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Make sure every paragraph in your cover letter stands out with our helpful guides to catching employers’ eyes, what to include, and how to actually get words on the page. And no need to worry, our writers spoke to career center staff, HR reps, and employers to find out exactly what they want to read.

Your cover letter should tell a story about why you’d think you’d be a good fit for the position. Don’t shy away from a little humble bragging. Your squad might roll their eyes at your stellar GPA when you bring it up in the middle of their stressful study sesh, but a cover letter is the best time and place to hype yourself up.

Once you know the basics of cover letters, know what not to do so you can avoid the dreaded bottom of the application pile. You know you shouldn’t just rewrite your resume in letter format, right? Instead, use this space to align yourself with the company’s mission and values. And squeeze in that detail from your internship that basically made you a pro.

Finally, you’ll know all the rules—then you can learn how to break them the right way to land the creative job of your dreams. Let this cover letter help you create a personal brand with sneaky bits of your own colorful personality.

After sending the cover letter out, you’ll probably still wait as nervously as you do when you send a risky “you up?” text to your crush, but we promise this situation will end much better.