The tragedy of cover letters

This week I came across this post on Twitter:

That resonated so deeply with me.

I’m a writer. And my whole career helping people with job hunting started in college when I was helping my friends write cover letters. I’m extremely good at them.

I’m so old that I remember typing out a cover letter, printing it out, and folding it up in an envelope along with my printed resume to send it off to a prospective job.

These days, almost all job applications are done online, and most are processed through automated applicant tracking systems. It’s unclear that a human even sees your materials until you have made it past the first couple of cuts.

A lot of HR professionals say cover letters are meaningless now. So when an online system requires a cover letter, it feels like wasted effort.

Here’s my take: write a cover letter, whether they ask for one or not.

It’s for you, not them.

Use the cover letter to think through how you can differentiate yourself from dozens or hundreds of other candidates. Make it your best pitch. If you can’t come up with a good pitch, this job isn’t a good fit for you, and you should move on.

But if you are excited relating all the ways you can help them solve their problems, you’re ahead of the game already.

Recently a friend sent me a job listing. It’s for a UW-Madison communications position, so I already know there will be several hundred applicants, and I have basically no chance.

But I decided to apply and write the cover letter that I would want to read, laying it all on the line.

Here’s the entire text of that letter. You can tell me if I accomplished my goal or not.

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September 6, 2024

Amanda Joncas
UW School of Medicine and Public Health

Dear Ms. Joncas:

My friend Kevin Thompson at Exact Sciences told me you are looking for a Communications Specialist to assist you.

Good news: I am that person.

You’re looking for a writer and editor? I started my career as a reporter, and have written and edited in multiple media for clients, state government agencies, teachers and the general public. I recently wrote several articles for Sustain Dane about their yearly Summit conference. I’m also an exceptional editor with what my mother called “the curse of spelling.”

You’re looking for a web manager? I have been working on the web since its inception, in every capacity for clients and employers. I revamped the website for the state agency I worked for, and managed the entire web presence of my previous employer, TeachingBooks.

You’re looking for someone to translate complex topics for a general audience? I have been doing that my entire career, starting as an education reporter in Michigan after graduating from Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University. I did it as a state employee writing about public safety grant programs, and as the web and publications manager for a large educational services company.

On top of all that, I feel a real connection to your mission. In the last three years, I have had both a brain tumor and a stroke. My health is extremely good now, thanks to brilliant surgeons and medical teams at UW-Madison. But I have spent more than my share of time in scanning machines, and I know how important they are to a host of health issues.

I have a feeling you are looking for someone younger. That’s understandable. But my breadth of experience will be hard to replicate in someone just out of school. I have dealt with pretty much every communications challenge under the sun in my professional career. That’s where my age and experience can be a boon to your goals.

I’m excited about the prospect of helping the School of Medicine and Public Health manage its important messaging, online and off, to all its constituencies. I look forward to talking with you more about the position.

Best,

Adam J. Blust

linkedin.com/in/adamjblust/
lucky@lucky8ball.com
608-772-1115

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Right off the bat, I did two things you are never supposed to do.

1. I talked about my health. But it’s relevant, and differentiates me.

2. I talked about my age. But I’m tired of dancing around that. And I want to turn it into an advantage, not a mark against me.

Again, my advice is, write the cover letter, even if they didn’t ask for it. Even if you don’t send it. Because it will clarify how you feel about the job and get you started on marketing yourself for this specific position.

Don’t just restate your resume in prose. Sell yourself.

You can let me know how you think I did with this letter. Meanwhile, I would love to hear your stories about cover letters. Do you think any of them made a difference?

See you next week.