Can I Wear My Nose Ring to the Interview?: A Crash Course in Finding, Landing, and Keeping Your First Real Job (20 page)

Experiencing a bit of cover-letter-writer’s block? Read the following for inspiration—and some worst-case cautionary tales to keep you on the right track.

By now, I hope it’s sunk in: The cover letter is an ever-evolving entity, tailored to its recipient and to the job description. So obviously there’s no such thing as the perfect cover letter—but this one is close. It’s got specificity, clarity, appropriate tone, and solid structure.

Humor is such an iffy thing. If it works, it works, but if it doesn’t, disaster! What may work for one reader won’t for another. Here’s an example of a letter in which some of the humor falls flat and some doesn’t. Still, my overall advice is to stay serious. You’re applying for a job, not a spot on
SNL
(aspiring comics aside).

I’ve seen many cover-letter blunders in my time. So much wasted effort, so many missed opportunities … This letter is a good example of how a lack of detail and an even unintentionally arrogant turn-of-phrase can destroy an applicant’s chances.

Take the time to show your reader that you know something about his company. But don’t waste precious space in a cover letter selling the company back to itself. “Best Hotels has always stood for excellence in the field. With 50 properties around the world, Best Hotels has been a leader in international resort development …”

No. The people hiring at Best Hotels know all about what makes it a great company. They want to know who you are and what you can do for them. But you still need to communicate that you have done your research and aren’t just randomly applying to jobs. Better would be to say,
“I just spent a study-abroad semester in Dubai through an exchange program. I was enrolled at the university and got to travel extensively across the Middle East. When I learned recently that Best Hotels was opening several world-class properties in the Arab Emirates, I was eager to find out how my knowledge of the area and my degree in hospitality could contribute to the development of this exciting new venture.”
Make sure, too, to vary your pronouns, balancing the number of “I”s and “you”s.

Q. How do I communicate that I have always wanted to be in the industry without sounding naive?

A.
A simple “I have long admired” in some form will do. “As a lifelong subscriber to
The New York Times
, I would welcome the opportunity to work in the advertising department.” “I have long admired Nordstrom’s customer service ethic.” But don’t go into an “Ever since I was a child” routine—that sounds young and self-involved.

Here’s the deal with entry-level jobs. When an employer is hiring an assistant, she essentially needs someone who can handle phones and
photocopy correctly and cheerfully. Of course she wants someone with a brain, someone who can write, who sees the big picture, who is committed enough to the industry—perhaps, yes, because of a childhood passion—to put in the years of grunt work. So she will care about your passion, but only in the sense that it’s a motivating factor to you. First and foremost, she cares that you know how to use a database, and that you are able to answer the phone professionally. While you want to sound enthusiastic, an interview is a more appropriate place to give background detail about your various interests, though you should still avoid talking too extensively about your childhood.

NO SPILLING YOUR GUTS