding and billing degree and certificates was tricky, and I never really considered the importance of a cover letter. If the listing states it is optional, I have chosen not to send one. For future jobs now, I will start and keep it on hand for a better chance of landing the job, especially for a competitive job. I did not contact the hiring manager for the chosen job listing since I still needed to meet the requirements for that particular job. If I had applied for the job, what could have been impressive to the hiring manager in the cover letter is my previous experience working with the company managing medical files