A Wish Your Heart Makes 4

Can we talk….about cover letters?

Here is how my job search has progressed:

Step 1: go on to job search website

Step 2: find awesome, awesome job

Step 3: get excited and put it into my job search excel

Step 4: sit down to apply and try to formulate thoughts to create the cover letter

Step 5: try to write cover letter, cry, eat nutella instead, go back to writing cover letter, freak out, feel like everything I’m writing is nonsensical or super fluffy

Step 6: facebook

I have written many cover letters and they all invoke similar processes. I try to ease myself into the process as much as possible. I really believe it is important to write a customized letter for each job I am applying for so I spend time doing research on both the position and the organization/school. I go through the description and pull out key phrases and job requirements that I want to emphasize in both my cover letter and resume. I look over the school to understand their mission and culture and try to connect my experience to their needs. Yet with all this work I want the cover letter to be natural and effortless. As someone who has been on the other side of the hiring process, I try to think of what an employer will be looking for. This is probably too much thinking but strategic is one of my Strengthquest themes and I just can’t help it. In my search to write the best cover letter possible, I have found some very helpful websites that I’d love to share here:

Does your cover letter make these 5 mistakes?

http://www.careerealism.com/cover-letter-mistakes/

How to keep your cover letter from landing in the trash?

http://www.careerealism.com/how-keep-cover-letters-trash/

What does a good cover letter look like?

http://www.askamanager.org/2007/06/what-does-good-cover-letter-look-like_13.html

I used to get all stuck in the traditional formatting rules but I’ve learned that my best cover letters come from the heart (to be cliché) and allow me to really express why I am a good fit for the position. This is in contrast to a cover letter that tried to fit every reason ever that I was qualified or check off every box on the cover letter to do list.

And, of course, in my usual tradition of employing Disney songs as an instant stress reliever, this little diddy really helped me get through some hair pulling cover letter writing moments: 

Until next time