The Cover Letter Gambit That Paid Off Big

The Cover Letter Gambit That Paid Off Big The Cover Letter Gambit That Paid Off Big Its not uncommon for a hiring managers to receive dozens if not hundreds of applications for just one open position. Even if yure a perfectly qualified candidate, you may still struggle to stand out from the rest of that pack.This is where a titel letter can help. A great cover letter grabs the readers attention, gives a few quick highlights on your professional value, and makes the reader want to know more about you as a candidate.At our company, we recently had an applicant who took a gamble with his cover letter that paid off big in the end.In late 2017, we had job posts up for a few different positions. One welches for an associate-level position, and another welches for a project manager position that required more skills and more work experience. Naturally, we had an inbox full of cover letters and resumes for the associate position, but fewer applications for the project manager role.One co ver letter for the project manager job grabbed our attention from the very first line.It stspeciesed out, Im not the fit youre looking for in this role. I know it, and I suspect it wont take you long to join me in that knowledge. Thats certainly not a standard opening. While I may be a few years removed from college, I dont remember any classes or advisors teaching meto open a cover letter like thatAs soon as we read that opening, we were hooked. We had to keep reading. The applicant continued to say that he was confident he could do the job, but there were probably other candidates who already had the necessary experience and could jump right in. In this way, the applicantshowed that he was confident without being cocky. He was humble and deferred to other candidates, which is something to be admired. He immediately showed that he was thoughtful and a team player.The second paragraph was shortand to the point So instead of trying to lay out a barely solvent argument as to why you s hould hire me as your digital marketing project manager position, Im just going to tell you You shouldnt.He still had us hooked. There was no way wed stop reading now.As it turned out, this applicant had applied for the associate-level job but hadnt heard a response. After a month or so, he applied for the project manager position and wrote the cover letter that flipped the script. In the third paragraph, he wrote, Instead, Im going to just say that if there are any other jobs with your company in the same department but with different experience requirements, please consider me. I have already applied to one such job with Go Fish and wrote a more traditional cover letter for that position, which is something Im sure you can track down and read if you so desire.As part of our application, our company asks individuals to be a little more casual in their cover letters and write something that stands out. This cover letter certainly fit the bill.The next paragraph was more in line with a standard cover letter. At this point, however,the applicantalready had our attention. He continued on to succinctly outline his qualifications and why he was a good fit for the company. This part of his cover letter made it clear that that he spent time researching both the job and the companys culture. The applicant referenced specific requirements from the application and provided brief examples of related work experience. He ended his letter by thanking us, which is always a nice touch.Thisapplicant took a risk in order to stand out. After not hearing back about his original application, he decided to apply for something he knew he wasnt qualified for but with a cover letter that was unique. It immediately grabbed our attention and made us smile. He was funny, confident, and creative.So the next time youre stuck on the job hunt, consider doing something out of the ordinary. Sometimes flipping the script is what it takes to stand out. It worked for this applicant, and were happ y to have him on our team.David Cusick is a content marketing manager for Go Fish Digital.Master the art of closing deals and making placements. Take our Recruiter Certification Program today. Were SHRM certified. Learn at your own pace during this 12-week program. Access over 20 courses. Great for those who want to break into recruiting, or recruiters who want to further their career. Like this article? We also offer tons of free eBooks on career and recruiting topics - check out Get a Better Job the Right Way and Why It Matters Who Does Your Recruiting. document.write(Read more ) in Cover Letter