The Best Cover Letter I Ever Received

The Best Cover Letter I Ever Received Harvard Business look backward David Silverman 118 PM Monday June 15, 2009 In my last post I talked about how to sack your scoop up more likely to catch the attention of a hiring manager. As a follow up, Id like to debate cover earns. Heres my basic philosophy on them dont bother. Thats because the cover letters I see usually flux into one of three categories The recap The resume in prose form. Its redundant, harder to read than the resume, and provides no additional insight.The form letter This says, essentially, Dear Sir or Madam I saw your ad in the paper and thought you capability like me. And its clearly a form letter where maybe they got my name and company right. If theyre lucky, I give still take the time to read their resume after being insulted with a form letter. The Im groundless This ones r be, and it expands on the resume of experience with some personal insights. Examples range from the merely batty (I understand batik as an art form has taught me to become both a better person and shake off manager. ) to the truly terrifying (I cast a pentagram hex and the central line pointed towards your undertaking listing. I hunch forward you will find this as comforting as I do. ) There are really only a few times to use a cover letter 1. When you know the name of the person hiring 2. When you know something about the job requirement 3. When youve been personally referred (which might include 1 and 2) Under those conditions, you can help your cause by doing some of the resume analysis for your potential spic-and-span boss. To illustrate, heres the best cover letter I ever received Dear DavidI am committal to writing in response to the opening for xxxx, which I believe may report to you. I can swirl you seven years of experience managing communications for top-tier xxxx firms, excellent project-management skills, and a great eye for detail, all of which should make me an ideal candidate for this openin g. I have attached my resume for your review and would welcome the chance to speak with you sometime. Best regards, Xxxx Xxxx Heres what I like about this cover letter Its short. It sums up the resume as it relates to the job. It asks for the job.The source of this letter took the time to think through what would be relevant to me. Instead of scattering lots of facts in hopes that one was relevant, the candidate offered up an opinion as to which experiences I should focus on. And that means the writer isnt simply showing me skills related to the job, hes showing me hell be the kind of employee who offers up solutions instead of just laying problems on my desk. What do you think? Have you ever secured a job thanks to a cover letter? Whats your view on the value or lack thereof of cover letters?