The request of cover letters in certain fields are to me a red flag. It seems very useful in some fields which require the skills a cover letter shows off and

The request of cover letters in certain fields are to me a red flag. It seems very useful in some fields which require the skills a cover letter shows off and could substitute for a screen or casual interview. In many technical fields however, requesting cover letters usually suggests to me a lower quality in their hiring process. This undoubtedly bleeds over to my perception of the management, namely more into checking boxes than results.