"Stop using these 16 Terms to Describe Yourself"

[ejsmith3130]

I read this article on Linkedin this morning, and although it isn't specifically about writing cover letters I think it has some really great information that we can think about and learn from.

http://www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/20130117141235-20017018-stop-using-these-16-terms-to-describe-yourself?trk=mp-details-rc

I have always had a hard time writing cover letters that don't seem generic and get a good response rate. It is so easy to slip into saying that I am creative and organized and blah, blah, blah, but  it is so much harder to really show what kind of person I am and why I would be an asset to the theatre.

I think the article brings up some good points about how when we talk in real life we don't talk about ourselves this way. It reminds me of advice on playwriting- show, don't tell. If only I could figure out how to effectively show and not tell in my cover letters. Lucky enough I married an English Teacher and he totally proofs everything I send out!   

Has anyone else found effective ways to write professional but unique cover letters that really express who you are while avoiding cliche?

[Melissitchka]

The best cover letter I wrote, I actually thought I might've been going insane while I wrote it. I was applying to quite a few jobs at the time and it started to feel like I was just spitting out the same cover letter over and over. I read a job posting that struck a chord for some reason - I think it was that the posting didn't seem quite the same. It had some more colloquialisms than most and just funny terminology for things, so the cover letter I wrote was very laid back. I recall specifically that they wanted a stage manager that could "put out fires." At the time, I was working on a cruise ship and had just completed a marine fire fighting course, so I put as a P.S. something like "and as for putting out fires, no worries here, I just aced a marine fire fighting course."

I sent it off and thought I would never hear back from them, or all the humor I'd put into my cover letter would be lost. I got an interview and a job offer. I wound up not taking it, but it certainly gave me a new perspective on cover letters. Not that that's always the best approach by any means, but it did make me wonder how many opportunities I'd missed by sending out "safe" letters.