Tuesday Job Tip: The Mini Skirt Cover Letter
5 cover letter guidelines to up your chances of getting hired.
Getting a job is a lot like online dating. If your resume is like a profile picture, where your only objective is for a future employer to "swipe right" and call you in for an interview, then your cover letter is like your profile or "About Me" section. It is your opportunity to share details about who you are beyond the snapshot and express why you are right for a specific company or position.
Although it may seem counterintuitive, employers often look at your resume first. If it is organized well, has no clerical errors and has appropriate experience for the position they are trying to fill, they will invest time to read that cover letter.
So before you compose and send your next cover letter, check out these 5 Cover Letter Guidelines so you can up your chances to get hired in the right job for you!
1. Shorter is Better:
An older generation used to talk about the appropriate length of a “mini skirt” as being long enough to cover the important parts, but short enough to be interesting. I think the same thing applies to cover letters. The length of your cover letter should be long enough to cover the basics, but short enough to hold the attention of a recruiter who sees hundreds of applications. If your cover letter is over a page, single spaced, and written in 8 pt font, please reconsider. You are not writing a college paper; a cover letter a simple request for a job interview.
If you could distill this cover letter into a few sentences, it would include: a bit about who you are, what role you want, when you are available to start, where you heard about the position (website, LinkedIn or name of their employee who told you about the role, etc. ), why you are qualified (specifically list skills from the job description), and how you can be reached (always include your contact information.) Shorter cover letters stand a greater chance of being read.
2. Personality Counts:
One of the most interesting cover letters I've received came from Columbia College Chicago grad, Bradley Gilligan when he applied for a job at VH-1/MTV. As instructed in a job post that I sent out to my subscribers, he sent his email to Haley (as I instructed in my post) and copied me. He got our attention in all the right ways and was called in for an interview by demonstrating personality and knowledge of the company in an organic and fun way! Remember, this is entertainment, where a great personality is rewarded and highly sought after.
”Haley, Can't tell you how loud I screamed when I saw “The Hills” was coming back while watching the VMAs. I'm sure my neighbors filed a noise complaint! That being said, attached is my resume. You may find the format to look similar, because I've been watching Krista's e-mails come in like hawk and realized yours was top notch. Anyway, hope you're having a great day and look forward to hearing from you!
Thanks,
Brad Gilligan
XXX-XXX-XXXX”
(Because he included his number in the letter, I picked up the phone and called him immediately. So make sure to keep your ringer on at all times when you are looking for a job.)
3. Talk Like a Human
Nothing is more annoying than reading a cover letter that is obviously a template. Sure, you've changed the company name and the job title, but the formula is clear. There is no emotion. Especially in entertainment where you have so many smaller production companies, your resume will be read by a human and not just a computer searching for keywords. So talk like a human. Have heart. Express in clear, easy-to-understand language who you are and why you are interested in the position. Take out MBA jargon and avoid using words that are clearly chosen from the thesaurus. It doesn't make you sound smart; it makes you sound like you are trying too hard to impress. So use simple language and create a new cover letter for every job you go after.
4. Respond to needs of the company (not just your skills)
Let's get back to the dating app analogy. Would you respond to a DM from someone who just reiterated why they were so awesome, what they were looking for and asked you for a date without having read what YOU were looking for? Don't you want him or her to listen to your needs first and find common interests? Same is true with an employer. I don't care how badly you need experience; if a job description requires the applicant to be enrolled in an accredited university for an internship and you graduated in 2018, you've wasted everyone's time. You don't qualify. Plain and simple.
If they are looking for someone who is an expert in Excel, make sure that you say it in your cover letter. Better yet, share a story where you were on a deadline for a project and how your skills in Excel helped your boss with a major presentation.
5. If the job is in LA and you are not, include the date when you are moving
If you are living out of state and applying for a job in Los Angeles, you must specify when you are moving to LA or better yet, just wait until you are here to apply. Most companies will not pay a relocation fee for entry level employees. Also, jobs go quickly and sometimes you are called in to interview that day or even the next. So even though I know you would hop on a plane from Wisconsin at a moment's notice, it just isn't practical. Meetings are moved all of the time and if you flew out to LA for one meeting and it was cancelled an hour before, you'd be really upset.
But let's take it a step further and say you nailed the interview and they want you to start in 2 days. Is it really practical for you to uproot your life to a new city in that short amount of time? Carefully consider how badly you want to work in entertainment and what city you will do it in. There is a thriving entertainment community in LA, NYC, Atlanta, Nashville, etc., so decide where you want to be first, move and apply to jobs accordingly.
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