17 Sep 04 Cover letter not place for personal agendas

Most people already know a targeted resume can be the first step toward finding a good job. It provides employers with their first introduction to you and is often the ticket to landing an interview. Your cover letter is equally important, because it provides you with the opportunity to explain in greater detail and by using examples of why you are the best person for the position. It’s not the place for declaring your personal agenda.

A job hopeful seeking a public-relations position requiring strong writing skills listed in her cover letter a few magazines she’d written for, adding: ‘I think my best work sample is a novel I’ve just finished writing. I’m attaching the first chapter. I think you’ll agree that I’m as original as a writer can be.’

Attaching a work sample is not unusual for a writer, but in this case the hiring manager may wonder if she’s more interested in finding a publisher than landing a PR job.”