my favorite cover letter tips, and why you should volunteer if you’re unemployed by Alison Green on January 18, 2016 Two miscellaneous things: 1. In this article in Self, I do a round-up of my favorite tips for writing good cover letters. 2. And a reader sent me this interesting news release from the Corporation for National & Community Service, which mentions research showing that unemployed people who volunteer over the next year have 27% […] Read the full article →
do “pain letters” really work? by Alison Green on January 7, 2016 A reader writes: I wanted to know what your take is on “pain letters.” I have been reading up on career advice, and I ran across an article by a Forbes contributor who says that we should junk cover letters and resumes for “pain letters.” I’d advise against them. When I’ve received them, they’re generally cringingly […] Read the full article →
end your doubts about cover letters, all ye who enter here by Alison Green on July 24, 2015 A reader writes: I’m sure you get tons of emails letting you know how helpful your site is, but I’d like to express my gratitude because your advice helped me land my dream job. As background, I was working for a large corporation with (what I felt was) a toxic work environment doing a job […] Read the full article →
8 phrases that are killing your cover letters by Alison Green on July 20, 2015 Few people like writing cover letters, and as a result they tend to fall back on clichés and fluff that don’t strengthen their application and in many cases weaken it. See how many of these eight phrases you recognize from your own cover letters – and if you spot any, take them out immediately! 1. “Dear […] Read the full article →
did I commit a cardinal job-searching sin? by Alison Green on May 25, 2015 A reader writes: I think I have inadvertently committed a cardinal job-searching sin. Here’s the necessary backstory: I’m a recent college grad (June ’14) looking for a job in a STEM field. I signed up for a job-search group run by a local career counselor, and it was very helpful regarding resumes, cover letters, networking, […] Read the full article →
how should I format a cover letter? by Alison Green on April 6, 2015 A reader writes: Could you elaborate more about how formatting should be done on a cover letter? For example, should paragraphs be justified or should they use a ragged right edge? I use a cover letter format that appears sort of as a form of my own custom stationary – the top of my letter […] Read the full article →
should I use wording from the job ad in my resume or cover letter? by Alison Green on October 17, 2014 A reader writes: I am a recent graduate and have a question concerning tailoring your resume/cover letter to the job. I read online that hiring managers dismiss candidates who copy large amounts of wording from the job posting into their resume or cover letter, and I wonder if I have been falling into this pitfall. […] Read the full article →
how long should a cover letter be? by Alison Green on October 3, 2014 A reader writes: I have the most basic of questions, but I’ve received a different answer from everyone I ask. How long should a cover letter be? I tend to be more concise in my writing, so I would be okay submitting a half page cover letter. However, I feel like that appears too short […] Read the full article →
don’t start your cover letter with “my name is” and other rules by Alison Green on May 29, 2014 Some random thoughts from hiring work recently, in no particular order: * Do not start your cover letter with “My name is…” unless you are under the age of 10. This does not make you sound like a grown-up. * When a job posting asks for something like 2-3 years experience and you have 10+ […] Read the full article →
“I am confident I am the best candidate for the job” is a ridiculous thing to say by Alison Green on April 22, 2014 Interesting fact: People who start their cover letters with “I am confident I am the best candidate for the job” never are. Literally, never. I’ve now seen it stated enough to state this with confidence. Read the full article →