don't mention your "affluent family" in your cover letter

Seriously, it's really not relevant that you come from an "affluent political family." Why is it in your cover letter?

how to write a perfect cover letter

I love cover letters. And yet few candidates are willing to indulge my love with a well-written, customized cover letter. Some of this is a belief that it doesn't matter (shameful!), but some of this is that people genuinely aren't sure how to construct a good one.

Over at U.S. News & World Report today, I give some tips on writing an awesome cover letter. Read, comment, spread the word to job-seekers you know.

more on cover letters

A reader writes:

I'm a college graduate, and like so many others, I've been looking for some jobs. I'm left a bit confused on the cover letter, though..... which, I understand can almost be more important than your resume! I understand that I have to relate my experience to why I am perfect for the company and this job. I've read that this also is where I should show off how much I know about the company. Given that 'shortest is sweetest', it seems a bit wasteful to make the company read about themselves. Is it truly advisable to write about the company in the cover letter? If so, how do I go about doing so effectively?

Also, I've heard the 'don't tell them what YOU want, tell them what THEY want' advice. But I've also head that it a good idea to tell them who I am by talking about my own career goals/motivation for applying. I'm specifically thinking of my application for a temporary position as an administrative assistant to the COO of a hospital. I said towards the end of the second paragraph, "Ultimately, I seek to pursue a career in health administration and policy, and I know that working in this office, albeit temporarily, would be an invaluable opportunity for me." Was that bad form? Again, what is the best thing to do, and how do I do it effectively?

Yes, it truly is good to write about the company in the cover letter. But that doesn't mean you should regurgitate facts about the company that they will already know (I hate that, in fact). Rather, when you write about the company, you do so in the context of explaining what appeals to you about this particular company. See this post for an example of how to do that.

On your second question, yes, you should both explain how you fit what they need, but also why you're interested in them. Mentioning your interest in working in health policy when applying for a position in a hospital helps them see you as perhaps a bit more invested in the opportunity than the average candidate looking for any old assistant position. Remember, employers like candidates who are excited about this particular job, not just a job. (This might be becoming my mantra.)

when your resume is a hodgepodge

A reader writes:

I've never been the type of kid who knew what they wanted to be when they grew up, and I still don't know. The truth is that I've enjoyed and excelled at a bunch of jobs: English teacher in Japan, receptionist, IT/data entry temp, short-order cook. I'm only 25, I've had 20 different jobs (I've temped a fair amount), and honestly I am selective about the company culture far more than the type of job.

Personally, I feel like this has made me extremely qualified and laden with several skill sets (computers, languages, etc). I feel like I'm at the point where I could settle down in a job for a couple years but now my resume is a hodge-podge of wholesale food sales, foreign english teaching, and a dozen random temp jobs. I also am as likely to apply for a program manager job at a non-profit as I am for an IT position at Fortune 500 company. I've tried tailoring my cover letters and resumes for jobs and I end up feeling let down when I spend 4 hours and usually don't get a reply.

Any advice? I've attached my resume not for critique (I've had it critiqued by everyone from my mom to the career advisor at my old college), but to give you a better sense of where I'm coming from in my letter.

As if I could prevent myself from giving advice, wanted or otherwise.

I think the standard advice here is to narrow down your options, decide what you want to do, and focus on that. But I've been where you're at, and I don't see anything wrong with seeing multiple worthy paths before you and being willing to explore several of them.

Your instinct that the solution is in customizing the cover letter is exactly right. Use the cover letter to explain why you want this particular job and how your experience comes together to make yourself well-suited for it. The cover letter is going to be key for you. But you'll have to really mean it when you explain why this job is the right match for you; if you come across as if you're applying for a dozen different sorts of jobs, it'll turn employers off. Rightly or wrong, they want to feel like this is what you want, period.

But four hours is way too much! 15, 20 minutes tops. And you've got to go into it knowing that it won't pay off in some cases -- but that's okay, you can't expect to be invited to interview for every job you apply for. But you'll eventually hear back from some, so keep putting in the effort (again, not four hours of effort) and it will pay off in time.

Interestingly, your resume actually doesn't come across as that much of a hodgepodge, because you've only included five of your 20 jobs. However, I'd suggest doing two things differently with your resume (things that I want to flog your college career advisor for not pointing out):

1. For each job, you've only listed the years you were employed there, without indicating any months. This drives me crazy, because if you just list "2006," I can't tell if you were there for one month or 12 months -- and it makes a difference, especially if you're fighting the perception that you're a job-hopper. (Of course, maybe this is intentional. If showing months would reveal a series of short stints, it's wise not to -- although smart interviewers will ask, so be prepared.)

2. Below each job, you have bulleted highlights, which is good. But your bulleted highlights aren't adding much. For instance, for your job teaching English, you wrote, "Wrote lesson plans in Microsoft Word." Word is practically ubiquitous, so you're not adding anything there that will make you more enticing. How about something like, "Designed lesson plans that resulted in 85% of students passing basic fluency exam" or whatever? That shows me that you got results. I want to see what kind of English teacher you were, not just that you were one.

Good luck!

i love me some humility

I have a pet peeve: job applicants who tell me in their cover letter that they are without any doubt "the best" candidate for the job.

This amazingly bold statement is often made by candidates who, in fact, match very few of the requirements of the job. But even if that weren't the case, come on. You don't know who the other candidates are, and (unless you're an internal candidate) you don't know the needs of the job intimately. It comes across as overly cocky, naive bluster.

I understand why people do this -- they've been told they're supposed to display confidence. But humility matters too (and it's rare that I've hired a candidate without some).

New York Times on job seekers who can't write

The New York Times yesterday reported that nearly half of HR executives say that entry level job seekers are deficient in writing skills. As someone who has to wade through the cesspool of poor grammar and spelling known as cover letters and resumes, I'm actually surprised it's only half. I wish job-seekers realized that they can often catapult their applications to the top of the pile simply by submitting a well-written, well-proofread letter and resume, since it so stands out in the crowd.

What does a good cover letter look like?

The Evil HR Lady, who I secretly worship, has shamed me into posting an example of a good cover letter.

But first, let's take a look at what I consider an example of how not to do a cover letter. There's nothing particularly wrong with this letter -- other than being an utterly wasted opportunity, and I'll explain why:

Dear Human Resources:

Enclosed please find my resume for the position of staff writer.

I currently work as a copy editor for Acme Company, where I am responsible for editing brochures, fact sheets, and Web content. Before that, I spent a year interning at Tiger Beat magazine, where I had the opportunity to write several articles for publication. I also majored in English in college, with a concentration in writing.

I am seeking a position that that will utilize my writing skills with opportunity for growth.

I hope to hear from you to schedule an interview.

Sincerely,

Jane Doe

This letter doesn't add anything to the application -- it just summarizes information already available from the resume. That's just a waste of space, and space is already really limited! Plus, I hate this: "I am seeking a position that that will utilize my writing skills with opportunity for growth." Don't tell the employer what you want (and especially in such generic terms) -- tell them why they should want you. And be specific.

Plus, it might as well be a form letter, because nothing about it is specific to the job being offered or the company offering it. It's sort of the equivalent of a fax cover sheet.

Here's an example of a cover letter that would grab me:

Dear Ms. Smith:

I hope you will consider me for the position of staff writer, as advertised in The Washington Post.

I was particularly excited to see a position open at the Sierra Club, as I have long been a fan of your work. I'm impressed by the way you make environmental issues accessible to non-environmentalists (particularly in the pages of Sierra Magazine, which has sucked me in more times than I can count), and I would love the opportunity to be part of your work.

Reading over the job description for the position, I recognized myself. As you will see on my attached resume, I have more than seven years' experience in non-profits, writing everything from newsletters to Web sites to brochures to letters to the editor and op-eds. In addition to in-house publications, my work has been published in newspapers around the country.

Additionally, I am a fast, versatile writer, and I specialize in taking complicated information and presenting it in an easy-to-understand, upbeat format. I've never missed a deadline (in a recent performance review, my manager called me "the fastest writer on the planet") and pride myself on being able to juggle many different projects. My copy-editing skills border on the obsessive-compulsive; I have been known to correct mistakes on restaurant menus!

I think my skills and experience are an excellent match with what you are seeking, and I am excited about the chance to work with you.

If you would like to talk with me or schedule an interview, please call me at 555-555-1212. Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

Jane Doe

This letter does the following:

- It shows personal interest in working for this particular organization, and it's specific about why, which makes it both more believable and more compelling. It's human nature -- people respond when they feel a personal interest from you. Works in dating, works in job-hunting.

- It only briefly touches on the writer's work experience, giving just the upshot and leaving the details for the resume.

- Perhaps most importantly, it provides information about the writer that will never be available from a resume -- personal traits and work habits, and even a reference to feedback from a previous manager.

- It's far more interesting to read than the first cover letter. I want to call this person in for an interview, and I don't even have a staff writer position open ( nor do I work for the Sierra Club, for that matter).

Now, can you do this for every position you apply for? Yes. It's sometimes easier for non-profits, because you can talk about why you support their mission (so I admittedly took the easy way out in my example). But you can do it for regular companies too, with a little bit of research. No time for that when you're applying to 30 different jobs? Narrow it down and focus on fewer, take the time to write a truly compelling cover letter tailored to each specific job and company, and it's likely you'll find that five truly personalized, well-tailored applications will yield you better results than 30 generic applications.

Take my word for it: Your competition is sending in cover letters like example #1 (if they even bother with them at all). You will dramatically rise above the pack if you put in the time they're not.

the point of a cover letter

I regularly see job applicants miss out on one of the most effective ways to make their application stand out: the cover letter.

First, I'm continually surprised by how many people don't submit a cover letter at all, despite the fact that our ads and online job application instructions explicitly request them. I generally assume these applicants are just resume-bombing, applying to such a wide range of jobs that they can't possibly tailor their application to each job. I don't want these applicants; not only are they ignoring instructions in their very first contact with me, but I want applicants who are interested in this job, not a job.

Then there are the people who do submit a cover letter but who use it simply to summarize the resume that follows. With such limited initial contact, you're doing yourself a disservice if you squander a page just regurgitating the contents of the other pages.

A cover letter is where you make a compelling case for yourself as a candidate, totally aside from what's in your resume. The first thing you want to do is tailor it to the specific job you're applying for and, if possible, the specific company. Yes, it takes a lot longer than sending out the same form letter over and over, but I can promise you, a well-written cover letter that's obviously individualized to my specific opening is going to open doors even when your resume alone might not have. These account for such a tiny fraction of applications -- maybe 3% at most -- that you'll stand out and immediately go to the top of my pile. And I'll give you an extra look, even if your resume isn't stellar.

So what does it mean to individualize the cover letter? Here are some ways to do it:

* Tell me why you want this particular job. What grabbed you about the job description or the company itself? Why would you prefer this job over others out there?

* If you're not a perfect match with the qualifications listed in the ad, acknowledge it and tell me why you'd do a good job anyway.

* Stay away from hyperbole. I hate cover letter statements like, "You won't find a candidate better qualified than me." It's usually not true when people say that, but more importantly, it reeks of ego. I don't want to feel like you're trying to sell me on you; from my side, the hiring process is about an honest assessment of whether you're a good match (because I don't want to have to fire you later). Hyperbole just gets in the way.

* If something makes you especially well-suited for the job aside from your resume, the cover letter is the place to mention it. Maybe the position requires an inordinate degree of meticulousness and you constantly get teased for being anal retentive about details. Great! Mention it or I won't know.

* If you know you’re overqualified but you don't mind, say so in your cover letter. Otherwise I'll figure that you don't understand the nature of the position and won’t want to waste my time or yours.