The Cover Letter Everyone Writes (And Why It Doesn't Help)

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

• This week’s hot & vetted remote roles

• Why your cover letter sounds like everyone else's

• What hiring managers actually want to see

• How to write one that matters

Hi Freedom Seeker,

Most cover letters start the exact same way. You know the one.

"I'm writing to express my strong interest in the [Job Title] position at [Company Name]."

And then they go into... a summary of your resume. Basically. Restated. In paragraph form.

"I have five years of experience in customer success. I'm skilled in communication, problem-solving, and team collaboration. I'm excited about the opportunity to bring my expertise to your organization."

Cool story. Nobody cares.

Hiring managers get like 50 of these a week. They all sound the same. So they don't even read them anymore. They just check "okay, they bothered to write something" and move on.

🚀 Weekly Vetted Remote Job Picks

WHY MOST COVER LETTERS ARE INVISIBLE

They're generic. You could paste the exact same letter to 10 different companies and just swap out the company name and job title. Nothing shows you actually looked at their specific job.

They repeat your resume. Why would I want to read the same information twice? Just formatted differently?

They use corporate speak. "I'm passionate about delivering excellence and driving results." Like... okay? So is everyone else. What does that actually mean?

They apologize for things. "Although I don't have exact experience with [tool], I'm a quick learner." Now all they heard was "I can't do this thing you need."

Here's the thing: Most hiring managers don't even expect a cover letter anymore. They'd rather you just apply and let your resume speak. But if you're gonna write one? Make it matter.

WHAT ACTUALLY WORKS

Show you read the job posting. Not just the title. Like, show you understand what they actually need.

"I saw you're scaling your customer success team. At my last company, I built the onboarding process from scratch when we went from 50 to 200 customers. I know what that looks like."

See the difference? That's not about me. That's about them. And showing I've done the specific thing they're facing.

Tell a real story instead of reciting your resume. Here's what I mean: Don't say "I improved retention." Say "We had a client about to leave because onboarding was chaotic. I rebuilt the process, added check-ins, and they renewed for two more years."

Concrete. Real. Shows what you actually did.

Be honest about why you want the job. Not "I'm excited about your company's mission." I mean... why? What actually drew you? Was it the remote setup? The product? The team structure? Be real about it.

Keep it short. Like... genuinely short. Two paragraphs. Three max. They're not reading a novel. They want to know you actually looked at the job and that you can do it. That's it.

WHEN TO SKIP IT ENTIRELY

Honestly? If the application says "cover letter optional"... don't write one. Seriously.

You'll send a decent application with a solid resume and no cover letter, and you'll have better results than a recycled cover letter with generic language.

The only time a cover letter matters is when it's required and when you actually write something worth reading. Otherwise you're wasting time.

THE HARD TRUTH

Hiring managers don't want another summary of your resume. They don't want marketing speak. They don't want to feel like they're the hundredth company getting the same letter.

They want to know: Did you actually look at this job? Can you do it? Why do you want it?

Answer those three things in like 150 words and you've already done better than 90% of cover letters out there.

Most people either skip cover letters entirely or write something so generic it hurts. You can be the one who actually puts thought into it. Which means you stand out immediately.

NEED HELP WRITING COVER LETTERS THAT ACTUALLY WORK?

The 1:1 Job Search Partnership includes cover letter coaching and templates that actually land.

We help you write ones that show you read the job, show you understand what they need, and show you're genuinely interested. Not generic. Not repetitive. Actually compelling.

Here's what we do:
✅ Build a cover letter framework that works
✅ Learn what to highlight and what to cut
✅ Make them specific to each job without taking hours
✅ Know when to write one vs. when to skip it

Reply with "COVER LETTER" and let's write ones that actually matter.

Until next week,
Sami

P.S. If your cover letter could apply to literally any company... it's too generic. If you can't explain in one sentence why you specifically want this job... you're not ready to apply yet.

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