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11.11
Cover Letters: Too Much
"I" Doesn’t Leave Room for Me
By Elizabeth Lions
Ah, the age-old cover letter
dilemma. When it comes time to write an
introductory cover letter, job seekers, both
employed and unemployed, often find themselves
staring woefully at a blank computer screen and
wondering how to boil down their career
experience into a few meaningful sentences.
Countless books and articles have been written
on writing effective cover letters, but one way
I have found to take the sting out of this
important part of the job search process is to
wean yourself of the temptation to use
self-aggrandizing "I" statements.
For more than a decade, I’ve
re-written cover letters for clients in job
searches for many different professions. Once I
re-write a letter, it invariably produces a different
result — more calls for job interviews.
My secret is simple, and it’s
the obvious that candidates too often forget.
Always consider the
reader first. Consider that the reader is a real
human being with real time constraints and
distractions competing for his or her time and
resources. The reader could be someone in HR, a
recruiter, a clerk or, if you are very fortunate,
a hiring manager. Having a hiring manager
read your resume is rare, but it could
happen. Do you really want that person to read a document that is
only about you? Certainly not.
You are selling yourself, sure, but you must
first consider that employer's specific needs and how you can
help in a consultative format, rather than just
producing a cheap sales
document that only seeks to ‘prove’ why you are
the right candidate.
Imagine that you are a hiring
manager tasked with filling several vacant
positions within your company, on top of your
normal day-to-day responsibilities. You have 60
unread emails in your inbox, your
boss is on the phone, your direct report is
hovering in your office doorway and then a job
seeker's cover letter pops up on your computer
screen. If the cover letter is a mere litany of
accomplishments and doesn't address potential
contributions to the prospective employer's
mission, how do you think it will be received?
It pays to be sensitive to your audience
and what he or she might be going through at the
time that your letter is received. From the
perspective of the person receiving your cover
letter, the bottom line is that using the word
“I” too many times in your cover letter doesn’t
leave room for me — the reader. If you count
the word “I” more than five times in your letter,
you have missed the target.
Here is an example of a simple cover letter that will
yield positive response:
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Dear ____________,
Thank you for taking time out of your busy day to read my information.
It occurred to me that during this challenging job market, you probably get a lot of cover letters crossing your desk. I’d like mine to be specific to your ad so
as not to waste your time.
I am applying for the (enter title) position that I found posted on XYZ. My direct relevant experience to your ad can be found under XYZ job in my resume.
My core skill set contains (enter skills that are tangible, not subjective
qualities such as leadership, problem solving or strategic ability. Those are not skills, and frankly that is your opinion, not the reader's)
I am sincerely interested in your open position and am certain that you will get a lot of responses to your ad.
When the time is right for you, please give me a call.
Best Regards,
Your Signature
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Why does this
format work ? Simplicity is golden. And it addresses
the reader's business — and emotional — needs.
The reader is looking for the right
person and doesn’t have a lot of time to fill
the slot. By acknowledging this limitation, you have
effectively saved him or her time by briefly
communicating
what you do and how it relates to the vacant
position. You have also been sensitive to
what is going on at that moment in the
reader's
day, which shouldn't be underestimated.
Cover letters
don’t need to be tricky, nor resume writing.
As long as you keep the tone about being of
service, you’ll get the reader’s
attention.
Remember: Too
much I doesn’t leave room for me (the
reader)
 Elizabeth Lions is an Author
and Executive Coach and Leadership Expert. Her
second book will be released in 2012.She has
created and delivered leadership and transition
programs to some of the best high tech companies
in the United States. For more about her work,
please visit
www.elizabethlions.com
Comments may be submitted to
todaysengineer@ieee.org.
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