How to Customize a Cover Letter for Each Job

There’s nothing scarier this time of year than a #faculty #application packet with a poorly crafted cover letter.   The first thing a faculty search committee sees in your packet is the cover letter.   Unlike many bot-based application processes, we actually READ the cover letter.   I’ve read hundreds of applications in my career. And I’ve picked out some common mistakes: 🙀 Information overload. We have your entire application. Don’t rewrite it all here. Give us highlights. 🤖 Robotic writing. This is a chance for you to introduce yourself as a person with passion for the position. 🙌🏻 Overly confident. Writing something like “I am the best in the field” when applying for your first job after defending your #PhD, might be overselling your abilities. No one wants an egotistic colleague. 🥺 Lacking confidence. If you want the job, you should tell the committee why you’re qualified! Don't leave them to infer it from your statements. 👩🏻🏫 Forgetting your audience. We know what a journal is, what skills you gain from #research, etc. This isn’t an industry job application; it’s written for faculty to hire a faculty member. ✏️ Copy/paste run amuck. This includes addressing it to the wrong school (or “to whom it may concern.”) 🕸️ Bloated and complicated. This isn’t the time to tell long-winded stories or make intricate connections between your past work and this institution’s job. Be clear and direct.   What does your cover letter need to do? 📍 Tell the search committee and department faculty who you are (credentials). Provide a narrative that shows your career path (to date) and why this position is the next “right thing” for you. 📍 Introduce your overarching research and teaching goals, specifically mentioning 2-3 “big” things that you’ve done (research findings, grant success, teaching methods). 📍 Convince the reader that you are a fit for the #university. Yes, this means learning something about the program/institution to which you’re applying and aligning your skills, goals, philosophies to it. 📍 Convey professionalism. In clear, concise language strike a balance between a personal narrative and professional communication. Write as you would speak on an interview.   What should it look like? ✏️ For #STEM fields this is no more than 2 pages (humanities sometimes can go 3… but why?). ✏️ Styled like a proper business letter complete with addresses, date and recipient in proper places. (If you don’t know how to format a business letter, Google it. Now is not the time to get creative). ✏️ Use appropriate salutation and closing with no spelling/grammar mistakes.   Remember: this is the first impression you provide to the search committee. It will take time to write the first draft and to tailor the draft for each school. Don’t rush this critical piece of the application.

Like many of you, I'm not a huge fan of cover letters. Times have changed and I think cover letters made more sense in an era where hiring managers were doing their own hiring, companies received just a handful of applications for each role, and interviewed many of those candidates. But in a world in which people are submitting hundreds of apps? They make less sense. And many companies have turned off this feature/requirement because they don't have the capacity to actually read them. (Y'all might remember Nicole Fernandez-Valle going super viral for sharing her hot take on cover letters a few years back!) That said, some companies do still require them - and care a lot about what's in them. AND I think they can help for career changers in particular. So I wrote a blog post to cover this topic for Teal - I'll drop the link in comments. My top 3 cover letter tips: 1. Write a general template for each job family. Your cover letter for a customer success role and a marketing manager role should look different. Highlight accomplishments specific to that type of work (this is particularly important if you haven't held relevant titles!) You can then tweak the first and last paragraphs to make them applicable to each company instead of writing a fresh cover letter for each one. 2. Make sure that your cover letter adds something new. If all you do is rephrase your resume, then it's not really serving any purpose. So deep dive into a really relevant project, or highlight something outside of work (like from volunteering or a leadership organization or hobby or side hustle) that may not have made it on your resume but is really relevant to the company. 3. Highlight company-specific info. I saw one of the BEST cover letters I've ever seen last week from someone who was applying for a company that does astrology work. They highlighted how their own astrological chart aligned with the role. It was so creative and really highlighted their passion for what the company does. (CHANI - I'd love to make an intro!) If I were applying to a job at United Airlines, I'd mention that I was a 1k for 6 years, and have taken over 500 United flights and will go out of my way to book United. If I were applying for a job at OpenAI, I would talk about how I use ChatGPT daily, and how I'd used it in my own application process. If I were applying for a job at Notion, I might talk about my enthusiasm for their new calendar launch. These are things that aren't going to show up on my resume, but can differentiate me from people who aren't as familiar with the company, product, mission, etc. And the upside of having a cover letter handy is that even if it's not required to apply, it's something you can quickly edit and send to a recruiter or hiring manager and gives you a reason to reach out - of course I wouldn't do this for every job, but it may make sense for those jobs that fall in the "dream job" category.

Over the last few months, I've read a lot of resumes for people applying for various jobs in the city. (I like to see what kinds of applicant pool we have for some positions.) One thing I've learned is that we could all use a little help when it comes to drafting cover letters and resumes. Let me share two tips about cover letters with you. 1. Tailor Your Message: Generic cover letters are a missed opportunity. Research the organization and position, and then tailor your letter to reflect how your skills and experiences align with their specific needs and culture. Show that you understand what makes the city unique and how you can contribute to their specific goals. This personalized approach demonstrates your genuine interest and effort. 2. Tell Your Story: A cover letter shouldn't just reiterate your resume. Use it to narrate your professional journey, highlighting how your experiences have shaped your skills and how they align with the job you are applying for. Share a compelling story or an accomplishment that reflects your capabilities and fits the job requirements. This makes your application stand out and gives the employer a glimpse of your personality and enthusiasm. If you are in doubt about your cover letter and want another set of eyes to review it let me know! I'm happy to help people that are looking to better themselves in the field of #localgovernment! #CareerDevelopment #JobApplicationTips #CoverLetterWriting #ProfessionalGrowth #LocalGov #ICMA #TCMA #CityManagement