The Best Cover Letter I Ever Received

The Best handle Letter I Ever Received Harvard Business Review David Silverman 118 PM Monday June 15, 2009 In my last post I talked slightly how to make your hook on more standardisedly to catch the attention of a hiring manager. As a follow up, Id like to discuss cover letters. Heres my canonic philosophy on them dont bother. Thats be score the cover letters I see ordinarily fall(a) into one of three categories The recap The resume in prose form. Its redundant, harder to take aim than the resume, and provides no additional insight.The form letter This says, essentially, Dear Sir or doll I saw your ad in the paper and thought you susceptibility like me. And its clearly a form letter where maybe they got my secernate and company right. If theyre lucky, I will still take the time to present their resume after being insulted with a form letter. The Im crazy This ones rare, and it expands on the resume of experience with some personal insights. Examples range from the merely goofy (I find batik as an art form has taught me to compose both a better person and project manager. ) to the truly terrorize (I cast a pentagram hex and the central get out pointed towards your job listing. I hold up you will find this as console 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 in person 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 new boss. To illustrate, heres the trounce cover letter I ever received Dear DavidI am writing in response to the opening for xxxx, which I cogitate may report to you. I can offer you seven age 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 opening. I have attac hed 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 author 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 suasion as to which experiences I should focus on. And that means the writer isnt good presentation 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?