How to Pitch Yourself (The Fangirl Approach) | A Cover Letter Template

jikajika·Aug 03, 2020

Hey ladies!This is gonna be a hefty post - fair warning.A while back, I must've talked about my approach to writing a cover letter that stands out and gets me interviews, because enough of you have reached out to me so that I'm writing this post.The way I see it - whenever an employer puts out a job ad, they get a tsunami of resumes from people who would take any job if it fell from the sky (and possibly had some good benefits to come along with it as well). These people aren't REALLY interested in the company. They wanna make that buck and be done with it.Hell, most don't even know EXACTLY what the company does (as employers have told me in interviews).And this type of mindset, we'll use to our advantage. 😏I've done the "this position seems like it would be a good fit" rhetoric before with luke warm responses, if any.As soon as I switched it up to the "Fan Girl Approach" - I started to get replies, with laughter."LOLs!" I say!So check out this template I put together, of my cover letter.Obviously, it changes up a little bit for each company - but it's bold, it's funny, and it'll jolt the HR reading over these resumes out of her coma.------------------------------Hi [Hiring Managers First Name], My name is [Your name].I came across this job position on [job board where you saw it]. I found it pretty interesting, so I went down the rabbit hole to find more about who you are and what you do - and Hug a Snuffleupaugus! - you did not disappoint![The marketing strategy you formulated for your XX case study was amazing! I especially like the...][Some of Reddit's communities are notorious for being "difficult" (to say the least) - so the fact that you used that platform to help your client XX is impressive][And...pick something else they did that you think was cool]Honestly, well done. So, I looked over the bells & whistles you want in a candidate, and said to myself, "This position may be my soulmate". Let’s do a quick rundown:[Thing #1 they're looking for in a candidate (e.g., Producing graphic videos/ads)](Enter the sound effect of me cracking my knuckles & neck) --> actually write this.Angela Bassett be her name - this is my sweet spot!I’m wildly, crazy, passionate about [XX]So much so that I [provide a short example where you've done the above/link to a case study/etc][Thing #2 they're looking for in a candidate (e.g., Ability to work remote)][Same as above][Thing #2 they're looking for in a candidate (e.g., Ability to report on analytics)][Same as above]Alright.That’s enough peacocking.As you can tell, I’m wild, crazy, passionate about [XXX].So, when you look over my resume (and raise an eyebrow of intrigue) I’d love to chat with you more about how my skills can help you elevate [XXX].I mean, that’s what I’m here for. Whether we chat via Zoom, Google Hangouts, carrier pigeons, or smoke signals - I'm available all next week after 1pm.Shoot over some times that work for you - and we’ll coordinate from there.I'm looking forward to our talk.Cheers,[Your name]------------------------------Yeah...We bold!A little research into the company (that will take, at most, an hour) on - who the HR is, who the hiring manager is, what they do, what you like about their company, and more - can go a LONG way in terms of AT LEAST getting you over the first hurdle of the hiring process - and that's getting picked out of the stack.Adding humor, some gifs, and deciding to "kick rocks" on the normal rhetoric - you're tilting the approach and more importantly - sounding like a fucking human on paper.HRs, Hiring Managers, and people in general - appreciate that.And if you're wondering if this cover letter got me hired.Nope.I'm still on the job hunt. Though, ever since I switched up my cover letter to THIS, I've had more interviews this year - during CoVid! - than I've ever had. Over 12 interviews in 6 months (!!!)I've made it to the final round, A LOT, but I haven't crossed the finish line yet.I'll get there eventually.At least I know the "secret knock" to get through the door.So if you want to try this cover letter out, go for it. You can straight copy & paste for all I care.If not, its all good. I hope this helps you out.Thanks for reading this far, if you have any questions leave them down below.

teresaman·Aug 04, 2020

Amazing 👏 Thanks so much for sharing your template in detail and ALSO, congratulations on having a record-number of interviews the past couple months! Cheering you on to get to the finish line :)I also really loved the tone of your cover letter, there's a lot of personality and definitely shows enthusiasm and authenticity — all of which, for me, is such a valuable differentiator and breath of fresh air in the midst of work experiences being stacked against candidates. Definitely very memorable!

jikajika·Aug 04, 2020

I'm glad you enjoyed this!And yes, those are the words I hear hiring managers and HRs tell me often - "it has a lot of personality & enthusiasm". 😅You know, I used to think that cover letters were useless.Now I see that they're my secret weapon of getting my personality, some of my experience, and my knowledge of the company - across to everyone BEFORE they look at my resume.I want THEM to be excited about meeting me, as I am them.The resume almost feels like a formality.I'm trying to win them over on page 1.

teresaman·Aug 04, 2020

"I'm trying to win them over on page 1." 👏love your energy!

meaghansandtorv·Aug 04, 2020

This is fantastic, and something I'd been trying to work on before I got my last job, but this really dives in and nails it. Bookmarking this for the next time I'm thinking about applying!

jikajika·Aug 04, 2020

Excelsior! Glad it could be of some assistance to you in the future. 😄🙌🏾

NatalieTesta·Aug 04, 2020

I love this! It makes me reevaluate my current cover letter template which is more about me than the company. This makes a lot of sense and I appreciate you sharing! Good luck with your continued job hunt, with the amount of work you've put in already, you're probably moments away from landing something perfect!

jikajika·Aug 04, 2020

I'm glad you like it & can see the strategy within it. Just like running a company - it's all about them, not you.And yeah, fingers crossed that a dope a$$ company comes along and we're soulmates.😚

rachelbell·Aug 05, 2020

amazing!!!!

ulumills·Aug 07, 2020

This is excellent for two reasons:Not only is it a great, attention getting cover letter, but it sets a good metric for the kinds of jobs you should be applying for. If you can't fangirl about a position, is it really worth the effort of applying?Thanks so much for sharing!

jikajika·Aug 07, 2020

"If you can't fangirl about a position, is it really worth the effort of applying"?PERFECT sentiment. PERFECT!And thank you 😁