Several weeks ago I shared my quest to eliminate cover letters and the reasoning behind it. Having done so, I recognize the reality is that cover letters are likely here for a while. Below is my best cover letter (and a little resume) advice in two parts. Note: Some of this advice can be found in this post from 2012 about writing a campaign resume, but it bears repeating.
Part One
Stuff you should do
1. Don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good. Every time I review applications I make a note to remind myself how little time I spend pouring over cover letters next time I am the one applying. Yes, your cover letter should be coherent, edited, and professional (see below) but it doesn't have to be a great work of literature. The sad truth is that a hiring manager is likely to just skim your cover letter, if they read it at all. So although I have been known to obsess over word choice, I promise you no one is going to notice if you use the word "managed" 3 times or care about the order in which you describe the projects you managed at your last job.
2. Prove that you understand the job. Hiring managers want to see that you are excited about the specific position for which you are applying and not just a) serving up a generic application or b) expecting the job to be something it isn't. Customize your cover letter for each application to show why you are the right fit for that particular role.
3. Use your cover letter to draw the connection between your experience and the job (especially if you think there might be questions.)
4. Address your cover letter to a real person. If the job description instructs you to send your application to an email address with a name in it, address your cover letter to that person. If the job description has the role you'll be reporting to, google who currently holds that position. If not, take your best guess based on the department in which the position resides.
5. Show don't tell. Don't just regurgitate what's in your resume. Use the cover letter to expound on the points of your resume that you believe to be particularly salient. For example rather than simply saying "I managed a $560,000 dollar budget" you might want to talk about how you raised the money, what you spent it on, how made decisions on where to invest that money and any notable challenges you faced and overcame in the process. If you tell me you are "passionate" about whatever my organization does you better explain how you've demonstrated that passion.
6. Create a stable of cover letters. Just because you are going to customize doesn't mean you can't be smart about it. After you've written the first couple of cover letters for your job search you'll start to see patterns emerge. Maybe you reference campaign experience for some of the jobs you apply for and legislative experience for others. Maybe you emphasize working with constituents and voters when you apply for certain types of positions and working with candidates and elected officials for others. Pretty soon you'll have a variety of paragraphs you can tweak, mix, and match rather than reinventing the wheel every time.
Part Two
Stuff that drives me crazy as a hiring manager and I don't understand why people do it
1. For the love of all that is pizza, proofread your cover letter. The number one reason I look at a cover letter is to see if the author is a coherent, intelligent writer. Even if a resume seems like a too-good-to-be-true match for the position, if the cover letter is sloppy they won't even get an interview. This is not about quality prose, this is fundamental professionalism and respect for your audience. If I feel like you didn't put the time in to give your application a once over edit, that speaks volumes to me about the kind of work ethic and attention to detail you'll have on the job.
2. Follow directions. If I ask you to include salary requirements in the job description (I wouldn't but someone might), include them. If I ask you to share how you found the listing, do that. Again this isn't just bout the actual information it's about whether you are willing and able to read carefully and follow simple instructions.
3. If I don't ask for salary requirements, don't include them. Unless I specifically ask, it is weird for you to tell me what you would need in order to take the job before it has been offered to you. Would you put "I require 3 weeks paid vacation and employer sponsored healthcare" in your cover letter? No. Don't get me wrong it is 100% okay and good to require those things but this is not the time.
4. "References available upon request." Don't put this on your resume or in your cover letter. Like yeah no kidding you'll provide references if I ask for them, that's how this process works. If I ask for your references, provide them. Until I do, you don't need to bring them up. This isn't something that will automatically ding your application but it does smack of inexperience.
5. Your resume does not need an objective. As I have oft heard Biden Campaign Manager/Deputy COS Jen O'Malley Dillon say "your objective is to get a job." Ditto with a "summary" at the top. Your resume is your summary.
6. There is absolutely no reason your entry-level resume needs to be more than one page. The rule is one page per 10 years of experience. I have been in this business for 15 years and just begrudgingly let it spill on to another page. Spreading things out doesn't make you look more experienced, quite the opposite in fact.
7. Along with that don't list extracurricular activities or GPA if you are 3+ years out of college and never list "hobbies" on your resume. Unless you are applying for the first ever regatta/political campaign I don't care if you were on crew or enjoy standup comedy. If you have hobbies and a 2-page resume, forget it. If for some reason you believe your personal interests are relevant to this particular job or campaign, that's a great thing to discuss toward the end of your cover letter.
8. Don't lie. This should be obvious, but experience tells me it is not. The campaign/progressive infrastructure is small. Multiple times I have had a friend call me and say "I saw so and so was your field director, she's applying for a job here" and I have never heard of this person in my life. I even once received a resume for someone who claimed he was the campaign manager on a campaign I managed. This doesn't mean don't put your best foot forward but don't flat out change your job title unless you have had a specific conversation with your former manager.
Look, job searching sucks and I hope I have made it a little less painful. How else can I help? Tweet me @CampaignSick.
Campaign Love and Mine,
Nancy
