Last week this cover letter hit my inbox (edited for confidentiality):
Dear Amy,
I have been in the hospitality and wine business in (State) for the last several years. I am currently working with a retailer and restaurant in a charming corner of my state. I have spent the last five years expanding our offerings and sales but it is time for me to start looking for the next experience. I am hoping the help of a recruiter, even a cranky one, might be a great next step to a new job.
Your website is wonderfully laid out and I scooped a couple of tips from the blog posts. I haven’t actively looked for a job in many years so my resume may need a total overhaul to get to your level of polish. A change of position before the year is out would be most desirable and I am open to a quicker timeline. I would love to further a conversation in email or on the phone if you have any time available in the near future.
Thank you in advance for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Eloquent Job Seeker
Why I read it: This letter was the body of the email, with the resume attached. As I have admitted, I rarely read cover letters. I had scanned the resume and couldn’t figure out where Eloquent Job Seeker lived. This is important when determining possible locations someone would work in. The resume was good, and I wanted to find out what area of the US the person was living in today. I was also wondering why I was receiving the resume.
What I like about it: Eloquent Job Seeker obviously has read some of my articles and knows my alter ego is cranky on occasion. This person also gave me praise for my website and articles. Flattery goes a long way with a cranky recruiter. Additionally, this person gave an overview of the ideal timeline to make a job change, noting what kind of jobs he or she is seeking. These are all things I need to know.
What Happened Next: Given the good letter, I reached out to the job hunter, we set up a time to talk about career plans, and now I know a lot more about what roles to contact my Eloquent Job Seeker about. Also we got the location fixed on the resume, so others won’t have the same question I did. And of course, I also got permission to publish part of the cover letter. Win/win.
Read my last post, Part 2 – Your Cover Letter for more details on writing good cover letters.
