Cover letter

In the art of applying for jobs there is something that I feel that I have begun to master. One of the key elements is the cover letter. My husband might beg to differ, as he quivers every time he reads one I wrote without his input. He will say, “they really will get a sense of your personality in this,” but I can never tell if that is a good thing or a bad thing.

Ironically the more blunt and “human” I make my cover letter, the more positive I feel the response. Of course I have been forbidden to add any jokes to the cover letters, because after all I want these people to think I take this serious. And for clarity, usually I do. But I can’t help myself and I always write a joke, and then delete it for the sake of my marriage.   

There are also many jobs that when you apply for them there is no cover letter involved, just a series of questions that you are prompted to respond to on their website. When I do get to write a cover letter, that is my time to shine. Don’t take for granted that your resume is enough, especially when one of the qualifying factors is personality. I considered head shots, possibly web videos, maybe a juggling act, but for now we are going to stick to the cover letter.

The first time I threw out the conventional cover letter, I was giddy with how creative I was. Michael thought I went temporarily insane, but I knew this was the way to go. I was slightly disappointed that I never heard anything back from my first attempt, but it did not discourage me from trying it again. The next time, I took a different spin, one even more creative…I decided to say exactly what I knew they would think when they looked at my resume, I’m over qualified.

A struggle that I have been dealing with is people telling me to take a job, any job! “Get out of the house,” they will say. But, the truth is companies are savvy, why hire just anyone who might leave if something better comes along? So, why not confront that head on by saying, “don’t judge me by my experience,” and it worked. I got a call and they want to meet with me. Am I going to get the job? Who knows, but I am getting a face to face which in this climate is a victory.

Although don’t worry about the possible rejection, I have a backup plan. Still applying for other jobs while I wait for the interview, and I also applied for Wheel of Fortune, and if that pans out we might take a detour to The Price is Right! Hey you have to aim high!