Ask HN: Any non-techies have advice for a good cover letter? | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: Any non-techies have advice for a good cover letter?

4 pointssumeetjain4 comments

My little brother is graduating from college soon and sent me his resume and cover letter to review. He wants to be a lawyer. I'm a web developer and haven't written a cover letter since... well, since I wasn't a web developer.

I've searched for best practices, tips, etc. on writing good cover letters, but the information on the Internet wasn't very helpful. Most articles repeat the same dull tidbits and leave me wanting to tell my brother not to submit one at all (which I won't do). A couple (newer, edgier) articles suggest being completely different and making a splash with a creative and arguably unprofessional letter. I'll take it all into consideration, of course.

But if anyone here who actually writes/reads cover letters could share a couple high-level criteria for an effective cover letter, I'd appreciate it.

My father always told me (and it's worked for me):

- The cover letter gets you an interview. From a huge pile of applications, it makes you somehow memorable to a hiring manager who would just like to make the right decision quickly. So don't bother with flowery nonsense and don't worry about being off-putting (unless you're only applying to one job...), just say something bold.

- Some people have a hard time selling themselves. Other people have a hard time not lying and overselling themselves. Be honest but explain the value proposition of how hiring you will make a difference to the company.

- Because you have to stand out, and because the hiring manager has a lot of context for what the position is which the applicants lack, researching the company, the opening, the culture, etc. will let you write a letter that stands out as a good fit for what they want.

- One page only, one font only, print it out on nice paper, don't misspell anything.

Thanks for response.

Although it will be an uncommon situation, is there any alternative set of guidelines for writing a cover letter when you know it will be read by your boss (instead of a hiring manager)?

If you haven't seen the article below, it is a great resource to forward on to your brother. To quote it:

For the background part, I like to see what someone has done.

Not been involved in, or been part of, or watched happen, or was hanging around when it happened.

I look for something you've done, either in a job or (often better yet) outside of a job.

http://pmarca-archive.posterous.com/how-to-hire-the-best-peo...

Interesting article. I'll forward it to him and discuss it with him. Thanks.

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