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Traditionally, the cover letter has been used by job seekers
to introduce themselves to potential employers. Your cover
letters generally summarize your experience and qualifications
for the job you're applying for. It's the thing that tells
an employer whether your resume is worth reading.
In recent years, there have been several trends that have
called into question the usefulness of the traditional cover
letter:
- employers' tendency to scan for keywords
- growing number of candidates
- shrinking number of resume reviewers
- transition to Internet-based candidate hunting
- increasing dependence on headhunters and job shops
All this is to say that your typical cover letter has a
slimmer chance of being read than at any time in recent
history, and a greater chance of not being finished when it
is read. Here are some things you can do to increase
the odds:
- Remember that employers are interested in what
you'll do for them; not what they'll do for
you. This means you should avoid
- mention of your long-term goals
- mention of your hobbies or outside activities
- mention of any plans unrelated to the company
- Avoid any kind of writing that's unprofessional
or otherwise not universally understood:
- hype
- cliches
- jargon and acronyms
- idioms
- humor
Get to the point! Assume the person
reading your letter has given you about 30 seconds to
make that point. Don't waste that time!
- Don't waste space -- dedicate everything
you say to the goal.
- Don't send the same letter to everyone.
They can always tell.
- Don't use unusual or nonstandard paper,
font type, font weight, or photos or graphics. This isn't
the time for you to show how creative you are. When they
ask for your portfolio, THAT'S the time.
- Show you've done your homework. Don't
just spit the ad you're responding to back to the reader;
show you know what the company DOES. If
you don't, you're probably done.
- Give no personal information outside of
your address and phone number. Employers aren't allowed to
ask about such things about your marital status, race, age,
health, sexual preference, financial condition, appearance,
etc., and you shouldn't give them reasons to exclude you
that aren't based on your skills. Because employers will
exclude you if they think they can, and if you volunteer
reasons, you will be excluded and never know why.
- Say nothing of your weaknesses. Those are
all a matter of perception anyway -- the employer may view
you quite differently than you do yourself. Your goal is to
BE viewed, so don't let some feeling of
misplaced humility cause you to exclude yourself.
- DO NOT LIE. They can always tell.
- Don't make demands or reflect
requirements you have for a position or employer.
- Nobody should have to be told not to forget to include
their resume, or their address, phone number, etc. -- but
people do forget these things. Don't leave anything
out. And don't scratch it in in pencil or pen, either.
- Avoid third-person impersonal and the passive
voice.
- Do the proofreading. And get someone else
to help you with it.
The Bible's book of Philemon offers an excellent
example of a letter of introduction. The letter,
written by the Apostle Paul, follows what some
scholars call an "established Hellenistic form."
- who's writing (specifically)
- who's being written to (specifically)
- some salutation
- some prayer/praise for good works
- some personal content (e.g. who I am and what
I've done)
- some content relevant to common interests
- some expectations in response
- some relevant incidentals
- some polite closing
In those days, letter-writing followed a format
intended for public reading. These days, a cover
letter gets passed around to human resources people
and managers. The principle is the same, though
the common interests are going to be different.
The underlying construction of the letter includes
the following interesting features:
- the writer's understanding (and personal knowledge!)
of the recipient(s) and their organizational needs
- the writer's confidence in his/her qualifications
(and authority in the field!)
- some assumption (perhaps less tacit then than now)
of welcome on the part of the recipient
The form is applicable to most types of professional
letter-writing (provided the "religious" content is
left out), but is especially applicable to the cover
letter, which is likely to be shared among several
readers besides the addressee.
References
ITWNWkrBee@aol.com
has been teaching courses for America Online users on the
subject of the cover letter. AOL users should check keyword
Online Classroom for more info.
Ask the Headhunter
The misc.jobs.* Conventional Wisdom FAQ
What you can do
- If your cover letter hasn't gotten you an interview
lately, you should get others to help you rework it
-- or find a way to get a job that doesn't need a letter.
- Review that letter monthly, or every time you
accomplish something. Don't wait until you're between
jobs.
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