What information in a cover letter would be relevant? What type of dubiousness is the hiring company getting up to???

> If you received a notice that your resume had been read, they liked it, and they wanted a cover letter before an interview, would you submit one?

No, because that would mean they didn’t specify that the cover letter would be required ahead of time, and I am not trying to waste my time.

How am I so certain that they didn’t specify it ahead of time? Because I wouldn’t apply in the first place if a cover letter was listed as a requirement on the initial application.

If I am feeling particularly petty or upset about that surprise ask for a cover letter later in the process, I will just ask ChatGPT to write the most generic and useless cover letter for me, and then send it over.

You’re a different person. The other guy said he wouldn’t write one if they hadn’t liked his resume already.

Maybe rather than a cover letter which seems too open ended and come with its own special kind of stress for some people, companies can just ask candidates to fill out a questionnaire that asks for approaches to specific situations that an employee will have to face in this situation?

I think that's a fine approach. It's not uncommon to see a bit of guidance on the cover letter request (calling it 'a paragraph telling us why you'd like to work here' and so on.)