First, Be Flawless
As you might imagine, we get a lot of resumes here at SHIFT. Lots of really cool people want to work here; we work hard but it’s usually pretty fun.
Y’know what’s been interesting? With the rise of Social Media, I’ve noticed subtle changes to the tone and quality of the cover letters that come over the transom.
We still get plenty of highly formal letters on heavy stock paper. But we also get informal cover letters that seek to echo the tenor and tone of a casual blog post.
Here’s my message to those folksy writers: that’s probably not gonna work out so well.
First of all, those clever notes seem to contain more than their fair share of typos. If I see a typo on a resume or cover letter, I immediately discard it. I don’t care about your qualifications if you send me a letter with typos in it. This is your introductory communication to the company you really want to work for — and you can’t take an extra 5 minutes to perform a thorough proof? Sorry, you’re not workin’ here.
Secondly, just because my “tone” on the blog is relatively casual, and just because I wear jeans to work, doesn’t mean that I don’t take the quality of SHIFT’s work deadly seriously. If we have a good reputation, it’s because we are professionals first, fun-loving geeks second. Impress us with your highest quality, “formal” writing so we know we can put you in front of a client. Save the casual stuff for your own blog and internal emails (after you’re hired).
I am sure I come across as a stuffed shirt. I hope I haven’t put off any future rockstar employees. But the whizkids onboard at the Agency today are people who have devoted themselves to the rigors of professional service. As they master the tough stuff, they are empowered to loosen up because they know when to loosen up.
First, be flawless.
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Hi Todd-
As a recent graduate making my way through the job market, you bring sound advice for my class and generation. I’d also like to add that a candidate’s social media outlets used in the hiring process (e.g. LinkedIn) should be “flawless” as well. It’s about exhibiting personality in a professional manner.
Excellent advice. Reminds me of journalism class – spell someone’s name wrong and an otherwise perfect submission gets an “F.”
-”First of all, those clever notes seem to contain more than their fair share of typos.” – One of my greatest pet peeves. If someone is not going to take care enough to spell/grammar check a cover letter/resume or have someone else proofread it, obviously their level of care is not good enough to be associated with a professional business.
-”Secondly, just because my “tone” on the blog is relatively casual, and just because I wear jeans to work, doesn’t mean that I don’t take the quality of SHIFT’s work deadly seriously.” – There is a difference between approachable and casual. When writing for personal reasons, casual is acceptable, even encouraged. However, when someone is looking for a professional opportunity, said person should take every chance to come across as professional.
Definitely agree on this. I also feel the same way about professional blogs. If you’re putting your brand out there, you want to represent yourself and the company or organization you work for the best you can. This includes spelling/grammar/word choice/formatting – anything you would think about when releasing information to the public on your professional website (especially if your blog and website are in any way linked – say, via your Twitter account, even). Take the time and care to get your point across in a professional manner.
I think maybe people are starting to confuse professional and formal (read: stuffy). They are two completely different things. Coming across as a caring, understanding, intelligent, hard-working, and interested individual (or company) is not the same as sounding ‘corporate’, but there is a standard that should be maintained when communicating as part of a business, before OR after hire.
It’s surprising to see people take risks with the writing on their cover letter while applying for a public relations position. Social media is definitely on a rise. But I think individuals trying to enter this industry should know when and how to use ‘folksy’ type of writing.
As a current Humber Public Relations student I’m learning the value and importance of resumes and cover letters being error-free. This blog entry reinforces what my professors teach in every class.
I am currently on a job hunt right now and have written my fair share of cover letters recently. So, this post really hits home with me.
Personally, I have been writing ‘formal’ letters and proofin at least 5-6 times. But there was a cover letter that I noticed had a small error after I already submitted it … I couldn’t believe it slipped through the cracks.
So, I have been extra causious since!
Anyway, thanks for reminding us young, aspiring PR pros that we must stay on top of our game — especially in this current economic climate.
-JGrass
I’m curious: do you think the effectiveness of the ‘rockstar’ cover letter has been diminished by the rise of the social web? Was there a point in time when you would have been at least mildly intrigued by one?
I’m convinced that HR is a load of garbage. This post just reiterates what I’ve been thinking all along. Hoop+Jump=Job? Seems incredibly old-school, especially for a company like SHIFT.
A conversational letter that demonstrates presence, commitment and passion is worth five times that of a stale, template form letter. Should the grammar, spelling and appropriate content be up to code? Absolutely. But don’t discount people who don’t want to write something that makes them sound like mindless drones.
Stuart, you must have missed my follow-up tweet, in which I said we VALUE a personable, creative approach, but it must still be PROFESSIONAL and ERROR FREE.
There is a middle ground between “Dear Sir or Madam” and, “Heya.”
Great post, and very good comments so far. Professional and error free, that’s the ticket. As PR professionals or aspiring PR types, one of the cardinal rules is to “know your audience.” Whether it’s pitching the correct media to reach the target audience, preparing a presentation for a potential client or writing the cover letter for that great PR job, there needs to be a sense of time, place and appropriateness when tailoring our message.
Great post. I think that professional and stuffy are two different things. I think that it is important to convey individuality in a cover letter, but that can definitely be done within professional constraints.
Great post!!
I agree you need to demonstrate your value and how you can bring your skills to a company. You do so by proofreading everything and making a great impression. Too many people are looking for work these days.