Cover Letters

I used to hate writing cover letters. I still don’t love writing cover letters. But in these last few weeks, as I Starbucks-hop and run countless job searches, I have come to appreciate this strange form. Let me explain.

I love challenges. At face value, they’re daunting. I approach them like I would a sleeping dragon blocking my path. I poke and prod–maybe it will wake up a little, maybe it’ll roll over in its sleep and I can pass. Better yet, if it wakes maybe I’ll have just enough adrenaline to slay it on the first try. But when no miracle comes, I begin to tip-toe around it for as long as possible. I find any other minimally productive task–be it backing up my hard drive or reorganizing hair products alphabetically, then again by type, then again by bottle shape, etc–but they are short-lived. There is always a palpable tension in the air signaling that the distractions must end.

The time always comes. I have to stop adding to my list of saved jobs on LinkedIn or tweaking the margins on my resume. I have to start applying. I haveto write that cover letter.

Opening up the job description and my letter template, I devise answers to three main questions. What does the company want from me? How does the job fit into my career goals? Why am I the best person for the job? These are all difficult questions in and of themselves. Endless tabs are opened. Fingers repeatedly smack down on that delete button. Existential crises ensue. Its a long process.

But my favorite question is the most challenging: how do I fit all of this information into a few little paragraphs?! I could write essays re-capping what I learned in school or humble-bragging about internships. I could go on and on about how I love the company and how much I want them to hire me. It would be significantly easier to write a full page. But we only get a few baby paragraphs to convince a recruiter that we are their professional soulmate. And I love that challenge.

Each word, each phrase, has to be saturated with information. Each letter is a blank slate to be filled with carefully crafted sentences that convey experience, passion, and drive. The best part is, exerting this much effort leaves me absolutely smitten with the job. The more I try to persuade the recruiter, the more clearly I see that this is the job for me. I have to have it. I’m obviously perfect for it.

Cover letters incite a tumultuous journey through one’s past, present, and future. Fear, doubt, confusion, acceptance, determination, and deep, deep yearning are just the most prominent pit stops. Taking these highly personal emotions and turning them into a professional, succinct few paragraphs is a challenge I am beginning to respect and maybe even enjoy (I’ll deny it if you ask).

Realistically, I will still continue to put off writing cover letters. In fact I’m putting it off right now. But maybe this newfound not-hate will shorten the procrastination dance.

Wish me luck!