How to Make it into the ‘Yes’ Pile
Your resume is about you. But your cover letter should be about me.
Me. As in, the employer.
The Template Resistance
If you’ve been a leader, a hiring manager, an employer of any kind, then you’ve experienced the rotten templates.
The boilerplate language.
The mistakenly left-in-name of “the other” job to which the candidate is presently applying.
Heck, there is an AI-driven move away from cover letters in some technical sectors altogether.
Totally understandable.
How Cover Letters can Still Matter
If I’m hiring a senior leader—especially C Suite or board member—then cover letters remain important. First, a cover letter lets me know immediately that this person can write. Think.
Position themselves within the context of what is important—to me and my world.
As you look to break into evermore senior roles, view your cover letter as a lot more than some antiquated, bureaucratic step in a hiring process.
Instead, see its potential power: as an attention-grabbing billboard—a marketing tool to deploy.
Maximize Your Time
Just this week, on a coaching call, I was reminded of how powerful a cover letter can be.
My client workshopped one with me, and together we took it from a re-hashing of accomplishments already found on their CV to making it all about the future state of the hiring organization.
We made it strategic—a little edgy. It had personality and heft. We included ideas and big questions to consider. This was a big job, and now the cover letter matched it.
Because, in the end, cover letters are like any thoughtful piece of writing. They must capture attention, emotion, and imagination. They should persuade, propose value, and differentiate.
They can’t do any of this if it’s focussed just on you, though.
So, do research. Show you know what the world looks like from the chair of the person hiring. (If you can’t imagine it, ask yourself are you ready for this role?)
What’s holding them back?
What are they chasing, and how could you help them get there faster, more elegantly?
Make it into the ‘Yes’ Pile
If I’m looking for my next leader, then the problems I face, the opportunities I see, well, I am looking for someone who sees them too.
So, quickly show that you get my world, right there when we first meet–right on your cover letter.
Then, I’m switched on—paying attention. Curious. Putting you in the “yes” pile.
Mostly, what candidates do is restate what is on their resume. Be different. Winning candidates use cover letters completely differently. They see them as a sales tool, a chance to stand out, a way to reach across the divide and say, “I’m the solution you’ve been looking for and here’s how I can help.”
Leadership is often lonely. Need a partner to re-think your career or your business in 2022? Drop me a DM, and let’s chat.
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