• Menu
  • Skip to right header navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary navigation
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

College Magazine

College Life, Dating, Career & Campus Advice

  • Colleges
    • College Guides
    • College Rankings
    • Campus Life
      • Academics
      • Dating
      • Freshman Year
      • Health
      • Social Change
      • Party
  • Majors
    • All Majors
    • Most Popular Majors
    • Choosing a Major
  • Intern
    • Internship Directory
    • How to Get an Internship
    • How to Write a Resume
    • How to Write a Cover Letter
    • How to Interview
    • How to Network
    • Career 101
    • Find Your Passion Career
  • Money
    • How to Make Money
    • How to Save Money
    • How to Get a Job
    • Credit Cards 101
    • FAFSA
    • Ramen Project
  • Travel
    • Study Abroad
    • College Spring Break
    • How to Travel Cheap
    • Things to Do
  • Shop
    • Writer Course
    • College Magazine Shop
    • Gift Guides
    • College Packing List
  • Find your college or university
  • Colleges
    • College Guides
    • College Rankings
    • Campus Life
      • Academics
      • Dating
      • Freshman Year
      • Health
      • Social Change
      • Party
  • Majors
    • All Majors
    • Most Popular Majors
    • Choosing a Major
  • Intern
    • Internship Directory
    • How to Get an Internship
    • How to Write a Resume
    • How to Write a Cover Letter
    • How to Interview
    • How to Network
    • Career 101
    • Find Your Passion Career
  • Money
    • How to Make Money
    • How to Save Money
    • How to Get a Job
    • Credit Cards 101
    • FAFSA
    • Ramen Project
  • Travel
    • Study Abroad
    • College Spring Break
    • How to Travel Cheap
    • Things to Do
  • Shop
    • Writer Course
    • College Magazine Shop
    • Gift Guides
    • College Packing List
  • Find your college or university
  • About Us
  • Team
  • Write
  • Apply
  • Privacy Policy
  • Sign Up
  • Advertise
  • My Account
  • Cart

You are here: Home / Career / How to Make Your Cover Letter More Than Just a Resume

How to Make Your Cover Letter More Than Just a Resume

October 21, 2015 //  by Kayla Zacharias

Shares38FacebookTweet

Although there’s a big emphasis on networking these days, those of us who don’t have a ton of stellar connections still need to do things the standard way: with a good old-fashioned cover letter. Your resume and cover letter are potential employers’ first impressions of you. The cover letter is where you have room to be creative and let yourself shine. But if it’s tucked away in a stack with 100 others, how can you make yours stand out? Learn how with CM’s tips for writing a cover letter that sets you apart.

No Rookie Mistakes

“It’s really important to have someone else look at your cover letter and do a little copy-editing,” said Jennifer Pitterle, editor of Lake Minnetonka Magazine. Between spellcheck and a quick proofread from a friend or two, there’s no room for trivial mistakes in your resume or cover letter. “That’s a giant red flag that says ‘this person is not qualified for the job,’” said J.R. Ross, WisPolitics editor. Formatting is also important. The document should always be a PDF, and after you convert the document from Word, make sure there isn’t an extra blank page. It should be aligned with plenty of white space. “This is your first impression. Make sure it’s the right one,” Ross said.

No formalities

Times are changing, and although resumes and cover letters should still be professional in tone, don’t feel obligated to make yours look like someone your parents’ age wrote it. “I think a lot of people still cling to a really traditional style and tone that includes a lot of fluffy language, and that’s not particularly helpful,” Pitterle said. Because employers see so many resumes and cover letters, you need to include a little bit of personality. Don’t be afraid to use your subject line to stand out as well; be excited, and let them know it from the start!

No Hints

Employers see so many cover letters that they often just skim them and read the first paragraph. Not only do you need to make them want to read the whole thing, but this is your chance to make them want to read your resume as well. “The cover letter should make me want to read what comes after it – kind of like an appetizer that gives you a hint of the amazing meal that’s about to follow,” said Glenn Brown, manager of recruitment and benefits at Oregon Public Broadcasting. Give them a taste of what’s to come, but don’t give away every secret up your sleeves.

No Generalities

Good cover letters explain why you want the job and why you’d be a good fit with the company, so show some passion. “I want to know why this position stands out to them, why they want it and how it’s going to help them,” Pitterle said. “If I’m reading a cover letter and I get the sense that the applicant wouldn’t have a very good time in this job, then they probably wouldn’t do very good work for us.” If you fall flat, you probably won’t get hired.

No Ramblings

To encourage someone skimming hundreds of resumes to actually read yours, get to the point. You don’t want the page to be overwhelming with text. White space is good space. Keep it simple, stupid.

No Vagueness

No one likes fluff. Instead of saying you’re “hardworking” or “detail-oriented,” give concrete examples that explain why that’s true. What did you do in an internship, volunteer experience or class that makes you any of those things? By definition, in order to be creative, you have to say things that other people aren’t saying.

No Repetition

The point of a cover letter is to add to the resume – not repeat it. “I see a lot of cover letters that are just sort of resumes in paragraph form. That’s repetitive and usually doesn’t provide a lot of additional information,” Pitterle said. The employer knows what your work and education experiences are, so use your cover letter to tell them why those experiences are relevant.

Shares38FacebookTweet

Filed Under: Career

About Kayla Zacharias

Senior at the University of Wisconsin-Madison studying journalism and environmental studies. Like the Lorax, I speak for the trees. Goals include owning a French Bulldog and living in Seattle.

You May Also Like

Top 10 Things To Keep in Mind When Asking for a Reference Letter

Finding Yourself Through Professors and Pandemics 

Painting strokes image

CM Creates: How to Become a Professional Painter

5 Tips for Getting Your Social Media Ready for the Professional World

resume styles

College Magazine’s Guide to Resume Styles for Landing the Job

Community College Professor walks through the halls

Higher Education: Why Teaching Community College Makes the Ideal Career

College Magazine’s Guide to the Engineering Major

Writer

How to Use Your Creative Writing Degree: 10 Tips and Tricks

corporate

7 Insider Tips on How to Climb the Corporate Ladder

career development

How Your College Career Center Can Land You a Job During COVID-19

how to become a software engineer

College Magazine’s Guide to Becoming a Software Engineer

CM Guide Health Science

College Magazine’s Guide to the Health Science Major

Overview of three people at a desk working

Work in the Way? 10 Guilt-Free Reasons To Leave Your Job

10 Office Ethics Commandments That Apply to Daily Life

What Is a Good Credit Score and How Do I Get One of Those?

10 Invaluable Skills You Get from Learning and Working Virtually

future teacher

CM’s Ultimate Guide to the English Education Major

Finance Managers

Become the Next Warren Buffett: CM’s Guide to Portfolio Management

cover letter

The Cover Letter: Your Secret Weapon into the Professional World

peace corps

Top 10 Well-Kept Secrets to Succeeding in the Peace Corps

online portfolio

10 Steps to Building an Impressive Online Portfolio in 2020

woman on the phone

Bridge the Gap: CM’s Guide to the Interpreting Profession

internships

How To Make Your Internship Work For You

professionals working together

CM’s Guide to the Public Relations Major

Previous Post: « Tutoring, Not Editing: How the FSU Writing Center Makes the Difference
Next Post: “It’s Just So Far Away:” How to Workout Far Away from a Gym »

Primary Sidebar



Trending Posts

97

10 St. John’s University Finals Activities to Help You De-Stress

mental health
81

Pandemic and Academic Blues: Being Aware of Your Mental Health

60

24 Ways My 2020 Survival Guide Turned into 2021 Lifestyle Habits

55

The Ultimate Auburn University Bucket List: 21 Things to Do Before Graduating

best classes
25

10 Best Classes You Need to Take at Drake University

Featured Chapter: St. John’s University

Footer

logo

College Magazine is the national daily guide to campus life. Our articles for college students feature university rankings of U.S. colleges, college guides, academic advice, college prep, career advice, student health and collegiate dating tips.

Written by students for students, by a team of journalists from universities nationwide, we’re on the pulse of the college experience.

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Colleges

  • College Guides
  • College Rankings
  • Campus life
  • Academics
  • Dating
  • Freshmen Year
  • Health
  • Party

Majors

  • All College Majors
  • Most Popular Majors
  • Choosing a Major

Intern

  • Internships Directory
  • How to Write a Resume
  • How to Write a Cover Letter
  • How to Interview
  • How to Get an Internship
  • How to Network

Money

  • How to Make Money
  • How to Save Money
  • How to Get a Job
  • Credit Cards 101
  • College Loans

Travel

  • Study Abroad
  • College Spring Break
  • How to Travel Cheap
  • Things to Do

Shop

  • College Packing List
  • Gift Guides
  • About Us
  • Team
  • Write
  • Apply
  • Privacy Policy
  • Sign Up
  • Advertise
  • My Account
  • Cart

Copyright © 2021 College Magazine · All Rights Reserved · Powered by BizBudding Inc.