I know exactly what your cover letter says, yet I can assure you I'm not a mind reader. Let me guess. It's a single-spaced, full-page, four-paragraph letter, organized as follows:
Paragraph 1: How I heard about the job
Paragraph 2: Why I want the job
Paragraph 3: My qualifications for the job
Paragraph 4: How I'll follow up on the job
In addition, you've taken what's already on your resume and simply rewritten it in paragraph form.
How do I know this? Because virtually every single person writes the exact same cover letter!
Teaser, Not a Summary
Recruiting directors are flooded with resumes and spend about 15 seconds looking at each one individually. Now try tacking on a full-page, extremely boring document that basically says what's already on the resume. How many cover letters do you think actually get read?
That being said, you still need to create one. It shows that you're interested in the job and are willing to take the time and effort to write something. And it truly represents a wonderful opportunity to set you apart from the competition.
But here's the trick: Make it different. Think about your cover letter as a teaser ad for your resume. It doesn't have to tell your entire life story, but it does need to attract interest in your resume. Keep it short, write it personally, and be conversational.
You need to catch the attention of recruiting directors in the first sentence or two so they actually read on and give your resume extra review time. But beware, there's a fine line between clever and stupid!
Sample Cover Letter
Here's a sample letter. You'll quickly see the difference between this one and the typical cover letter:
Dear Mr. Bell,
What do Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, Charles Barkley, the Looney Tunes, and three days in the desert have in common?
In my case, it represented the most intense, complicated, and rewarding experience of my career.
I was the account supervisor working on the McDonald's account, and I was tasked with managing all the logistics of the most complex commercial shoot in the company's history.
Like most projects of this size, it was rife with tension, pressure and last-minute changes. When it was all said and done, though, I felt like my true colors shined.
I learned the value of preparation, grace under pressure, and flexibility. When we reveled in the glory of a job that came in on time, under budget, and creatively strong, I knew I was battle-tested for any job moving forward.
I look forward to applying my strong work ethic, management skills, and can-do attitude toward a career at your company, and I will follow up in a week's time to talk about potential next steps.
Regards,
Ryan Wilkov
This certainly isn't the perfect cover letter for everyone (don't just copy it!), but it does give you a sense of what to do.
Often, it's helpful to think about how you got interested in the field, why you like the particular job or company, or even some special skills you have that the reader would find interesting. Keep it short and personal, and let some of your personality shine through.
Brad Karsh is president of JobBound, a career consulting and outplacement firm. One of the nation's leading job-search experts, he is the author of "How To Say It on Your Resume." If you have a question for Brad, email him at jobtalkin@yahoo.com.
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