Can’t find a job? Maybe your cover letter is killing your career.
Every so often, Recreate hires freelance copywriters. We publish a job ad, wait a few weeks, and then begin sifting through tens or hundreds of emails from aspiring wordsmiths. It can be a tedious process. But also an educational one. Reading cover letters gives you some insight into the jobseeker hive mind.
As anyone who works in HR will tell you, when it comes to job applications, there is very little in the way of original thought. Few jobseekers dare to venture off script. Which might help to explain why it’s so hard to land a good job these days.
According to one study, the average corporate job ad attracts 250 applications. The recruiter spends an average of six seconds reviewing each one.
What kind of impression can you make in six seconds? How can you grab the recruiter’s attention?
From our perspective as copywriters, the answer is simple: write something unique. Write a cover letter that’s different to all the other cover letters. Give the recruiter a reason to spend a few extra seconds reading yours.
Alas, most people don’t think that way. Jobseekers tend to follow some imaginary set of rules about you can write in a cover letter. Even in a creative field like copywriting, where the whole point of the job is to use language in clever ways, few people manage to inject any real creativity into their job applications.
Here’s a typical example:
Dear Sir/Madam,
My name is _____ and I wish to apply for your advertised position of copywriter.
I’m a dynamic, results-oriented professional with over six years’ experience in advertising and communications. I have excellent written and verbal communication skills. I’m a fast learner who can hit the ground running and handle complex tasks with ease.
I believe my skillset would be a valuable asset in your organisation. Many thanks for considering my application.
That’s what the jobseeker writes. This is what the recruiter reads:
Dear Sir/Madam,
I’ve only got six seconds, so I’ll make this brief.
I’m a boring fuck. I write the same mindless, limp-wristed rubbish in every job application because I’m either too scared or too lazy to say anything original. I fear standing out from the herd. I’m afraid to do anything that might distinguish me from the other 249 boring fucks who want this job. I’m a sheep. In fact, I’m not even a sheep. I’m a clone of a sheep. I’m Dolly the goddamn worthless sheep clone. Baaaaaaaaa. Can I have a job? Please?
Seriously. The next time you apply for a job, imagine what it’s like for the person who has to read your application. Try to feel their pain. And then try to ease that pain by writing a cover letter that’s worth reading.
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