Depending on who you talk to there is a vast difference of opinions on cover letters. Do you need them? Are they worth your time? Some jobs require them, and some don’t. As someone who has served on many hiring panels in the federal government, I can tell you that the cover letter still holds tremendous value.
For me, a cover letter is mandatory whether the job announcement requires it or not. Even if it isn’t required, not writing one tells me that even when applying for a job, you aren’t up to doing anything more than the bare minimum. Not a great start.
While it alone won’t get you a job, do it right and it can land you an interview. Get it wrong, and it can short circuit your application. Here are the reasons I believe you need to be writing a cover letter for any job application and some tips on how to knock it out of the park.
Come Out With a Great First Impression
The first and last lines of your letter are your most crucial real estate. This is what is called the hook. You must capture the attention of the reader in the first line. Yet 90% of cover letters I read start out with;
“My name is Ryan Ellis and I am applying for the position of …”
If you are the hiring official and you are looking for your next great employee, you probably aren’t going to hire Captain Obvious! So you are telling me that I’m sitting here opening this hiring panel for this job and the first thing you are going to tell me is that you are applying for the job. No kidding!
Instead think like the hiring official. They are hiring because they are trying to fill a need or solve a problem. Do some research on the position you are applying for. What are the problems you are going to have to solve in that position? I’ll use the National Weather Service as an example here:
“Over the next 5 to 10 years the National Weather Service will undergo its biggest transformation in 35 years and it is going to need leaders to navigate that change.”
The difference between that and “I’m applying for this job” is tremendous. Now I’m interested, tell me more.
Write About What You Believe, Not What You Did
The next common mistake I see is that the cover letter becomes a rehash of what is on the resume. If I am a hiring official, I already have your resume and presumably, I can read it. Don’t waste this priceless space on things that are in the resume. You can use an example or two to highlight how it ties into your beliefs but don’t duplicate what is already there.
Instead use this space to articulate some of your beliefs and your personality. This is particularly important if you are applying to a job where people there have never met you before. This is your one chance to do that.
Tell stories about things that don’t show up in a resume. What are your leadership philosophies? How do you lead teams? What is your communication style? Most importantly, include others. How do you help those around you get better? Don’t be afraid to bring out your personality here. People remember how you make them feel. If your cover letter is boring, then it will be irrelevant.
There is one story you should be careful about telling. A lot of us are in fields where the workers are very passionate about what they do. Because of that, we have all wanted to be in our various fields for a long time. One of the most common beginnings to a cover letter is “Since I was a little kid, I have wanted to be …”
Now, you get points for telling a story, just don’t tell that one. The purpose of the cover letter is to stand out and be unique. Telling that particular story is not unique. If you want to go this route make sure you tie it back to the mission of the organization
Want me to take a look over your cover letter? Send me a DM or email me at ryan@humanconstant.com for more information.
Write Many Drafts to Refine Your Work
Writing is an incredibly hard skill to get right. See what I did there! If you are going to take the time to write a cover letter, writing multiple revisions will help you get to a finished product more quickly and I have a system for doing that.
Write multiple drafts with a purpose.
- Draft #1: Simply outline key bullet points for each paragraph.
- Draft #2: Rearrange the key points into a coherent story or message.
- Draft #3: Turn the key points into paragraphs.
- Draft #4: Pay attention to detail, looking for duplicate words and finding the right words for your message.
If you would like more on the craft of writing I recommend John McPhee’s “Draft No. 4: On the Writing Process”. John is a Princeton professor who has written non-fiction for some of the world’s top publications.
Use the Cover Letter as an Invitation to Other Mediums
This is where we can use the cover letter to think outside the box. We have to remember that in this moment, the job applicant is an advertiser and the best advertisements are going to get the interviews. Hiring officials love people who can think outside the box and break down barriers to solve problems and come up with new ideas, so why not give them something new in your job application.
In the federal government, you are usually constrained to a resume and cover letter and 98% of people will stick to the rules and do exactly that. However if you strategically link to a personal website or online portfolio, you have just broken the mold and now can present yourself in any way you want.
Photos of you with prominent people in the field. Videos that show your editing skills and how you speak on camera. Snippets of code that actually show the results of a project you had are all at play. That’s a hell of a lot better than the “-Python” we usually see on a resume. What does that even mean? Did you take a class on coding or charm a snake? I have no idea.
With a portfolio you can show anything you want, and after reading 70 of the same applications I can tell you that it WILL be noticed and appreciated.
More Pitfalls That Will Sink Your Cover Letter
Don’t just list attributes. Sure communication skills, determination and hard work are great, and they typically aren’t on a resume, but a list of buzzwords doesn’t tell me in what context you are going to use them. This is where you need to tell a story with an example of how you used your great communication skills in a setting where it was necessary in order to accomplish one particular thing on your resume.
Avoid writing what you think hiring officials want to hear. If you are molding yourself too much, you aren’t giving an accurate representation of who you are and what you offer. Chances are that if you are hired, the job may not be a good fit for you or the employer, and that is a situation that nobody wants to be in.
Leave Them Wanting More By Keeping It Short
Keep the cover letter to one page, nice and neat and fully signed. Of course there is more to say and we want to tell them everything but we have to pace ourselves. If you have linked to a portfolio, let them spend as much time as they want with that but keep the cover letter intentionally short. Leave them wanting more.
This sentence that 90% of people use won’t get the job done;
“…and that is why I believe I am the most qualified for this job. Thank you for your time.”
The return of Captain Obvious.
Instead shoot for something that ties back to the mission or solving the pain points of the hiring official.
“The next year will be extremely important for the agency and while I have highlighted some examples here, I’d love to talk to you further about ideas I have on how we can navigate those changes together.”
There is intrigue here. I want to know more, but it looks like I’m going to need to schedule that interview to find out.
Mission accomplished.
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