Cover Letters: Is Honesty the Best Policy?

Major job posting sites let employers expand their pool of applicants more than ever before.

Recruiters are using keywords and skills on resumes to match the job descriptions, and the use of computer systems makes tailoring your resume the only way to get it to the top of the stack.

But, your cover letter is what gives you the chance to truly establish why you are a good fit for the company and hopefully land an interview.

A cover letter, originally sent to a boutique investment bank by an undergraduate student on January 14, has gone viral after being leaked to Business Insider.

Rather than a typical cover letter which details substantial – and sometimes embellished – accomplishments, this letter states why the individual would be an asset to the company.

The blatantly honest approach is being applauded by Wall Street.

Joanna Riley Weidenmiller, CEO of The One-Page Company, a tool that helps job seekers make a proposal and be a solution for employers, says it’s the right idea.

“For the most part, job descriptions are loosely strewn together last minute and scattered with keywords and phrases to be picked up by an Applicant Tracking System (ATS), none of which really qualifies a candidate’s value to the company,” Weidenmiller says.

“Why would you want to mold yourself to fit an unreliable job description?”

To capture the attention of recruiters, Weidenmiller advises delving into what you have learned from personal or professional experiences and how that translates to the position.

“Write this out in one page and you may find yourself landing the job you didn’t think you’d get,” Weidenmiller says.

Bonus PINK Link: The hardest part a about searching for a new job could be balancing time with your current position.

Is your cover letter an expansion of your resume or a story about your personal experiences?

By Meghan Miranda

Meghan is freelance writer based in Atlanta. She also works full-time in corporate sales. Follow her on twitter @meghan_says.

“Always be a first rate version of yourself and not a second rate version of someone else.” Judy Garland