Cover letter advice

9 Comments

1. AnonymousJuly 27,2022 at 9:32PM UTC

   Please clarify, is the only issue is avoiding working in another position from your current company too far from home? I am under the impression each posting shows the specified locale. So, wouldn't it be sensible to limit where you apply to for the locations that you feel comfortable commuting to if in office is required? And if you do, you would not even need to state want to work closer from home. Not sure if I missed something in your explanation.

2. AnonymousJuly 27,2022 at 11:19PM UTC

   Thanks for questions. The commute is the major problem. I am wondering if I should only look for leadership positions or should I continue on my admin path and just focus on looking for a job closer to home. Is it possible to do both? I would say it is more important to be to lose my commute. This made me really think about it and to be honest with the reasoning is a higher position should pay more. Although that was not my experience previously. As the sole bill payer I probably spend more time thinking about this than necessary.

3. Joan Williams, Senior Talent Acquisition SpecialistJuly 28,2022 at 12:52AM UTC

   Did your work location move since you accepted the position? Didn't you know how long the commute was before you accepted the offer?

4. AnonymousJuly 28,2022 at 3:37PM UTC

   Yes and no. I did all my recruitment online. I knew physically where the building was, but my frustrations of job searching /trying to leave a bad work environment and still make enough money to pay all the bills made me believe I could take this job, work my way up and be happy. I was wrong. I decided near the beginning that in a year (which is coming up) I would start looking for a new job. Now that the time is coming up I have updated my resume and am wondering about cover letters. I am not rushing my next job search, more like doing some personal inventory and deciding what my next best move would be. That is why I started to ponder about cover letters. How important are they, what they should say and such.

5. AnonymousJuly 28,2022 at 11:39AM UTC

   Appreciate the clarification. You should factor the place where you live, is it an environment where seldom opportunities exist bc it is in a small town as an ex? Are you willing to relocate to avoid the long commute? I’m not getting the sense you are willing to. At the end of the day it’s about where do you see yourself long term and what do you think will make you the happiest? If you stay in an admin role just to be close to home, a few yrs from now will you grow bitter or be disappointed that you limited yourself? Another option you can try is applying for leadership roles at usajobs.gov or a step below leadership and bid your way to the next leadership pay grade. I suggest try a govt job bc at most agencies, as long as your job is not operational, they are allowing ees to telework 4 days per week and only need to be in the office 1x per week. Even mgr are allowed to do this. Now some directors of course may have to be in the office more often, but at most 3x per week. That is another avenue to consider. Just make sure you follow instructions to prepare your resume and make sure both resume and cover letter addresses all the critical key words in the announcement and link it to your background and experience. I understand your frustration, and hope you can find what works best for you, good luck!

6. AnonymousJuly 28,2022 at 3:31PM UTC

   Thank you for the advice.

7. Joan Williams, Senior Talent Acquisition SpecialistJuly 27,2022 at 10:41PM UTC

   "you're close to my home" is not what companies want to hear when they ask "why do you want to work here".

   You have two separate issues here - your commute and your desire for a higher level position.

8. AnonymousJuly 27,2022 at 11:22PM UTC

   Exactly what I was thinking. So I am wondering what the best way to word that so it is not my only reason for applying to the job. But I think I was spending too much time pondering over it when really I can say I am seeking new challenges or something along those lines.

   And yes I have only received higher level jobs through promotions. I was wondering what people put on their cover letters when applying to these jobs without knowing anyone at the company. There may be no magic phrase. But any guidance is appreciated.

9. Joan Williams, Senior Talent Acquisition SpecialistJuly 28,2022 at 12:50AM UTC

   The location should not be any reason - number one or otherwise - to apply for a job from the employer's side. YOU'RE controlling that aspect of your job search. If the location doesn't work for you, don't apply for the position.

   You may not want to hear this, but I typically never read cover letters. My hiring managers don't read cover letters. There's also no guarantee they're going to make it through the process with the resume so I recommend that if there's important info in the CL, make sure it's also reflected in your resume.

   YOU SAID:

   " I was wondering what people put on their cover letters when applying to these jobs without knowing anyone at the company."

   I don't know why/how knowing or not knowing someone at the company would change how you're describing your experience/background/how you're a fit for the position - which is the information you're putting in your cover letter, yes?

   Considering the transition you're looking to make, you're one of the people who might benefit from a cover letter.