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Topic: Cover Letter Woes
| Author | Message |
| lolita995 | Posted – 5/22/2008 1:24:28 PM | show profile | email poster Hello everyone! I'm sure this is a topic that has been discussed in great detail before... Yet, I need help penning an awesome cover letter. I really feel I've done a good job of drafting a solid letter. Yes, there's a but coming... But, even as I read it... I sounds dry and completely lacking personality. Is it possible to have a cover letter that is professional, succinct, yet creative? My goal is to get an internship in a beauty department of a magazine. I'm a cool, zany girl! I'm creative. I know my beauty products. I have experience in this area from previous internships. I also kick ass at layout! I'm super organized! Beauty is MY LIFE!! Can I translate my passion for beauty into a formal cover letter that will get noticed? Anyone have any advice? I'm all ears! Well, eyes.... :) Thanks so much! |
| Brena | Posted – 5/23/2008 10:12:52 AM | show profile I once had a "professional" rewrite a cover letter for me and I landed no internships. The cover letter was stiffer than an Oxford shirt. I wrote another cover letter, with my personality and I landed so many interviews for internships and had so many internship offers I could pick and choose. To me, the cover letter is your personality. I'm not stiff; I'm kind of quirky, humorous and off-the-beaten path with a "free-flowing" personality. That's who I am. I can't hide that. Wouldn't you want to work in an environment where you got along with your co-workers? I do. And I enjoyed every one of my six internships because of it. My personality fit right into the corporate culture. I'm the same way when I interview. I'm me. I dress the way I would dress if I'm hired (whether that'd be a nice pair of jeans and blouse) and I wear the nail polish that I would normally wear (which is usually a nontraditional color). How many people hate their jobs? I've loved EVERY place I've worked or interned at. My advice? Be your *true* self. So you can love being there. P.S. It sounds like you're a fun person. I'd certainly hire you, as I am currently in a position to hire. |
| Brena | Posted – 5/23/2008 10:24:51 AM | show profile I just remembered a funny story ... I remember one internship interview, at a media firm, where I was wearing black nail polish (red nail polish isn't my thing!). The vice president of the company hired me on the spot, after five minutes of interviewing me. A few months later, we were sitting in a creative meeting (with about 10 other people) and I was wearing electric blue nail polish (:P) and the VP leaned over and said, "Love that nail polish." |
| foodlit | Posted – 5/23/2008 1:38:05 PM | show profile Just make it super short and sweet in your own words let your passion come out....just like you did here, "I'm a cool, zany girl! I'm creative. I know my beauty products. I have experience in this area from previous internships. I also kick ass at layout! I'm super organized! Beauty is MY LIFE!!" Send something like that along with your resume and you're all set! |
| beenthere | Posted – 5/23/2008 2:15:28 PM | show profile I would advise against sending a cover letter that had the language in your post. It sounds like a 15-year-old high on pixie sticks. You can showcase your personality and be professional at the same time. A cover letter is advertising. You have to understand who your target is and what they would want to hear. And if you don't want to write a cover letter in that manner, than you probably don't want to work for certain employers. Which is fine. Just understand how the system works and work it to your advantage. Most of the time, your res/cov let is going to HR first. But seriously--forget about the jeans. Unless you're planning on working in the warehouse. It's disrespectful. |
| foodlit | Posted – 5/23/2008 2:46:09 PM | show profile Ugh...I wasn't implying that she send those exact words....just something along those lines, giving that sense of passion. I would hope she would know not to use that verbatim! Kickass clearly doesn't belong in a cover letter. :) |
| hawkmail | Posted – 5/23/2008 6:23:15 PM | show profile Ditto on the no jeans and I would definitely not use the word zany (not sure if that was just to illustrate your point, but thought I would be specific). You want to come across as a creative, dynamic professional, not a kooky eccentric. I'm not suggesting personality is a bad thing, but it needs to be put into context for an interview situation. I think if you highlight some of the specific brands/products/treatments you're really passionate about perhaps that will give the interviewer a glimpse of both your industry knowledge and personality. Take a look at this month's Elle - there's actually an article about nail polish and what's "appropriate". Apparently some upscale fashion types are doing the chipped polish look. It's kind of interesting. Good luck. |
| seeattleme2 | Posted – 5/23/2008 8:51:18 PM | show profile I know the new edior of More, and got an interview and assignemtns with her based on my zany cover letter--which is not at all professional or out of a book. I would start off with something like: Dear More Magazine, What do I have to offer you? My skin has no wrinkles, my eyes no bags, my hands are unlined and creamy, I can go braless? Answer: I can work all hours--in the sun, on afternoon photoshoots, at night and all day, subsisting on caffeine and Diet Coke, using my hands--manicures unnnecessary--to unpack boxes, shelf products, answer phones. If I work 24/7 and never get around to washing my undergarments--no matter! I don't need them! More is about the woman I want to be when I'm 40! I want to be confident, cool, smart. sophistacated. And yes, I want to look great. And I want to be in a place (career-wise) where I can have someone else stand out in the sun, the snow and the wind, unpack boxes and stack beauty products, someone I can count on to get all the base work done so I can focus on the big picture: making More magazine a (continued) phenomenal success. Beautywise, More is about the woman I want to be--not the woman I am. More is about knowlege: knolege about beauty products and procedures, sure--but MOREover , and more importantly, knowing you are beautiful, that the twenty-two year olds are in awe. As I am. Can we talk? I am available for an interview at your convienience. Try something like that. |
| seeattleme2 | Posted – 5/23/2008 8:55:06 PM | show profile Read: make it sound like you know what the job entails and are willing to do it twelve hours a day--and that you think the women of More exactly who you want to be when you hit 40. That you now your best days are far ahead of you and only if you make it happen with hard work and willingness to learn while you're in your 20s and 30s. And it's up to you to correct the spelling, etc. Benn there done that don't do it on a recreational media board. |
| joyeuxnoelle | Posted – 5/23/2008 9:58:39 PM | show profile Does anyone have any place where we can view examples of these "quirky" cover letters? I too think that my cover letter is boring, but I'm not sure were the line is between quirky and kooky begins and ends. Also, how long are these cover letters supposed to be? I'm starting to think mine are too long. It seems like others keep it to one paragraph. |
| Brena | Posted – 5/25/2008 2:06:52 PM | show profile I remember shooting off an email that was over the top to a major ad agency in New York. I didn't want the job, but I couldn't stop looking at the job board. Plus, surely they wouldn't get back to me because of what I said in the email and how I said it (sarcastically). I got a call from the rep. within one hour. I was floored! I wouldn't try this if you really need the job, though. At the same time, while they're interviewing me, I'm interviewing them (you spend a lot of time with your co-workers!). I once talked an employer out of hiring me because I didn't get a good vibe from them. To everything I said, like not knowing about the subject matter, they said, "Oh, that's okay. You can learn." I eventually got out in one piece. |
| rch23 | Posted – 5/26/2008 10:25:15 AM | show profile | email poster I have to agree with most of the above. When I was first starting out I had a really creative cover letter and got a ton of interviews from it. Almost everyone who called me mentioned it. So I would advise to be SURE everything is spelled correctly and grammatically correct but totally be creative and let your personality show in your tone. If you can give them something to remember you by you're good... E-mail me off the board and I will see if I can find an old one to send you if you want some help... |
| mkelly | Posted – 5/26/2008 11:21:44 AM | show profile I wouldn't try the 'go braless' comment if you're a man. In my experience, it doesn't really distinguish me from other men. |
| chucho | Posted – 5/26/2008 12:07:09 PM | show profile I think the best cover letter isn't the one that reflects your personality (a cover letters is not Facebook), it's the one that shows personalization, more specifically: that this cover letter is unique to the position for which you are applying. Too many people use form letters, and it's impossible to personalize a form letter. In fact, you should have a "form skeleton" with certain phrase you want to include, but in the end every cover letter should be unique. I do like the advice be true to yourself. The best way to do that is to only apply to jobs you are 100% certain you would be the best candidate. The more job you apply for that fit this qualification, the easier it is to write the cover letter. If you aren't certain of this, it's much more difficult to write the letter because you can't be "truthful". We all know what I'm talking about. I'd say a majority for the jobs I've applied for in my life are ones I'd really want but needed an income to pay rent. On the other hand, my success rate is much hire for jobs that I know are ones I can do well, if not necessarily ones I want. I always find it's good to apply for jobs when you don't need them. It takes the stress of rejection or anticipation away completely. I love applying for jobs I want when I don't need them because my attitude is more honest -- "I can do the job, if you don't see that, that's your loss not mine." (Not that I would actually say that to an interviewer, but if I go into the process with this attitude, what does come out of my mouth (or from the cover letter) is more self-assured. |
| seeattleme2 | Posted – 5/26/2008 1:44:59 PM | show profile ha ha mkelly-- there aren't many male beauty assistants on staff at magazines, but hey. In fact, if you're a man, I'd leave in the "go braless." That WOULD distinguish you from other male job seekers. |
| writesonwater | Posted – 5/26/2008 3:38:56 PM | show profile | email poster I had a friend who responded to an ad that said they wanted someone who was creative and could think outside the box with a cover letter that was full of angst about her need to change jobs, her alienation from her bratty teen son and her recent divorce. Believe me, she didn't consult with me about it ;) Personality is one thing, creativity is good -- but don't go overboard. |
| lolita995 | Posted – 6/3/2008 11:36:33 AM | show profile | email poster Thanks! Thanks to EVERYONE who gave me advice! Let me apologize for not writing a response sooner! I've been a bit under the weather and unable to use my 'puter! It was a true joy reading your posts! Thanks so much for taking the time to respond! I'll let you know if my new, revised and totally ME cover letter works! Foodlit: Yes, I know better than to use "kick-ass" in a cover letter. There's creative and then there's just wrong. Thanks for the advice. Brena: can you contact me with your contact information! We need to talk! :) Here's my personal email: Lolita995@yahoo.com! Thanks for your advice and great stories! Thanks again to everyone! |
