Good news! I've found a job I really want. It sounds interesting and challenging, and I know I could do it and do it well. Plus it pays well, is not far from where I'm living and is in communications, so still my area of expertise.
So how do I tell them that in a one page cover letter? Do I give into their jargon of “communication solutions” and “dynamic strategies”, or tell them the advantage I have is that I will speak journo's English, writing press releases someone will actually read? It's a strange business trying to sound qualified but not exaggerated, confident but not cocky.
I have taken advice from former colleagues, parents, friends, and still I dread the no-response, which means “You did not get an interview, you under-qualified hack.” I try not to get my hopes up, then I get my hopes up because disappointment is always better served unexpected. Realistically I know there could be five better qualified, more experienced applicants and I was never really competing, but knowing I could do this job makes me desperate to tell them “I can really do this, just give me a chance!” But which 300 words communicate that clearly?
So I'll tweak my resume, get a few people to read my cover letter (and try to trim the edge of desperation out of it), and hope for the best. I'm still sending stuff to newspapers, but I know how long it can be before gaps get filled in newsrooms.
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