4 ms·

I repeat parts of their job description and explain why I fulfill it. Example: Job ad says "we look for a proactive and self-reliant person" then my cover lett

by qznc 9y ago

I repeat parts of their job description and explain why I fulfill it. Example: Job ad says "we look for a proactive and self-reliant person" then my cover letter says "to successfully finish my PhD, being proactive and self-reliant was important". This technique works even better for the technical parts. I'm not sure if it was worth the effort. In the german job market, employers are quite desperate these days. A friend sent out simple template letters and got interviews just as easily. I always sent a PDF. If sent by email, I duplicated the cover letter in the email. My experience is that many had a print out at the interview and PDF works best to ensure a good print.

CamelCaseName 9y ago
Great point on attaching an emailed cover letter as a PDF. Never thought about that, thanks!
Balgair 9y ago
I second this approach. Many job ads will have a bulleted list of what they are looking for and responsibilities. Just copy-paste that list and then re-write the bullet points in a way that shows how you have that skill. EXP: - Candidate must have 5 years experience with FooBar - Candidate must have good knowledge of ZooCar Turns into: - Via my 5 years at class/volunteering/job at McEnroeCorp I used FooBar and made FooBarApp with it. - I have used ZooCar for class/job/side-project and got-a-B/made-$$$-for-company/went-to-FGH-conference Just go down the list and put in whatever you can. ProTip for 'shyer' people: Don't worry if you only have 3 years and they need 5, apply anyway. Also, if you only have ~40% of the listed requirements, apply anyway. Hell, if you think the logo is kinda cool and you have an inkling that you can code and fog a mirro, apply anyway.
- pfranz 9y ago
  I completely agree about applying even if you don't match all of their criteria. A lot of these job postings are a wishlist for candidates and you have no idea what the pool of actual applications look like.
rdiddly 9y ago
I used to paste the job posting into a text editor, splitting it up into bullet-points if needed. Then -- I know you think I'm gonna say I'd paste stuff from there into the cover letter, but no -- I'd keep the window up while working on the cover letter in another window. And I'd make sure to address all those bullet-points if possible, or as many as I could. Imagining myself reading it, if I found myself wanting to shout "BULLSHIT!" at something, I'd take that part out or rework it. If my letter didn't succeed in addressing at least 3/4 of the bullet-points in the text file, I would scrap the application.
fpisfun 9y ago
Sounds a good idea for an app lol, you fill out a little section for each skill, feed it job listings and it spits back out your sentences that match the buzzwords of the day that HR drones are looking for. It could even sort to present the sentences in order matching their appearance in the job ad and maybe intermix some non buzzword specific sentences to make it seem more real.

by qznc 9y ago

CamelCaseName 9y ago

Great point on attaching an emailed cover letter as a PDF. Never thought about that, thanks!

Balgair 9y ago

I second this approach. Many job ads will have a bulleted list of what they are looking for and responsibilities. Just copy-paste that list and then re-write the bullet points in a way that shows how you have that skill. EXP: - Candidate must have 5 years experience with FooBar - Candidate must have good knowledge of ZooCar Turns into: - Via my 5 years at class/volunteering/job at McEnroeCorp I used FooBar and made FooBarApp with it. - I have used ZooCar for class/job/side-project and got-a-B/made-$$$-for-company/went-to-FGH-conference Just go down the list and put in whatever you can. ProTip for 'shyer' people: Don't worry if you only have 3 years and they need 5, apply anyway. Also, if you only have ~40% of the listed requirements, apply anyway. Hell, if you think the logo is kinda cool and you have an inkling that you can code and fog a mirro, apply anyway.

pfranz 9y ago
I completely agree about applying even if you don't match all of their criteria. A lot of these job postings are a wishlist for candidates and you have no idea what the pool of actual applications look like.

rdiddly 9y ago

I used to paste the job posting into a text editor, splitting it up into bullet-points if needed. Then -- I know you think I'm gonna say I'd paste stuff from there into the cover letter, but no -- I'd keep the window up while working on the cover letter in another window. And I'd make sure to address all those bullet-points if possible, or as many as I could. Imagining myself reading it, if I found myself wanting to shout "BULLSHIT!" at something, I'd take that part out or rework it. If my letter didn't succeed in addressing at least 3/4 of the bullet-points in the text file, I would scrap the application.

fpisfun 9y ago

Sounds a good idea for an app lol, you fill out a little section for each skill, feed it job listings and it spits back out your sentences that match the buzzwords of the day that HR drones are looking for. It could even sort to present the sentences in order matching their appearance in the job ad and maybe intermix some non buzzword specific sentences to make it seem more real.