Employers look at your resume first to make sure you have the skills and experience they’re looking for before taking the time to read your cover letter. In fields that require job-specific hard skills, such as IT and engineering, employers are even more likely to look at your resume first because those skills are simply required to do the job.
However, in more creative fields such as editing, journalism, and marketing, employers may read your cover letter first to ensure that your writing and communication skills are at the level they expect in new hires.