Cover Letter Feedback

Cover Letter Feedback

A good cover letter is like an exciting trailer for a movie: it should make the hiring manager want to meet you.

The power of a good cover letter (or cover email) is often underestimated. Your resume might put you in the categories of “inexperienced” or “too good to be true”. A cover letter can create an emotional, thoughtful human connection and build trust, taking you out of those categories. Resumes have many limitations and requirements that you can go beyond in your cover letter. For me personally, cover letters are so much more interesting to write and to read. They allow you to express your voice, personality, experiences, and goals.

Here is my list of the biggest cover letter mistakes, shared for FREE.

1. Too often people simply repeat information that’s already on their resume. This is a waste of words, time, and won’t help you at all.

2. Writing a generic cover letter that can be sent to any company might sound convenient, but it is very easy to spot and looks lazy. Would you rather receive a spam email or one written specifically to you? Give each company something special so they can see you really care.

3. Following online templates can work for resumes, but is dangerous for cover letters. Look at this sentence: “I am committed to getting the job done.” Sounds great, right? But anyone can say this. How do we know it’s TRUE for YOU?

4. A cover letter that is too long will never be fully read and might reveal too much (TMI). But one that is too short offers little benefit. Finding the right length is challenging and also dependent on many factors. I can help you with this.

5. “Please hire me. This is my dream company and I don’t know what I will do if I can’t work here.” There is a important difference between sounding enthusiastic and sounding desperate. You don’t want to sound desperate.

6. Negativity, cynicism, pessimism, intolerance, rants, blaming, complaining, immaturity, derogatory language, self-abasement (being TOO humble), superiority (being TOO proud) and a lack of politeness or consideration of the reader all don’t belong in a cover letter.

7. Forgetting to include your availability is also something you want to avoid. Tell them when you can start.

8. Get someone to proofread your cover letter, not only your resume. You don’t want it to be full of errors that interrupt the flow of your writing or undermine your message. It needs to be readable.

Here’s What I Can Do for You:

1. After reading your cover letter carefully, I will make a list of questions and concerns that a hiring manager might have but may never ask you unless you make it the interview stage. I will share this list with you and make suggestions for how to eliminate concerns.

2. By answering my questions, I can develop a strategy for you to frame yourself in the best possible light while staying truthful. We’ll focus on making sure your cover letter tells a story that is relevant, informative, meaningful, and interesting to read.

3. I cover all the basics of checking your spelling, grammar, punctuation, formatting, layout, and word usage to ensure your cover letter is easy to read, follow, and understand.

4. I can help you edit down a long cover letter into something concise and impactful. We can craft a base structure that you can modify for different companies. I will also share suggestions for how to adapt this letter into a shorter and more personal direct message to a recruiter.

5. I check your cover letter TWICE, both before and after you have revised it. I also provide an evaluation of the strongest and weakest points in your resume in my final assessment, at no extra cost.

The Process:

1. Fill out the form below and wait for my confirmation email.

2. Reply to my second email with questions regarding your cover letter.

3. I will send you a third email with feedback and recommendations for your cover letter.

4. Send me your revised cover letter so I can do one final check, along with your payment.

5. I will send you a final email with feedback for your revised cover letter, including its strengths and weaknesses.

Price:

$140 Canadian Dollars per page of your original cover letter (e.g., if you send me 2 pages and we edit it down to 1 page, the price is $280).

Contact:

If you have any questions, feel free to email me at: admin@andrewzeller.com