This week we focused on writing cover letters. I thought that this was a really good topic because writing cover letters is an important skill. Cover letters are one of the only cases of letter writing that people use consistently in the modern day. But they are so different from traditional letters. For one thing there is a strict length limit. Only one page is allowed. Another thing is the structure. When I was writing my own cover letter for this week’s assignment, I Googled what the structure for a cover letter should be. The results had a very specific structure and gave rules for basically every sentence.
This surprised me a little because the letters that we read in class did not seem to follow such a rigid structure. Those letters were witty, clever, and creative. They really shared the individual’s personality and seemed to jump off the page. So why does writing a cover letter feel so straightlaced? Writing about yourself can be difficult. In a sense, a cover letter is like creating an advertisement for yourself. Your extended elevator pitch on a page. For some people this comes more naturally than others. For many people, it is difficult to write about ourselves. When I wrote my cover letter, I felt like I was bragging about my skills, because I don’t want to say “I’m really good at doing x,y,z.”
It’s hard to sell yourself, especially when you really don’t know who is going to be reading your letter. Sure, you know that a hiring manager of some sort is on the receiving end, but you don’t really know this person. You can only hope that what you write is compelling or interesting enough to make them consider you for the position. It’s hard work!
