I often get asked for examples of good cover letters, and a reader recently sent me a good one that I want to share.
I’m always telling people “don’t just use your cover letter to summarize your resume — add something new.” This is a really nice example of how you can talk about your work but in a more conversational way that fleshes out what you’re all about professionally.
The caveats I’ve learned to give when sharing these:
Here’s what this person’s original note to me said:
My company announced that my division was going to be sold about three weeks before we all started working remotely. I’d been tossing around the idea of looking for a new job, but once unemployment rates started skyrocketing I didn’t think it was a good time, especially since we were all guaranteed jobs after the sale. I had to redo my resume anyway for the transition, so I used your advice to rework it slightly since I hadn’t touched it in years.
Well, every time I got super stressed about the work transition, I dealt with it by reading other people’s tales of woe on your site, and by spending some time on job search activities. I only applied to three jobs (in different industries from the one I was in, but good, stretch matches for my skill set). I used your cover letter advice to write a slightly better cover letter for each job, and I thought I really knocked it out of the park with the last one. Apparently I did, because I got a call very quickly for an interview, and after using all of your interviewing (and negotiating) advice, I accepted a great offer that’s the perfect next career step. I’m a month in now and even with the weirdness of starting a new job fully remote, it’s been great. Your continued good news stories gave me the confidence to keep looking and to stretch to something completely new.
And here’s the letter, with identifying details replaced.
Dear Hiring Manager,
I am excited to apply for your posted Data Analyst position. While my recent experience is in a different heavily regulated industry, my background includes extensive data analysis and reporting to all levels of management, as well as a variety of internal and external stakeholders. I love to dive in and really understand not just the data – but the story that the data tells and how it fits into the broader picture.
One of my favorite elements of my previous jobs has been pulling together just the right data elements to create a snapshot that’s easy for the intended audience to understand. I’ve developed everything from high level monthly dashboards of department performance to an in-depth look at a particular focus area. While many times data and reporting needs are clear, I have also met with stakeholders to help define the process and clarify the data needed to answer the questions that will support goal achievement.
I also love the opportunity to flex my analytic muscles and create the opportunity to play “what if?” with the data. In my current role, that manifests as development of a $35M/year budget for a three year plan for stewpot production activities. I review previous expenditures and contract details to build a flexible model that ties spending (and stewpot production) to various levels of forecasted performance. As planned activities are rolled out, I track performance and dig into variances – not just the “what,” but also the “why”.
In my previous role, I dug deep into a health plan’s claims data set to look for patterns of claim activity for targeted provider and facility audits. To facilitate that review, I worked closely with the clinical external audit staff to discuss what they were seeing in the field, and eventually became a certified professional coder.
While the current pandemic has required many difficult adjustments, it has also dramatically accelerated changes to how healthcare operates. Data needs to drive these changes to connect them to current business models. This will require new data, and changes to how existing data is thought about and used. I’m excited to be a part of that.
I look forward to speaking with you to learn more about your organization, and the career opportunities it offers me, as well as how my skills can help Stewpot Enterprises succeed. Thank you for your consideration.
Thank you,
(name, contact info)