Is writing cover letters important? Uh, yeah, it is! Ninety-one percent of executives polled by Robert Half said cover letters are valuable when evaluating job candidates. So, be sure to include one with every resume you submit.
When writing cover letters, keep in mind that this document should be just as polished as your resume. Unfortunately, not all job seekers realize this. They quickly cobble together a cover letter and dash it off to a potential employer, treating the exercise as more a formality than anything else. But a well-crafted cover letter is what will convince a hiring manager to take a look at your resume. Why wouldn’t you want to write a good one
Enjoy these examples of cover letters gone wrong from the “Resumania™” archives:
COVER LETTER: “My name is John, and I want to be your next (insert the job that you want here).”
Cutting and pasting from a template is never a good idea.
COVER LETTER: “I want a job where I also have enough extra time to be on Facebook.”
Not many employers will “like” this.
COVER LETTER: “You should hire me because I am not ugly. In fact, I am quite good-looking!”
This isn’t the best way to attract a hiring manager’s attention.
COVER LETTER: “Do you want a cool coworker with a goofy Minnesota accent?”
Those aren’t our top requirements.
COVER LETTER: “I will not get along with many other employees as I am not interested in babysitting adults.”
What you call “babysitting,” we call “collaborating.”
COVER LETTER: “When slack time manifests, I look for things to do. Once, this resulted in me rearranging the entire office to my liking while the rest of the staff was away.”
That’s one way to get a window office.
