The Santa Fe New Mexican       March 27, 1995, Monday

HEADLINE:    COVER LETTER IS KEY TO GETTING RESUME READ

BYLINE: Jeremy Solomons

In a city that prides itself on being “different,” it is hardly surprising that many of Santa Fe’s job seekers have far from conventional backgrounds and resumes.

This is why a skillfully crafted cover letter -  and a well-constructed resume –  can be such a vital component of the exploration phase of a successful job search campaign.

While a resume can show what you are doing and what you have done in the past, the cover letter can interpret this experience and explain how and why it can be of use to a potential employer.

This last phrase “how and why it can be of use to a potential employer” is a key point to remember in forming a cover letter, because all too often we express what we want to do rather than building rapport with a potential employer by trying to respond to his specific needs.

As a quick check of how well you have done this up until now, try to unearth a previous cover letter that you have written and count how many times you used the words “I,” “me,” “my,” etc., and how many times you used the words “you,” “your,” “yourself,” etc. One recent client’s tally was 22 to 2.

If you have ever felt frustrated or switched off completely when “talking” to a self-centered chatterbox, that’s how many a personnel manager might feel when confronted with a cover letter full of “I’s,” “me’s” and “my’s.” As a rule of thumb, try to include at least one “you” for every “I.”

On the other hand, what most potential employers will be happy to see are the answers to the following three questions:

1.       Why are you writing to me?

2.       Why should I be interested in hiring you rather than someone else?

3.       Who are you and how can I get in touch with you?

The first question can be answered in a simple, opening paragraph: “I am writing to you in response to your company’s advertisement for a regional sales manager” or “I am writing to you upon the suggestion (or recommendation) of Jackie Montoya, who said you may be interested in expanding your pool of freelance writers.

The third question can also be dealt with fairly easily by featuring your given and family name plus your personal address, telephone (and fax or Internet) number(s) at the top of the letter, preferably in the same style as your resume.

It is the second question that is the most difficult to address, especially if the advertisement is not very specific, the application is a speculative one or if you are seeking a foreign position.

Basically, the job applicant has the unenviable task of trying to match his talents and experience to the stated or anticipated needs of the potential employer in an honest and appealing way.

Unfortunately, there are no magic formulas for doing this, as every potential employer, employee and position are different.

You can try lifting cute phrases from any one of a plethora of cover letter writing books that are available in bookstores and libraries.

But as with a $5,000 prepared resume, if the words are not your own and do not really represent who you are, the only person you may be fooling is yourself.

One good way to check whether your cover letter truly reflects who you are as a person and a professional is to read the letter out loud to yourself and any other trusted friend or family member who has time to listen to you.

If the words sound like a stilted college lecture or a slick TV commercial, chances are that it will not go over too well with someone who does not know you and has little incentive to do so.

An effective cover letter is one that grabs the reader’s attention and makes him really want to get to know the person behind it. Ideally, you want a potential employer to echo the words of Ralph Waldo Emerson: “Who you are speaks so loudly, I cannot hear what you are saying.”