Erinn Pascal

I know the ~general consensus of the Internet™~ is that cover letters suck. And I think in some industries, i.e. tech, that’s true. However, I strongly disagree when it comes to publishing. (Possibly other industries too, but I’ve only ever working in publishing, so modify as necessary.)

By the way, I’m not HR. So please don’t read this as official HR advice by any company. This is my advice to the Internet, and I take no responsibility for any company, etc., or speak for anyone other than myself and my experiences! I didn’t run this by a legal team or anything, so just don’t sue me, okay?

Alright. Almost every position I’ve ever been hired for was because of my cover letter. I know because I’ve asked. So I’m hoping that this ~unofficial advice~ proves helpful. And if it does, and you have the means, I’d love if you donated $10 to Black Lives Matter.

There are two parts to most job applications: a cover letter and a résumé. It’s fairly easy to think about them like this: what’s quantitative (the résumé) and what’s qualitative (the cover letter).

Your résumé says factual things. It says your college (if you went), your GPA, your contact information, prior jobs, maybe even your objective (although I’d argue that’s what’s outdated and unnecessary here). Your résumé is a recruiter’s first look into who you are.

By contrast, your cover letter is qualitative. It’s what takes you, an English major (no judgement, I studied English), and makes you into a real, live person. What sets you apart?

I think the reason why ~the Internet!~ hates cover letters is because most people don’t know how to write them. I’m happy to give you a template, but before you begin writing, the real key is to UNDERSTAND THE POSITION YOU’RE APPLYING TO. (Yes, all caps are necessary. And bold. Why are you skimming this?!)

Read through the job posting at least twice. Are there any words repeated? Underline those words. Look at how the recruiter has prioritized the items. If “creativity” is mentioned at the top and again 2-3x in the listing, you’ll want to focus on the creativity you can bring to the team. If the listing wants someone who is “interested in graphic novels,” write about graphic novels.

You do not have to be a perfect candidate. And to be fair, you probably aren’t (no one is). But what you can do is focus on where you and the job listing line up. To do that, it’s all in the cover letter, my friends.

Now for the little BADASS TEMPLATE I like to use:

Paragraph One – Intro.

What is your name? What is the exact position you’re applying for? If it’s a good story, mention how you found the position. What skills do you bring? If you know someone on the team or at the company, mention them here. Reference the thing (or things) the listing said it wanted.

A Pretty Bare Bones Example of Paragraph One: My name is Erinn Pascal and I’m thrilled to apply for the SUPER COOL role at YOUR AWESOME COMPANY. I loved THE AWESOME BOOK YOU PUBLISHED and got very excited to see this position posted on LinkedIn. I reached out to REFERRAL PERSON who is happy to provide a reference about HOW I AM SO AWESOME. I’m confident that with my SKILLLLLZ, I can provide your team WHAT IS IN THE JOB POSTING.

Paragraph Two – Examples.

What you’re going to do now is go back to the job listing. If they need someone who is organized, when is a time you were organized? Tell me about it. (Not me, the recruiter/HR manager. You get the picture.) Then tell me how this will apply to your role. You can share a few examples here to paint a picture.

A Pretty Bare Bones Example of Paragraph Two: During THIS EXPERIENCE MAYBE IT WAS COLLEGE MAYBE AN INTERNSHIP BUT DEFINITELY AN EXPERIENCE I DON’T KNOW, I had to DO THIS THING. THESE WERE THE CHALLENGES I DEALT WITH. But THIS IS HOW I STAYED ON TOP! With my skills in DOING THE THING YOU WANT, I can give your company THAT THING. This will apply to you REFERENCE A SPECIFIC THING ABOUT THE COMPANY or TEAM. With my experience DOING THIS, I’m sure I am the right fit for THIS ROLE. (x2 or however many experiences you can reference.)

Paragraph Three – Focus on the Company.

Since you focused mostly on your accomplishments in paragraph two, focus on the company or team in paragraph three. When I say “the company,” I don’t mean Simon & Schuster. I mean Simon Spotlight, et all. (Simon Spotlight was my first assistant role, and it’s part of Simon & Schuster. Like I said at the beginning, I don’t represent any company in posting this, but I’ll give a cool lil’ shoutout to their team for being great and for hiring me as an assistant, with no other connections than – surprise! – my cover letter). If Simon Spotlight publishes Daniel Tiger (they do), write about that here. You can add a line about what you can offer, but also ADD A LINE ABOUT WHAT YOU’D LIKE TO LEARN. How do you want to grow? Be sure to reference new information (in the past year). What you’re doing in this paragraph is tailoring your cover letter TO THE SPECIFIC POSITION, and also letting the recruiter imagining you, a person they have never met, in the role.

A Pretty Bare Bones Example of Paragraph Three: I saw that you’re now publishing THIS PROPERTY, AUTHOR, ETC.—congratulations! I think that is INSERT SOMETHING COOL AND INSIGHTFUL BUT ALSO MAKES SENSE. I’m very intrigued by this acquisition because I’d like to expand my skills in THIS AREA, and I know I can do so by DOING THIS SPECIFIC THING IN THE JOB LISTING. (x2 or however many things you can think of.)

Paragraph Four – Closing.

Good news. (!!!!) If your recruiter/hiring manager/et all has reached paragraph four, you’re getting an interview!!!! Make it short and sweet. Thank them for reviewing your materials. Say you’re available to chat and look forward to doing so. You can hit them with a summary as well, but remember to exude confidence and passion. (Both are important.)

 A Pretty Bare Bones Example of Paragraph Four: With my SKILLLLZ AND PASSION, I’m confident that I will be an asset to your team. I look forward to hearing from you!

What your cover letter should NOT have:

-When you learned to read or why you love reading.
Instead, talk about why you like a specific project/responsibility the role has.

-That you want to be a writer.
We love writers, but unless the role is for a writer, that’s not who we are hiring.

-Statements like “I think” or “I believe”
You know it. Be confident!

What your cover letter SHOULD have:
-Demonstrated passion not for publishing as a whole, but the exact position you are applying for
-Demonstrated skills not for publishing as a whole, but the exact position you are applying for

IN CLOSING (Last section but don’t skip this.)

When you’re done with your cover letter, ask yourself this: If you removed your name from the document, would your best friend be able to pick yours out of the crowd? If the answer is yes, great, send away! If the answer is no, revise until it’s uniquely you.

With this in mind, your success rate in landing interviews will likely be much higher. And you can still have a cover letter template that you write over and tailor to the company. (Just make sure to check a million times that you’re sending the correct one!)

One last piece of advice … do NOT apply for more than one role at a company at a time. There’s likely only HR person, and if they see you apply for more than one role, they’ll think you aren’t actually committed like you said you were. (I have made the mistake before.)

Okay, that’s it. You’ve graduated BADASS COVER LETTER 101. Good luck and let me know how this works for you!