Venus Trapped in Mars Sports and Lifestyle Blog Dallas

11 March 2014

Tips For Getting and Nailing an Interview: Writing a Cover Letter

There are some do's and don'ts of excelling in an interview. Over the years I have gotten most of the jobs I have interviewed for, well except for that one in college I was severely hungover for, clearly didn't get that one. I also used to conduct interviews on a weekly basis for my job back in Tennessee, so I know what that person interviewing you is looking for! So here I am today with the first post in a three-post series: Tips for getting and nailing an interview. 



Be sure to Customize Your Cover Letter For The Position! 
1. If you are applying via Linked In, you can see who posted the position. USE that person's name and title. This is not the place to be lazy. Sunday morning after Fireball is the place to be lazy, not job searching. If you are using Monster or Indeed, go to the company's website and see if you can find the name of a hiring manager in the human resource department. Address it to someone so you avoid the dreaded 'To whom it may concern...'


2. Spoiler- every single cover letter I sent out when applying for jobs before I moved to Dallas had this same paragraph. They all were my perfect hybird blah blah blah positions. But I changed the name of the position each time and tailored that last sentence based on if it was a social media position, graphic design, marketing etc.

3. Get your brag on. Make the most out of the experience that you do have. I was able to turn one job into two. I worked for Fusion as an Area Sales Manager then moved to Marketing Director. It was the same company, but easily two different positions on a resume. Use these two paragraphs for numbers, accomplishments, duties, awards.... anything bragging about yourself!

4. Don't be a robot! You are a person right? You have a life outside of work right? Companies want to hire well rounded individuals. Tell a bit about yourself and what you like to do in your spare time. Obviously, don't talk about getting drunk and hooking up in clubs. Talk about playing in sports leagues, talk about blogging, talk about sorority offices you held in college, talk about reading, writing and arithmetic.

5. Close and thank them for your time. Most importantly, be honest. I wasn't living in Dallas at the time. I wanted them to know that I would need to relocate and need time before I could move.I was applying for social media and graphic design positions. I had work on the internet I was proud of so I directed them to that work!

What tips for crafting your cover letter would you add?

For the second post in this series go here!

33 comments :

  1. great tips, I need to up date my stuff.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Ugh the dread cover letter- my least favorite part of applying for jobs. Great tips!

    ReplyDelete
  3. i love the first paragraph of your cover letter. it's different but still professional. you are so good at this stuff!

    ReplyDelete
  4. This is my field, so naturally resumes, cover letters, and personnel selection excite me! I think this is a great example of what a cover letter should look like. By not addressing the HR professional and specific job title you are seeking, 95% of the time, the cover letter will get thrown out of the pile without consideration. This is such an easy task, but you'd be surprised how many people are absolutely clueless when it comes down to resume writing. Great tutorial!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Your cover letter is amazing! I always hate writing those. Thanks for all the great tips.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Lovely tips. I hate cover letters because I know most employers never read the entire thing so I try to make it as full as possible without being too long! Plus, trying to tailor it to each job so they don't think I just sent everyone the same one, haha! Thanks for this :)

    ReplyDelete
  7. I always use a cover letter when applying to jobs, and I think that helps me stand a part from others because I think a lot of people tend to leave out cover letters thinking they don't need them.

    Great tips! It's definitely great to get your brag on :)

    ReplyDelete
  8. This is the best "how to write a cover letter" article I've ever seen. And I've seen a lot. I seriously wish I could have read this senior year of college when I was first started applying for jobs and had zero clue about how a cover letter should look.
    From Mississippi With Love

    ReplyDelete
  9. I'm on the internship hunt right now, and cover letters are the part I hate most. Thanks for this - super useful!

    ReplyDelete
  10. You consistently have extremely helpful posts, but this one is so spot on! My mom is in a job where she is interviewing someone almost weekly and I forwarded this to her and she said it is so spot on! Especially with the 20 something age group. So as usual, you nailed it!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Your letter is great! Cover letters always intimidated me!

    ReplyDelete
  12. So I don't have any hiring power, but I'd hire you!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Great tips! Thanks for sharing. Looking forward to Part 2.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Great tips! Thanks for sharing this :)

    ReplyDelete
  15. I loved how you showed us an example cover letter. This was a great post idea, looking forward to part two.
    Tiffany @ writingitinblue.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  16. These are great tips! I'm in the middle of a job search and will definitely be using this advice. Thank you!

    ReplyDelete
  17. I'm currently on the hunt for a new job. So this is perfect! Thank you!!

    ReplyDelete
  18. This is great! I've been telling people for ages that people can mostly copy/paste for their cover letters and this is an awesome example.

    ReplyDelete
  19. It looks like a lot of us are in the hunt for a new job so this came in really useful! Thank you!!
    xo
    The Beauty Break // http://beautytimebreak.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  20. Cover letters give me such anxiety, I just spent way to much time writing one so glad to have these tips to look at for next time.

    ReplyDelete
  21. I just recently graduated from college( have my first job interview tomorrow wooooo), great post thanks!!!!!! Xo

    ReplyDelete
  22. I actually bookmarked this post for future use! That cover letter is amazing!

    ReplyDelete
  23. I just applied for a new job and used this to assist with my cover letter. I owe ya!!!

    ReplyDelete
  24. umm...is there anything you don't know?!! awesome tips!!

    ReplyDelete
  25. This is great! I have yet to write a cover letter... I should get on that!

    ReplyDelete
  26. Updating now my resume. Thank you very much for sharing this very important information.

    Australian Job Search

    ReplyDelete
  27. If you are like men and women, it is likely you do not specifically take pleasure in career interviews. If you do not are ready employment meet with will definitely be one of the most nerve-racking items you will need to complete in your life. Resume Writing Services in Dallas - are there any professionals?

    ReplyDelete
  28. First of all, try to determine the name of the person to whom your letter will be addressed. Perhaps in the job given these data, pay attention to them. Try to avoid sentences of a letter "To whom it may concern" («To Whom it may concern") or "Dear Personnel Director". personal statement writing service

    ReplyDelete
  29. This was an incredible help! I'm just starting to apply for post-grad jobs and internships and your post gave me some awesome tips. Thanks for writing a creative and thoughtful post!

    ReplyDelete
  30. I am not professional writer but i know how to write Nice Essays. essay writing is my hobby. I like to write childhood essay. I think if you want to write a famous essay must your need more training about essay writing. Thank you so much.

    ReplyDelete
  31. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete

Comments make my heart go boom boom.

I respond to all comments, if you are leaving me comments and not getting a reply, you may be a no-reply blogger. Fix it HERE!