A Great Cover Letter Can Land You the Job

Every few months someone declares that cover letters are dead. And I think that’s bullshit.

Sure, there are companies that will never read them. If you're applying through a giant corporate hiring portal with 4,000 applicants, your cover letter may never see the light of day. But then again, at that sort of company, you might not see the light of day either!

In Park City and the Wasatch Back, most employers are small businesses, nonprofits, family owned companies, restaurants, retailers, and local organizations. The person reading your application might be the owner. It might be the department manager. It might even be the person you'll work alongside every day. They want to know who they are spending all their time with.

A great cover letter still matters!

A resume tells me what you've done. Cool. But, a cover letter tells me who you are. It’s what makes you different from all the other Joey’s submitting their resumes.

Think about it from the employer's perspective. They've spent hours/days reading resumes, and after a while they all start to blend together. Customer service. Five years of experience. Microsoft Office. Team player. Reliable. Strong communication skills. Blah, blah, blah!

Then someone writes a letter that sounds like... an actual human. Someone they really want to work with or that their customers will really resonate with. They’re witty, funny, genuine, they made an effort.

Maybe they mention they've been a regular customer for years and always admired the way the staff treats people. Maybe they're looking for a career change because they want work that feels more meaningful. Maybe they just explain, in their own words, why they're genuinely excited about the opportunity. Or why they are a kick-ass co-workers.

One of the biggest mistakes I used to see as a hiring manager was that applicants treated a cover letter like a second resume. It isn't. You already have your resume. You don't need you to repeat it back as a summary.

Write something your resume can't.

What kind of teammate are you? What motivates you? Why does this particular job interest you? What experiences shaped the way you work? Offering insight into something that helps the hiring manager picture you walking through the door on your first day.

And most importantly... let your personality come through.

You don't need to sound "professional" in the way people think they do. Professional doesn't have to mean stiff. It doesn't mean filling your letter with phrases like results driven, dynamic professional, or synergistic leadership. Those words don't tell an employer anything meaningful.

Write the way you speak. Be thoughtful. Be genuine. Be yourself.

Also, don’t let AI do all the talking.

AI is cool for brainstorming ideas, improving grammar, or helping you organize your thoughts. Sure. But the final version should still sound like YOU. The goal isn't to impress someone with fancy words. The goal is to make someone think, "I need to meet this person."

At the end of the day, that's what a great cover letter should do. It doesn't get you the job, you still need to crush the interview and be a great fit. But a great cover letter gets someone interested enough to start the conversation. And that’s step one!

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Less time looking for jobs means more time writing epic cover letters that will land you the job you want. And enjoying more singletrack!