How to write a cover letter

Happy Friday, friends! So what commercials are we excited to see on Sunday? For the record, no commercial has ever or will ever beat the gladiator-themed Pepsi commercial starring Beyoncé, Britney Spears, and Pink in 2004 (a commercial which I regret to inform you is now old enough to vote). But I wish this weekend’s contenders the best of luck anyway.

Weekend vibes: Reminiscing on last year’s iconic Super Bowl performance, here’s a song to get the weekend started from the legend herself—MJB.

—Rod

How To Write A Cover Letter When You Literally Can’t Even

 question 
You mentioned in one of your first newsletters that the cover letter is dead. While I agree, most jobs I apply to require them. What’s your recommendation for writing one if this seems to be the only way to be considered in my industry?—E.

 answer 
I feel the same way about cover letters as I do about most Friday meetings—useless (and FWIW, about 58% of professionals agree). But try as I might, I don’t hold the reins for all of corporate America (yet). So here are some tips for writing a cover letter when the job description won’t take no for an answer:

Get to the point. Your cover letter should be a brief synopsis of why you’re a good fit for the job, not a first draft of your memoir. And when done right, your cover letter can bring out the best of your relevant work experience and skills—like flaky sea salt on a chocolate chip cookie, if you will.

Avoid rehashing your entire résumé and instead focus on real world strengths that qualify you for the role (yes I’m telling you to skip the part about how your Brownie troop taught you leadership skills in the 4th grade).

Show a little personality. The human approach goes a long way, especially for companies keeping culture front of mind in hiring.

Include a short bit (1-2 sentences) about something you do outside of work that enhances your skills and tells a little bit more about you—maybe you have an Etsy store or you’re an SAT tutor or you’re a TikToker who was recently gifted a signed poster from Shania Twain. Dazzle the hiring department with your charm!

Proofread. I once sent a cover letter without proofreading and the next day noticed that I wrote “pubic relations” instead of “public relations.” 💀 Please learn from my mistake.

To Hug or Not To Hug?

 question 
When is it socially acceptable to hug a colleague? In the case of people who work remotely and are in the office sparingly, should you hug if you’re meeting for the first time IRL?—R.

 answer 
Coming from someone who loves a good hug myself, the short answer is no, unless your coworker has given enthusiastic consent.

Saying something like “I feel like we’ve known each other for so long. I’m a hugger, can I give you a hug?” is a good way to find out if a coworker you’ve bonded with on Zoom is DTH (down to hug)…or if you’re about to make something super awkward.

And if you’re not the hugging type, do not, I repeat, do not feel like you have to hug anyone. There are some coworkers I hug and others I give the awkward nod and wave, and that’s okay!

Got a Q for me to A? Submit yours here.

Things to Slack your work besties

…while you drink every time your CEO says “culture” in the virtual all-hands.

Welp, I’ve learned that I’ve been reacting to compliments completely wrong my entire life and people don’t in fact want to hear about my dreams. Cool cool cool. Hit reply and let me know what you think about these life rules.

For the sake of my mental health, I’m taking it back to simpler times and channeling 2007 vibes this week. I’m talking cargo shorts and popped-collar polos and Axe body spray and listening exclusively to Hellogoodbye type of energy. If you, too, are down for ’07 nostalgia, here’s a playlist I made for you.

Re: my thoughts on Super Bowl commercials above. Beyoncé, Britney, and Pink are in a league of their own…which means only this commercial and this commercial could compete with Pepsi’s gladiators bit.

Thanks for reading! Wishing you a weekend filled with so much fun and so much buffalo chicken dip, see ya Monday!

IDK WHAT DO I KNOW?! LMAO!

—Rod