A tried and true blog topic but one that always merits revisiting.  I have written at least seven cover letters in the last week and at this point I very much identify with this little girl.

Despite my cover letter fatigue, I thought I would give a few things I keep in mind when approaching these daunting documents.

DON’T SEND IN THE SAME COVER LETTER TO EVERYTHING

Recruiters can sniff out a generic cover letter in five seconds flat.  A cover letter that does not speak to the company you are applying for or why you want that specific position is a waste of time to them.  Even if you very much want the position, they’re not going to know that from a generic cover letter. Where else can you interject a little personality into your otherwise cookie cutter application?  My strategy is to copy/paste the job description into a blank word document.  I then go through the description and highlight two types of things. 1) I highlight the responsibilities of the job and I make sure I can identify an ability to compete that task.  2) I highlight the soft skills that they ask for like positive attitude, professionalism, and reliability.

But you can reuse some material…

Although I very mindfully make sure that my cover letter meets the job description, I do have sentences/paragraphs that are standards across my cover letters.  After all you can’t really write everything from scratch.  Remember that cover letters are living documents, you can touch up these sentences/paragraphs as you send in more applications, making the wording better as you go.

Above all, remember your audience:

Your goal is to make at easy on a recruiter as possible to find the information they need in your resume.  Clearly identify how you are a good fit for the position and back it up with evidence/relevant experience.

That being said..