Back to School 14 Day Get Hired Challenge – Day 5

Our Back to School 14 Day Get Hired Challenge will get you in career shape this January. Your next challenge is…

Day 5: Put Together 3 Cover Letter Stories

Let’s be real here: no one wants to write a cover letter. In fact, our company set out to make the application process easier for students, replacing the dreaded cover letter with a couple of questions, so that students could apply and move on with their lives. Unfortunately, demand is high for cover letters, so every now and then, employers will ask for one on WayUp.

One of the most important parts of your cover letter is your story: usually at the start of your letter, it’s a way to catch an employer’s attention with an interesting narrative about you and then convince them that you’re perfect for the job in one paragraph. Nbd!

The good news is that you can save time agonizing over these first 3-4 sentences by think about your past work experience, your classes, or your extracurriculars. Have you ever been in a situation where people were relying on you to make a decision? Did you discover an innovative way of handling a crisis? Take a look at some of the job listings you typically apply for and see if there’s a common theme in what they’re asking: for example, customer service positions probably require someone who’s a problem-solver and attentive to the needs of others. Sales positions probably want someone outgoing and influential (can you get people you don’t know signed up for any product?). Think about the top 3 roles you’re interested in and write a story that caters to the skill sets of each. This way, you’ll be able to swap out different starting paragraphs for the different roles you’re applying for instead of sitting down to write a completely new cover letter each time. Keep in mind that you will still have to tweak each cover letter to each job, but this will save you a ton of time.

Ready, set, write!

P.S. We put together a cover letter guide to help you out. Download the WayUp Cover Letter Guide.

P.P.S. If you’ve decided cover letters just aren’t your thing, here are a few of the many jobs on WayUp that don’t require a cover letter.

Kema Christian-Taylor

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