SUBJECT LINE: Question..

Is that a period and its twin, or is it ellipses that can’t find its third dot anywhere? Ah, an easy mistake for a journalism and communications major to make.

Hello, my name is ___________ and I am a senior undergraduate student at Well Recognized University in the Midwest, graduating with high honors in May with bachelor’s degrees in both Journalism/Mass Communication and Communication Studies. Although currently I reside and go to school in __________, I am originally from the Chicagoland area and am looking to start my career there in May.

In this letter, you use the word “I” 35 times, “me” six times and “my” 11 times in 573 words. Granted, it’s a cover letter and the subject is yourself, but since you’re applying to work here, the subject is also us, and the communication business we cover. But we get your logic: We already know all about ourselves, right? What we need to know more about is you!

P.S. In Chicago, nobody but weather-men and traffic reporters use the term “Chicagoland.” Actually, weathermen, traffic reporters and distant suburbanite kids trying to sound hard-bitten.

I cannot express to you how excited I became as I came across the website for Regan. It is the kind of company that I have been looking for, and I am willing to do whatever it takes to obtain a full-time position at Regan.

You were too excited, apparently, to check the spelling of the company’s five-letter name.

Last year, an essay that I wrote was nationally recognized and I was, in turn, rewarded for my “excellence in undergraduate research.” My work was submitted by one of my professors, who complimented my persuasive writing/speaking style and suggested that I look into graduate school. However, I am far too eager, at this point, to get started in a career—and even moreso now that Regan is an option.

Hey, we love our work, and we have a good time doing it. But are you actually saying the prospect of a job at a niche trade publisher has you geeked out of your young and hopeful mind? We cannot express how skeptical this makes us feel.

I am a prominent undergraduate student in the communication studies department here, and from time to time even assist graduate students with brainstorming and analysis.

A “prominent undergraduate,” eh? Your university has 30,000 undergraduate students, the only “prominent” ones of which play on the football team. Look, we cover PR here; don’t try to kid a bunch of kidders, okay kiddo?

More than this, I am primarily a journalism student and my work has been published mostly in the university news-paper …. However, I also worked as a news reporter/intern at a local radio station for almost the entire 2006-07 school year. There, I reported on, and wrote stories—daily—for air. I also did on-air news and weather. Aside from filing affidavits (for none other than Clear Channel) and filling out program logs—I had the opportunity to meet lots of new people and work in a high-pressure position with deadlines and time-consuming interviews. I loved it.

Wait: Did you say you filed affidavits for a radio company? Which radio company? Was it a company other than Clear Channel? No? It was none other than Clear Channel? Gadzooks, how soon can you start?

I want to bring my passion, skill, and knowledge to Regan. I realize that you may not be the person that I should be speaking with, but I needed to contact someone.

In the last 5 years of my life, I have been told by many different people that I have a much different way of thinking. I think outside of the box (without even realizing it) and have a perfectionist complex that does not permit me room for error in my work.

Ooh, this might be a problem. Here at “Regan,” we have a requirement that when our employees want to think outside the box, they have to ask permission to do it, which obviously means they have to realize when they’re about to think outside the box. Do you think you might be able to train yourself to be more aware of your mental position, relative to the box?

When I do something, I give it everything that I have. When I am given a task, I get it done better than expected. The men at the radio station referred to me as “Chicago” and “sassy”—and never failed to give me stories that required contacting the hard-to-get sources. I always got them to talk, and I always got them to “spill it.” Sassy, they said, is for the ability that I have when it comes to asking the “tough questions.” They always said to me jokingly…“you have the look to get the interview with men and women alike, the charm to keep the interview, the intelligence to ask the right questions, the passion to ask the hard ones, and the innocent smile that gets an honest answer out of anyone.”

These “men” at the radio station were about two ticks away from sexual harassment, girlfriend. A worthy subject for discussion no doubt, but not in a cover letter, please.

My resume is attached. Thanks for hearing me out. I am honestly thrilled to have found this company and look forward to hearing from you soon. All of the careers listed on your website are of interest to me. However, I think that my writing style would be most applicable to speechwriting or public relations.

Excellent. Except we don’t do speechwriting or public relations.

Sincerely,

But we’ll be sure to keep your letter on file—and refer to it every time we want to remember: How full of themselves most young people are … that all the college courses in the world can’t teach a person how to communicate effectively … and how desperate and ill-equipped even “prominent undergrads” such as yourself feel as they prepare to leave their cozy college environs and test their sass in the big bad world.

Lessons learned from her disastrous letter:

1. Proofread the letter. Then proofread it again. Confirm that you spelled the company name correctly and that you spelled the name of the intended recipient correctly. Really, it doesn’t get any more basic than this. We receive correspondence all the time from people eager to work with NESCO Resources, which is terrific, except that our company name is NESCO Resource. It makes a difference.
2. Know what the company does. This applicant can’t wait to get involved with professional speechwriting and public relations. The only problem is that Ragan doesn’t do either. Big fail.
3. Shift the focus from your desires to the company’s needs. Your goals and dreams, while massively important to you, really aren’t that important or interesting to your potential employer. They want to know precisely what you can do for them. What value do you bring? How can you contribute?
4. Demonstrate your expertise with detail, not broad claims. The writer’s claims that she “thinks outside the box” and “I give it everything I have” are self-aggrandizing statements that are much less effective than detailed descriptions of projects or tasks that actually demonstrate your expertise. Don’t just say you’re creative and hard-working, provide a real-life example.

During most of the job interview, the interviewer is trying to determine a few key issues. First of all, are you capable of doing the job? They probe your background, explore your accomplishments and try to gain some understanding of your potential value to their company.

Eventually, they’re going to extend their questioning beyond your skills and capabilities and try to determine your motivations. They know you want to work somewhere, they’re just not sure why you want to work for them.

So, how do you prepare for the inevitable question: Why do you want to work here?

First of all you need to understand what they want to hear. They want to know that you’ve investigated their company. That you know their products and services. You’re familiar with their position in their industry. That you know something about the company’s background. In short, they want you to show that you care enough about the company and the job to have done your homework.

So, do your homework.

Start with the company website. Read about their company background. Know who started the company and whether or not those individuals are still with the company. If there is a management page, read the bios for each major executive. Check out their profiles on LinkedIn to see where they went to school , where they worked before and what titles they’ve held. You never know when you might have shared contacts that you can ask to put in a good word for you.

If there’s an annual report, read it. See how they’re positioning themselves publicly. Are they in a fast growth mode or are they apologizing for lackluster performance? Check out their revenue and profit trends. And read the letter from the president to gauge the character and personality of the company.

Read about their products. Not just on their website but on other sites that review their products or on user forums where consumers talk about their products and services. The user forums provide enormously valuable information since their participants provide unvarnished feedback about the company, their products and their responsiveness.

Check the newswires for press releases or any press mentions at all. How actively do they promote new products? Have they had any recent acquisitions? Have they been involved in any scandalous behavior?

Search the blogosphere for mentions of the company, its products and its executives. There are blogs that deal with every single industry and they frequently provide the best source of inside information on industry trends, company perceptions and feedback from industry insiders.

Once you done the research, you’re ready to answer the question.

I read in last month’s Fast Company that your company is leading your industry in design innovation and its focus on the overall user experience. The product reviews I’ve read on CNET and the Wall Street Journal have been terrific, and the company seems poised to dominate their sector. I’ve always enjoyed working in entrepreneurial and innovative environments, and believe that my experience in consumer packaging and point of sale design can help your company stand out in the retail space that you’re poised to enter.  Can you tell me a little about your efforts to get into the big box chains?

There. You demonstrated that you did some research, you read about their company, its products and its plans. You positioned yourself as a potential contributor to their future success and you kept the conversation going by asking about a specific initiative that they’re pursuing. All of which leads the interviewer to conclude that you really do want to work there.