Cover letter format that generated a call from the VP

15 applications later, things are getting desperate. I will listen to Dad.

Why Effort Isn’t the Same as Impact

If you’ve ever wondered why cover letters get ignored even when you’re qualified, this post explains what’s actually happening.

I have a long-time friend whose son just graduated from college. The son is trying to find a job but is having little luck.  The most significant part of his frustration is that he has submitted a string of letters/resumes in response to job postings and heard nothing.

In my work with candidates, I see a lot of this, and have a pretty good idea why.

Dad Doesn’t Know Anything!

My buddy knows I work with candidates and shared his side of the story. The son is a typical recent graduate and doesn’t want to listen to his dad.

Now, Dad may be over 55, but he is well-versed in technology and makes a great living doing business development for tech companies. This is not your old school dad who hasn’t stayed in touch.

Dad has a huge reach and is an expert at connecting online. Dad knows how to network.

Of course, Dad has given feedback on the search to the millennial son. In my opinion, he has been conducting the search. Really, who can blame him? The father wants to see his kid succeed, and part of him wants him to stop bugging him already.

Unfortunately, the millennial son wants to do it his way and remains his own biggest obstacle. I don’t have kids for this exact reason.  

Dad Finds Job Son is Qualified For

Like most millennials who feel their dad is out of touch, the response was as follows:

• “Dad, I am not qualified for this job. Out of the 10 bulleted requirements, I don’t have half of what they are looking for.”
  • But you do have half of what they are looking for!
• “Dad, this isn’t the kind of job I want!”
  • Son, this job is in your field of study, it is a very hot brand you have heard about, and frankly, at this point, we can’t afford to be choosy.
• “This is never going to work”, heavy sigh.

Maybe it was the 15 prior gut punches of not hearing any response that turned the son around. 

Where Good Candidates Go Wrong

Dad comes to HRNasty for a collegial discussion on strategy, and frankly, I am flattered. I ask my standard questions, trying to triangulate the problem/opportunity for improvement.

HRN: “How many resumes and cover letters do you think your son has sent in?”

Father: “15”

HRN: “Has your son had any interviews over the phone or face-to-face?”

Father: “He had one interview over the phone, but trust me, he is a really smart kid.”

HRN’s inside voice: “Yeah, yeah, yeah, every parent’s kid is a special snowflake.”

How Far Along in the Process is Your Son?

When I ask these questions, I am trying to figure out what the biggest hurdle is. If we are declined after the face-to-face interviews with the recruiter and the hiring manager, then it is probably HOW we are talking with the hiring manager. The recruiter and the hiring manager are looking for two completely different things.

If we are NOT getting many after applying, it is probably our resume, cover letter, or both.

Why Long Cover Letters Don’t Get Read

I asked to see a copy of the job description. I then asked to see a copy of the cover letter. As I suspected, it was a full page.  I didn’t need to see much more than this because I knew this type of document wouldn’t be read. I knew I wouldn’t take the time to read it. The cover letter included a lot of qualitative statements like:

• I am a fast learner
• You won’t find a harder worker
• I get along with everyone

Why Hiring Managers Discount Self-Assessment

The above is the candidate’s opinion. For a hiring manager, it is hard to take a recent graduate’s word for “hard work” when they lack actual work experience.

The best way to catch the recruiter’s attention is to focus on what the hiring manager needs.  The father completely agreed and explained that when he reaches out via email for business development, he focuses on what he thinks the potential partner is looking for.

I won’t bore you with the next 24 hours of discussion with the father acting as a middleman between the son and HRNasty. Two days later, the kid got a call from the VP of the department asking the son to come in for an in-person interview. The kid could not believe it. Mind Blown. The father tried to call me three times that evening to give me the good news, but in usual HRN style, I was giving him the Heisman. (I was out and had turned off my phone, but hey, he is in business development, he is persistent)

What changed wasn’t the son’s qualifications. It wasn’t confidence. And it wasn’t ‘writing better.’ It was how the cover letter was positioned relative to the resume.

What Changed in This Case

The problem with most cover letters isn’t length or effort. Its orientation.

Candidates write from the point of view of what they want to say. Hiring managers read from the perspective of what they need to decide. When those two perspectives don’t align, even a well-intentioned, hardworking letter becomes invisible.

Who Got the Interview?

The next morning, I saw the father in person. The father was so excited, you would have thought he was the one who got the interview. Dad had a couple of wins.

• His son connected with the hiring company and had set the hook.
• The son listened to the father and realized Dad wasn’t such a stick in the mud.
• Father was right, right, RIGHT!

The prodigal son was brought in and interviewed for not one, but TWO jobs! The guy was on fire because he was offered one of the positions after the interview. He needs to wait a few days before he hears about the second position.

Here’s the part people miss: this wasn’t a ‘better cover letter.’ It was a different use of the cover letter entirely. 

This is where most advice breaks down. People want a “better cover letter.” What actually works is understanding what role the cover letter is supposed to play in the hiring decision and what it should never be used for.

Want to understand how cover letters are actually read?
This short eGuide explains how recruiters interpret cover letters, when they matter, and why “optional” often isn’t.

👉 Learn how cover letters are evaluated

See you at the after party,

HRNasty

nasty: an unreal maneuver of incredible technique, something that is ridiculously good, tricky, and manipulative but with a result that can’t help but be admired, a phrase used to describe someone good at something. “He has a nasty forkball”.

Ongoing writing and context live on LinkedIn.

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