Cover Letters Archive

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Interview Skills in a Cover Letter

I read a cover letter today that did something I see very rarely. It focused on elements that are critical to a recruiter and usually overlooked by job seekers. A cover letter with a sales pitch for the candidate isn't unique. What was unique was how the

A Cover Letter Without Complete Sentences

I read a cover letter today that didn't have a single complete sentence. Each sentence was written without a subject and many didn't have a verb. The letter was nothing more than a collection of phrases and buzzwords. I've included most of the cover letter below, with

What Value Does Your Cover Letter Add?

Cover letters introduce your resume and influence how closely your resume will be read. An effective cover letter will get the reader excited to learn more. To do this, the cover letter needs to provide value beyond the resume.

Sentence Structure

I updated some of my social media accounts this weekend. My motivation was twofold. First, some of accounts badly needed an update to the design and content.  I had not updated some of the information in the last couple years and it showed.  The second reason was motivated

Failing to Customize

I read a cover letter of IT professional that was one of the most general I have every seen. It was over 300 words long but didn’t say anything of substance. In the IT field, technical skills and experience with those skills are the critical factors. Despite this, the candidate

Cover Letter Mixed Signals

I received a resume with a cover letter that sent mixed signals. It started out well but quickly changed course. Below are the first three sentences: I am a results oriented leader with a proven track record of success. I have several years of experience in a

Superhuman

Thursday night, I watch “The Real Superhumans and the Quest for the Future Fantastic” on the Science Channel. The show profiled individuals with abilities that are incredible and verge on superpowers. It was very interesting. When the show started, several of the people profiled in the show

A Cover Letter Without Spell Check

The cover letter I read today illustrates a number of basic grammar mistakes.  The overall impression is either the job seeker can’t write or has no attention to detail – possibly both.  This is the cover letter: Iam purusing a Project Manager of Construction job. With multiple years

No Clipart

One of my recruiters showed me a cover letter that they received that I have to share. The cover letter is from a successful manufacturing executive and illustrates how your professionalism and style can greatly impact the impression you make. The Cover Letter had a large font – a 14

Don’t Quote Statistics on a Cover Letter

I received a resume with a cover letter that started out with a statistic on the labor market.  Quoting statistics to make a point isn't a good lead in for a cover letter.  Here's how the cover letter started: Dear Recruiter, Labor statistics indicate that people change