Excellent' Cover Letters Exposed

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This article examines the impact of grandiloquent statements in aТ cover letter. What do they achieve? What impression do they make? Are you disadvantaged by exercising some humility?

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Before proceeding with our example, lets establish some background that is relevant to ones" job application;

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1.Т You donтЂ™t know what the employer considers an тЂњidealтЂќ candidate. This is a subjective opinion that would require intimate personal knowledge.

2.Т Similarly, you donтЂ™t know what the employer тЂњexpectsтЂќ. You may or may not exceed their expectations once you commence your employment, but an announcement of such a feat prior to the accomplishment is presumptuous.

3.Т Declaring that your skill level is тЂњexcellentтЂќ, тЂњoutstandingтЂќ, тЂњexceptionalтЂќ, тЂњsuperiorтЂќ or any similar adjective is a relative statement. Let me explain, my chess skills are well polished, some chess novices may declare that I have excellent chess skills. However, if I was to ask a grand master to assess my chess skills his appraisal may not be so complimentary. Unless you are a specialist, a тЂњgrand masterтЂќ, in your field perhaps it would be wise to reconsider such glowing self assessments.

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Lets now consider a somewhat exaggerated practical example in order to accentuate the point. Assume that we have advertised the role of a high school mathematics teacher to a group of gifted 3 to 5 year old children. Given that these children are advanced for their age they all correctly claim to have тЂњexcellentтЂќ mathematics skills. We are told by a number of the mini job applicants that they expect that they will exceed my expectations. The remainder claim to be ideally suited to the role due to their passion for mathematics.

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ItтЂ™s not difficult to imagine that despite the gifted childrens" claims, none of them would come close to meeting our criteria. Apart from mathematical skills, an adult teacher brings a wealth of social, psychological and life skills as well as authority that a child, even the most gifted child, could not possibly offer.

It is these unspoken qualities that truly capture тЂњexcellenceтЂќ in a candidate. Your ability to convey exceptional qualities through deliverables and allowing the reader themselves to ascertain your elite status will carry a great deal more weight than a catchy phrase copied and pasted from your favourite cover letter web site.

In the case of the high school teacher, academic achievements, key employment achievements, experience, extra curricular involvement, demonstrated presentation skills and excellent communication skills are the types of attributes that would cause the reader to conclude that тЂњthis candidate appears idealтЂќ.

So please consider the content of your cover letter. Rich, convincing, factual information is far more persuasive than a catch phrase with no substance behind the statement.Т Т 

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