Come Recommended: You want to know about cover letters? First let’s talk about… speed dating.
It’s a modern concept that involves equal numbers of men and women in a room. Using a round-robin format, each man and woman get a chance to meet for a short time — usually between three and five minutes. This method is designed to let every person put on a brief “presentation” in an effort to earn the opportunity to begin a courtship or longer-term relationship with another individual.
But this overall approach to selecting candidates has always been used in the business world. In other words, job searches are like “speed dating” between employers and applicants. And what’s the “brief presentation” in this simile?
Your cover letter.
11 comments:
This article points out a lot of good things to keep in mind when writing a cover letter. Of course, there's a big difference between knowing what to put in a cover letter, and actually writing one. You can think all you want about name-dropping, selling yourself, talking about why you want to work at that company, but if you can't do it eloquently and well, it doesn't help. If you're the type of person who isn't good at talking yourself up, one of the most important things is to have someone else read your cover letter for you. It'll give you a real-time reaction to what your cover letter is saying about you, and will give you another set of eyes looking for grammar mistakes, which is important. The fastest way to get your letter thrown out is to make easy mistakes, like misspelling the name of the company or the person you are applying to.
I think that Jess makes a really good point. Beyond being about content and checcking off the necessary information, cover letters are simply about presenting yourself; because of this, a coherent statement, strong sentences and the right tone are very important. I myself have issues with how to phrase things when it comes to a cover letter, the tone being somewhat casual but with a very professional content, and the constant need to stay away from overlapping your resume in a redundant way.
as internships and jobs are a big deal this time of year, having an article about cover letters is really nice. that said, this article only made me more nervous. yes it tells you what to write, but that doesn't make the actual act of writing it any easier. How do you name drop and brag about your accomplishments without sounding like a pompous idiot? I wish there was an article that could help more then just saying what to write.
I agree with Jess about this article. The article tells us what to examine when writing a better cover letter, but if you can't write eloquently, there is no reason to even write a letter. The most important thing in writing a cover letter for me is to have others read it and check it. Sometimes it is hard to tell what is okay to say and what is not. Definitely check your letter MANY times. I always tell myself that if I think i have finished something, check it twice more...and then have someone else check it.
I wish this article had come out about a month ago, before most summer internship applications were due. But I appreciate that it's here now, and I will definitely take these tips into account the next time I have to write a cover letter for a potential job. It's always hard to find the balance between being a pompous bragger and being humble and likable while still getting important qualifications and skills across. With only a few paragraphs, it is important to stand out in a positive way, and not get lost amongst the other applicants.
A really great way to "customize" your letter to the company is through some investigation. Most companies, especially theater companies, have mission statements in some form on their websites. These mission statements can also tell you about the company's culture, and if you'd want to work there, but also how your interests and beliefs resonate with the company. You understand the projects that they do, but understanding and explaining why they do it, hits em in the heart.
That's it Ariel! It is true. Highlighting one of the company's missions or one of their qualities that you like or were drawn to in your cover letter is a great way to make them smile. That is once you personalize it and not just regurgitate what they said on their website. Also I know that some people say not to use "To Whom It May Concern or Sir/Madam, but sometimes you really can't tell who an application is supposed to go to. Especially when there are about 2/3 people in the company who could potentially be that person, if there isn't a dedicated HR person or someone listed on the job posting.
Ariel brings up a really good point. It's important to not only look at the mission statement and find a way to incorporate it into the letter, but also its important to look at the ad itself. If you see what they are looking for, it helps you publicize yourself as what they need.
Especially if an interview isn't part of the application process (or comes much later), it's important to tailor your cover letter to the company and its aims, as Ariel and others mentioned. Reading the company's mission statement is incredibly important, since you can tell some of what they are looking for. Other important things to look at is what they've dont in the past and what they've chosen to highlight on their website as a whole. You can absolutely tell the tone of a company based on their website, articles about them, etc, and knowing as much as you can about the company can help you target your audience so much better.
This is an excellent analogy for job seeking in general. There are also great tips for a cover letter...I wish I had this when I was doing mine. Although I followed most of these rules, I didn't know that name dropping was actually a good thing in a cover letter. That would've been nice to know. I do have one more application to send out that will be more customized to the potential employer, and mention I have a few friends in the business!
This is why I'll never get a job. I'm not good at selling. I tried selling knives one summer in high school. It did not work out. Picture me at your door with a bag full of knives. The cover letter has always been a struggle for me. I'm a little verbose, so they tend to come out too long and boring. I have followed most of the other rules in this article, to varying degrees of success. I do usually tailor cover letters specifically to the job. I used to have four or five templates on file for different types of jobs so I didn't have to start from scratch each time, but I would try to add at least one or two details from the job posting or description, or better yet something about the company from their website. But the most reliable way I ever got jobs was by knowing someone at the company or venue or on the production team. I still get calls for work from people I worked with 15 years ago. So be nice to your classmates! They should be getting you work for the rest of your life.
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