Amy Lindgren
Here’s a poll we don’t need to take: How many job seekers enjoy writing cover letters? Surprise! No one’s hand went up.
That may be why some surveys report fewer than half of job seekers use cover letters — they just don’t enjoy writing them. Of course, they don’t say that. They usually say the letters won’t be read anyway and their time could be better spent completing applications instead.
In truth, recruiters and employers frequently show a preference for cover letters from job seekers, which means not sending one is not only not strategic but actually disappoints a certain percentage of employers. Well, that’s not good.
Let’s start over with the assumption that you now plan to send cover letters with every online application. The question is how to make an onerous task go more quickly without sacrificing quality.
But first, let’s tackle a logistical point. Sometimes online applications don’t include an upload button or text box for cover letters. In that case, your work-around is to add your letter to the résumé file, essentially making it page one of your résumé.
Now, as for the letter itself, consider why you would write one at all. What can a letter do that isn’t already accomplished by the résumé or application? Answers include:
• show enthusiasm
• tell a story
• draw connections between your skills and this position
• reference a common contact
• demonstrate your personality
• highlight a relevant aspect of your experience.
Basically, the cover letter is the original tool for customizing your materials. If you imagine that simply changing the headline on your résumé or dropping in a few software packages is customization enough, I’ll just ask: How’s that working for you? Because I can almost guarantee that every other applicant is doing the same thing.
By contrast, the letter lets you separate yourself from others. Sure, it may never get read by a human, given the use of automation in the hiring process. But you still have to try. Since being read by a human is your goal, it’s only logical to prepare for that possibility.
You know what else is logical? Cutting the letter-writing process down to size, so that it doesn’t take more than perhaps 15 minutes per application. Although you may still dislike the task, at least it will be over quickly.
In this spirit, here are three ways to shorten the process of writing cover letters for online applications.
1. Create a template to customize. This is a good tool when most of the jobs you seek are similar. Suppose you’re primarily applying for social media marketing roles. Your template might contain mostly stock sentences (“With 10+ years experience leading social media marketing campaigns, and …. , I’m excited about this role with ___.”) but would integrate customized sentences as well: (“Your company’s emphasis on ___ and awards for ___ heighten my enthusiasm for working with you…”)
This may not seem like a time-saver at first, but you’ll appreciate how quickly you can fill in the blanks once you have the template in place.
Extra Credit: Review their website or conduct other research so your customization feels authentic.
2. Create boilerplate paragraphs. If the jobs you’re choosing aren’t similar enough for a template letter, you can use pre-written paragraphs instead. In this case, you would have an archive of perhaps 10-15 short paragraphs, each describing a different achievement or skill: (“As a Project Manager for ABC, I led teams of 10-15 cross-disciplinary professionals in enterprise-wide …”).
Your actual letter would contain perhaps three of these story-telling paragraphs, which you would string together with brief references to the posting: “I’m comfortable I could contribute immediately in this project manager role, based on my experience. As a Project Manager for ABC…”
Extra Credit: Mix up the boilerplate paragraphs so at least one describes a personality trait or work approach; this is the content that makes you feel human to the reader.
3. Get a boost from AI. Artificial intelligence can be a great place to start when writing a letter — although it’s a terrible place to end. By providing a basic prompt into ChatGPT or another AI tool (“Write a cover letter for a social media marketer”), you can jump start your writing process. But don’t over-estimate AI’s abilities. You’ll still need to customize if you want the reader to connect with you as a person. (Which you do.)
Extra Credit: Use the same query two or three times, and choose the best response as your launch point.
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Amy Lindgren owns a career consulting firm in St. Paul. She can be reached at alindgren@prototypecareerservice.com.
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