A Problem With a Letter of Intent

Have you ever applied for a job and the potential employer requested a letter of intent or a paragraph about yourself and why you want the job? One of the hardest things to do when applying for a potential job is having to, essentially, brag on yourself, while trying to, simultaneously, convince the possible employer that you are great “team player” because you are not too vain. If you are at all like me, then you know that finding the right balance between bragging too little or too much is extremely difficult. How can you succeed in providing all of the appropriate information without sounding like an extremely boastful person, and while keeping it short and to the point? It takes about three sentences to explain who you are and what you want. It then takes another three to six sentences to explain why you are suited for the position and how you can help the company. Finally, you are then left with a two sentence conclusion and a half a page of writing.

Why and how is this an accurate look at our skills in writing? The only thing it truly looks at is whether you can be concise in your writing. It does not attempt to get to know you, nor does it welcome creativity (unless you are able to fit all the information you need into three sentences). Despite the many downfalls of this tradition, one good thing that comes out of the letter of intent is that it is easy to tell if someone looks like they have no difficulty, writing well. A letter of intent can help employers weed out those they may feel, might take longer to train. So, a list of 30 could be cut down to maybe half, simply based on the letter of intent. In the end, a letter of intent will most likely be required of you, for a potential job, at some point in your life. If you are able to keep it short and to the point and find the correct balance of boastfulness, you should have no problem with writing a successful letter of intent.