I am always amazed at the never-ending torrent of articles and blog posts on the topic of cover-letter writing; more specifically, “How To Write The Perfect Cover Letter”—one that will not only guarantee you the interview, but the job itself…as well as a later promotion and company car.
These articles are all one in the same… published to this or that website or career guide and with the promise that if you were to take advantage of the advice given thereof, no matter who or what you are, then the job you hope to land will be yours.
To be honest, when I launched Resume Deli’s blog in 2013 I felt compelled to write on the topic of cover letters as well. Though I did try to bring to the table a fresh take on the topic, at the end of the day, I often wound up with the pedestrian “how-to” post (witness “Four No-Exception Cover Letter Mistakes”).
But the proverbial shit hit the fan this week when TIME MAGAZINE saw fit to republish a piece titled, “7 Cover Letter Mistakes That Will Sink You”.
Enough already: it’s time to set the record straight on what the “perfect” cover letter is… and isn’t.
Unless you’re applying to an ultra-progressive social-media start-up or entertainment agency, you should refrain from composing your cover letter in a Haiku format or emailing it as a hyper music video.
A “perfect” cover letter should simply reflect who you are, in terms of its content and tone. When your interviewer says, “So, I was reading your cover letter…” it should summon in you feelings of pride; not embarrassment or anxiety.
Cover letters exist to introduce you to a potential employer: they work best when they empathetically communicate how well your skills and accomplishments match up to the job you’re applying for.
So unless dancing, singing, or being funny are your true talents—AND they are being specifically called for—then sweating to produce a cover letter that nonetheless has you doing any one of these things is just going to demonstrate your ineptitude and lack of self-awareness, if not your dishonesty; the kind of attributes that will not have you direct-depositing a periodic sum into your bank account.
Hi, I liked what you had to say but felt there were a couple of other “truisms” about cover letters that I espouse to all my clients, and thought might be worth adding.
The cover letter is, above all, an additional page of space to “sell” yourself to the reader/employer, so treat it like an authentic, genuine advertisement about what you can bring to that position (no hypey phrases or over the top pitches, though) that doesn’t rehash stuff that’s already in the resume.
As a recruiter and HR generalist in my former life (pre-career coach/resume writer), I typically wouldn’t read the cover letter unless it obviously (and you can tell pretty darn quickly whether it does or doesn’t) says something new and different from the resume.
I also think it’s a great opportunity to use quotes and other features, like accomplishment statements (as in your recent posting: Your Resume is Useless Unless it Answers this Question!), or “testimonials” (quotes) from personnel evaluations or other laudatory letters/communications that sing your praises — again, “relevant” to the posting at hand.
If the first half of the first page of the resume is your “back of book cover” to pique the reader’s interest in buying, then the cover letter is an all important “author’s bio” that tells why you’re the best person to write this book… ie. fill this job!
Really enjoying your website and blog. Glad I found you. I’ve signed on to your mailing list to receive more. Thanks!
I’d say cover letters go beyond just conveying your skills though. They’re also about conveying personality and enthusiasm, which is pretty hard to do in the resume.