Cover Letters

Don't just reiterate your experience or qualifications. They got that information from your résumé. Your cover letter is an opportunity to express yourself, to show them what kind of person you are.

I do think a good cover letter will stand out, at least to people who appreciate good writing. If I were hiring, and an exceptionally-written cover letter landed on my desk, I believe I'd notice. Unfortunately, the number of people who appreciate good writing is small, so whether it's worth taking the time to write an exceptional cover letter probably depends on the job. If you're applying to manage a restaurant, what are the chances that whoever's hiring you cares how well you write?

So anyway, not trying to outsource this one too much to a chatot and by too much, I mean, not at all. I've done that with others and it's been fine, although I actually don't know that I've ever submitted a cover letter that I outsourced to a chat bot. Maybe I have, but I don't remember doing it in recent memory. 
And I'm, of course, applying to a lot more jobs lately than I have been. Anyway. why do I want this job? I guess is that the point of a cover letter? 
Is that the point to uh to ask yourself why you want a job or to tell them why you want a job? I suppose it is, because it's not supposed to be just a reiteration of your resume, obviously, because they have your resume. It is uh supposed to be your explanation of why you want to work at the place in the first place. 
I think is the point of a resume. Oh, but I don't know. It could be Sorry, I'm getting distracted by people. 
I need to learn to be less self conscious. Who cares? Um, if see people see me talking into my phone. 
You know, why does it matter? I don't know. I can't wait too much about things like that, uh which is to say I care at all. 
You know, any amount is too much gives a shit. There's one thing I've learned is that I think my instincts uh often are pretty good. And I guess what I mean by that is good as a measure relative to other people. 
And so I think, uh, you know, it wouldn't occur to most people to, for instance, record themselves in order to write a cover letter or anything. It does occur to me. And I think my writer is bing, writing is better for it, even though it's something I've only started doing relatively recently, and it's something that has not been as obvious as it should have been until recently. 
But so yeah, I I've only started, oh, well, and there's something we said for reducing friction because a big reason I haven't committed to the um first draft as audio method before is because um transcription is such a pain in the ass and there aren't any good free tools to do it. Or so I thought. But it turns out recording a voice memos on your iPhone, uh it transcribes it for you automatically. 
Although not if you change your language settings to Spanish for some reason, which I figured out today, and I have done that because I am currently trying to learn Spanish for a few minutes today. Anyway, sort of welcoming the excuse to not have to wonder what my phone display says anymore, but oh well. um it was a fun fun experiment while it lasted, very short-lived. In any case, I don't remember how I got on this topic. 
But the point here is to write a cover letter, so let's do that. Let's write a cover letter.. I don't know. 
I'm just trying to I'm going for a walk to get the thoughts following. Why do I want to work for talking feds? I mean, it does sound legitimately interesting. 
I'm more interested in current events these days than I certainly that I used to I go through spells and maybe this is just another one of trying to be pretty diligent about reading the news and paying attention to what's going on. I am, though, I seem to be taking more of an interest in uh politics as a field these days and the the signs the evidence for that is I'm listening to more political podcasts and uh reading a lot more news. Yeah. 
Those are the two big ones, I guess. But uh to be fair, that it takes up a substantial part of my day, frankly. uh a lot of times too much, spend too much time reading the news. And the problem with that is you're trying to kind of absorb all of it and you're not actually reading a lot of it very closely. 
And so that is kind of an issue because you could be spending that time gleaning or gaining real knowledge by reading a book or at least a good article. But instead, you're essentially skimming headlines and articles, which I kind of don't feel like is the best use of my time. I do like consuming news in audio format, though. um so maybe I should just double down on news is audio only unless I have a particularly good written source that I like, which I really don't. 
Un unless you count the forward, which stands out or just forward. I don't think there's the anyway, which stands out, uh not so much because of the writing, although it is good. but more because they cover things that most American newspapers aren't covering because they're Jewishoriented newspapers. So it's nice to it's nice to have that. 
Anyway, hang on, I'm gonna start a new recording because I'm gonna take my final off. Okay, that wasn't necessary because this does in fact have a pod button, which I forgot about. So I'm not starting into recording. 
Anyway. So, I don't know. um H What? So, I've taken more of an interesting podcasts or in, uh politics, excuse me, recently. 
Although, actually, I have, I think, taken morevenagers in podcasting as a medium. I've always listened to them. I've been listening to podcasts for many years. 
But I never, I mean, writing is still my preferred medium, so it would be wrong to say, but I am my interest in them is kind of growing just because they're so accessible and there is something to be said for listening to people have a conversation as opposed to reading um something that was written by one person. I love both, of course. um But it's it's different. You know, I'm not going to sit down or read or, you know, unless I have no other way to access it. 
I'm not going to sit down and read an interview with somebody or a panel discussion. Because why would you do that? Unless you had no other option. 
So as far as uh as far as a medium, and it's unique abilities, I have come to really appreciate it and find it kind of interesting as well and appreciate it because it lets you absorb information while you are doing other things, whether that's driving or going for a walk or doing the dishes, you can be learning while you do that. Which is incredibly valuable, I think. Now, how much of that is how much of that do you retain? 
I worry that it's not that much unless you're going deep on a particular subject. And so you hear a lot of the same information in various iterations over and over again. You're not necessarily going to retain a ton. 
I don't think. uh it just depends on because, you know, remembering things is basically a matter of repetition of how often you encounter the information. So you know, if you're listening across a huge variety of subjects, you're probably not going to retain very much. And the same can be set of reading. 
So in that sense, maybe it's not so but I just, I guess my um not qualm, but uh the reason I in general do prefer to read is that I can take notes while I'm reading. Whereas if it's harder to do that, if I'm listening to something, especially if I'm driving. Or, you know, even if you're doing the dishes, your hands are wet, uh You can't, you know, I mean, you can't take a note. 
It's just kind of a pain in the ass. dry your hand hands off and type something in or record something real quick or whatever it is. And then, uh beyond that, you have no way to directly tie the note to the source the podcast you're listening to. I don't know. 
I think there are apps, maybe, that do stuff like that. I'm not sure how that would work. I suppose it generates a transcription and then you can take notes on the transcription, I assume. and maybe readwise or something like that. 
Maybe that's worth looking for. I'm not really sure. But um in general, that's why I prefer to read. 
And also I just appreciate good writing, uh more than probably any other um any at least a method of conveying um information as opposed to entertainment. I definitely don't appreciate audio, for instance, as much as uh, I appreciate a good movie, let's say, or TV show. That said, I probably do appreciate audio more than prose fiction, which I rarely read these days. 
But um, which kind of bothers me for some reason. I just wish I could. I just associate associate um reading fiction as well. and fiction and not fiction with uh intelligent people, and I would like to be an intelligent person. 
I would like to think I am an intelligent person. And yet I don't read prosefiction, and when I do, it's certainly not anything sophisticated. It's going to be something pulpy, more more likely, than not. 
But, you know, that's fine. You know, people like what they like and I read nonfiction, and that's pretty much what I enjoy. And I'm sure there's many smart people who do the same thing. 
I just don't uh you know, as is part for the course for me, when I see something or when I notice something about myself that seems negative, in this case, I don't appreciate novels very much. I tend not to like that and I want to change it, so I'll probably keep trying once in a while to read novels, but so far it doesn't get anywhere. Last one I started was Red Dragon, which I don't I didn't get very far, even in the writing is very good, but I just wasn't interesting. 
But now I'm reading Rise and Kill first, book about the massad, and uh finding that quite um quite riveting riveting. So, you know, whatever. I wouldn't uh I wouldn't waste time questioning your interests constantly because if you aren't pursuing the things you're most interested in, what are you doing? 
Why put those aside to chase something you're not as interested in just because you think you should be for some probably nonsense reason? You know, Mike, what's the what are you doing if you're not like that's why you have a curiosity compass. It points you. or just follow it. 
Like what's you know, what's the point in deliberately veering off of that course? It's almost like a lot of times my curiosity compass, or whatever compass, you know, whether it's something I want to do, not necessarily a curiosity thing, something I want to know, but just something I want to do. And then a lot of times I'll just seem to go the other way, and I don't understand why I do that, but it seems very stupid. 
I said I'm trying to be more loyal to my interest. In any case, why do I want this job? That's why we started this whole thing. 
Why do I want this job? I think I'll probably turn around. So, I need to figure out why I, um why I'm applying here. 
I mean, the best way to write a cover letter, presumably, is, oh, wow, I did not notice that guy down there. Buns right in. The best way to write a cover letter, presumably, is just to honestly state why you want the job. 
And if you can't honestly state why you want the job, it probably means you don't want the job. So, in a sense, that should take care of itself. Now, the question is, do I want this job? 
I think the answer is legitimately, yes. I don't necessarily come across. I don't necessarily apply to jobs all the time. 
I even most of the time, maybe. and genuinely want them. I do think, though, that I had that experience fairly recently with the Communityational. I don'treach job. 
I don't know I have no way of knowing, really, beforehand, whether I'm going to enjoy that job or not, but it does sound legitimately interesting, and I am legitimately interested in getting hired there. So that was kind of cool. And I think my chances are good unless I really, unless things really don't go well in this second round interview. 
But anyway, so all that's to say, this is another job that I think I'm legitimately interested in getting. I just need to be able to convey that. And I'm not sure how to do it. 
Why do I want to work on as a producer or why do I want to work in general on a current events podcast? Well, I think the I think good information is crucial. All these things sound like platitudes when I say them. 
It's not that they aren't true. It just feels like the kind of thing that's been repeated to death. Good information is good. duh. 
Um, I don't know. I'm really struggling here, actually. with why I want to work here, why do I think would be a good fit? And you know, this this kind of operation, I you know, they're not just looking it's a small team. 
They're not just looking for a grunt. They're looking for someone who really cares um about the work. And I do care about the work. um or I would if I was doing it is what I mean. um I don't care about the work because I care about the mission. and the mission is um give people good, reliable information from experts in a world where we are bombarded with bombarded with misinformation, disinformation. 
I think there's a real lack of trust. I'm well, I don't know. Do I think that, or am I just repeating something that I've heard? 
I'm actually not entirely sure. I mean, that definitely exists. Like I'm thinking of conversations I've had with certain people. 
Camille comes to mind and how they said something about not trusting research or data or something like that. and, uh, you know, that person was clearly not very well educated. But they're not alone. I mean, there's plenty of people and even college educated people who, I imagine think that way. um just because I'm sure she picked up on that idea from her peers or they, sorry, picked up on that idea from their peers, you know, um and where else do you get where else do you get that? 
And so it came from somewhere, and so I'm, you know, it's uh some kind of popular notion, the distrust of information. So that definitely does exist. I um I don't know how I could spin this to be where I would be particularly valuable. 
I don't know how old their team are. The guy seems like he's a bit on the, I don't know, middle aged or something. That's the impression I get anyway, just because you appears to be some kind of veteran. 
So I don't really know, but Yeah. So I don't really know. If there's any way that I can is there anything about myself that I can emphasize as far as, you know, am I do I belong to a demographic they're trying to reach? 
My answer to that is probably, um just because I'm on the younger end of the millennial spectrum. I'm on the border between Gen Y and Z. I'm guessing their listener basically is older. Obviously, I don't know that, but just and this impressions wouldn't surprise me at all. 
The word fed, you know, in talking feds, that's going to turn young people off, I guarantee you. But I don't know what extent to what extent young people are even interested in listening to podcasts about politics. I have no idea. 
I think they're interested in listening to queer non-binary people shit on Malolm Gladwell. I think I think they're into that genre. But uh yeah, I don't know how how interested they are in in uh politics. 
Which is fine, obviously. I think, uh, you know, I I haven't been historically, very interested in politics, especially not as a young person, you know. Which part of me thinks is fine. 
I know that you're supposed to galvanize young people. think about young peoples they're fucking stupid. And uh, you know, when when they do become galvanized about something, it's takes the form of prohamas demonstrations. So that bothers me about young people, so they can stay out of it as far as I'm concerned. 
Obviously. a little bit bitter. Well, because they don't want to think for themselves. I think that's the issue is they hic up whatever issue is trending and uh, you know, adopt it and have no idea what they're advocating for. 
They're just doing it because everyone else is doing it. and it's ridiculous, and they don't actually have anything on the line, and it's completely absurd, and they're just doing it because essentially they're bored. I don't think, um you're either either you believe that your future is legitimately at stake or you're bored. Those are the two reasons you participate in protests. obviously it's possible to feel legitimate solidarity with people. 
But again, I think that would come from having a real aligned goal, a mutual, I guess, enemy. So I'm thinking of, for instance, uh Jews and other clergy, rabbis and other clergy marching with um the civil rights movement, Selma and other places, I assume. So in that example, you uh your goal is a common one, and uh and the um the, you know, by threatening the type of people who were on the opposing side of civil rights, uh the people who are on that side are as much the enemy of Jews as they are black people. 
You know, it's the fucking KKK and, you know, however that kind of trickles down through however water down it gets. there's a reason that these things are connected, I guess. There's a reason you can associate one with the other because you've got, on the one hand, people who uh think, I don't know, that black people are inferior, and these are the same people who think Jews are running the world. So there's a very obvious uh uh ally ship going on there, although less of these days, because um BLM and so forth are so closely associated now with the pro-P Palestinian um Jewish Voice for Peace, BDS movement. um, which is, you know, pretty explicitly anti-Semitic. 
So that doesn't really, uh, it's kind of a rift there, I guess. I don't don't know how that all started. I suppose it had something to do with um the nation of Islam in the 60s. 
But uh you know, I don't know that that's the only but anyway, once again, very much off topic. I honestly thought this would be a more lucrative walk. I'm almost back and I'm no closer to having a cover letter than I was when I left. 
So I'm not sure what we're gonna do about that. There might be some other interesting dots in here, so maybe it wasn't a total waste of time. But um But, uh But yeah, I I need to figure out what I'm actually trying to say here. 
In this kind of letter. Why I want to work for them? I don't know. 
I probably just need to look at my templates again. I'm not really getting any good thinking done here. Yeah, I've never applied to a producer position, though, before, so I'm not entirely sure how helpful my templates are going to be.. 
So I'm not sure how helpful those templates are going to be just because I haven't applied to a position like this before, but I suppose they may be somewhat helpful. Um yeah, and I guess the tack that I'm trying to take is my um interest in what the podcast actually does as opposed to all the various boxes I check as far as qualifications. Because for one thing, I don't check that many of them. 
Um yeah, I don't know why I said for one thing, I think that's the thing, because I don't check that many of them. I therefore I need to emphasize something else, which would be, why do I want to work here? I guess that's what employers are looking for. 
And I'm trying to put myself in an employer's shoes. If I'm, you know, at the desk hiring someone, you're going to want to see some some enthusiasm for the work. And so I don't know really struggling to convey that. 
I don't really know how to do it. The question is, obvious question is too, is, do you have enthusiasm for the work? I definitely have interest. 
I am looking for a job that takes me places, even if it's a remote job. It's gonna, if I'm going to encounter interesting people, um if I'm going to learn, uh and if I'm going to have an impact as well by deminating really excellent information and multiple perspectives and really help inform people. I think that's what I'm enthusiastic about. 
And so maybe maybe the idea of a cover letter is, yes, you have to convey enthusiasm, but you have to figure out what it is about the thing that you find exciting. And so for me, that's the chance to learn and to educate and to participate in that process, even if I'm not the one doing the educating. That's yeah, that's definitely what I have to emphasize here. because that is what excites me about this. 
And if I imagine myself in this role, the chance to speak with these people or at least be, you know, or at least be, I mean, I don't know, honestly, how yeah, the chance to meet really interesting, really smart people is incredibly appealing to me. Okay. Why is it appealing? 
Because I want to be an incredibly interesting, incredibly smart person. I would love to. And one route that I can see to doing that is to become a podcast producer. 
I don't want to be, I don't think, a journalist because I just don't think I can deal with the inconsistent schedule and hours. I don't think I have it in me. I don't think I'd be very good at that. 
I don't think I would have a lot of enthusiasm for it. So that's kind of an issue. Not that all journalism jobs are like that, I suppose, but that's sort of how they look from the outside. 
The other thing is, I'm not you, I mean, you're such a um you're such a lone wolf as a journalist. And I really think I'm better suited to being on a small team. I think as a lone wolf, I'm just too tentative and unsure of myself and sort of afraid to approach people and just and and the fear, you know, I want and I don't think I'm terribly savvy. 
Two, even if I were, I think the fear kind of kills that, whatever saviness I do have. Because I think I'm definitely I don't feel at least very suited journalism. I've obviously done a couple of freelance articles and they were fine. 
I didn't light a fire or anything, but also the subject wasn't you know, it's not like I was reporting on anything interesting or meeting uh and I wasn't meeting interesting people, you know. So was it kind of satisfying, I suppose, but it definitely didn't light to any sort of fire in me. Yeah, and especially when it comes to writing itself, I enjoy writing anything well to a certain degree, but writing is so hard, and if I'm going to spend all that energy trying to write well, I'd just assume it'd be personal writing. because, yeah, yeah. 
If if the well is kind of limited and it is, obviously your energy reserves. but that said if I had the chance, I to uh try out reporting again. I suppose I would take it just because I only did ever do the two articles for the sentinel and it would probably be worth exploring again just because I am pretty good at a lot of the skills that uh journalists require. For example, I'm good with people and I'm a good writer. 
So, and I think I might also have a knack for kind of cutting to the core of a story um or an idea and trying to figure out what's what's going on. But again, these are all, I mean, aside from the reporting aspect, I guess, the interviewing aspect. These are things that I can these are itches I can scratch in my personal writing. 
I don't need um and again, I don't I just like the lifestyle of it. I don't don't find very appealing. Now, remote associate podcast producer for an interesting politics podcast. 
Now that sounds interesting. That's that's like something I want to go for. When I apply or think about applying to, let's say, a breaking news reporter job or something. 
I do so with dread, um which is kind of a bad sign, I think. Not that fear tells all, but it's just like, I don't want to, and it's kind of like the it's kind of like the curiosity compass. This would be, I guess, some kind of desire compass. 
Do I desire to do that work? And it feels like I really don't. But I'm just sort of telling myself, well, you have a lot of the, you know, you're a good writer and you can talk to people. 
And so you have a lot of the skills that are necessary for it. Therefore you should go for this thing, and yet I really don't want to. And I don't know which voice to trust because I don't think you should do things. 
There's a difference between wanting to do something and being afraid of it and just not wanting to do something and maybe you're also afraid of it. And I think this is the latter. I don't really know how to tell, but maybe it's not about being able to tell, maybe it's just about making a choice. and the choice I really want to make is, hell no, I don't want to be a. 
I don't want to get underpaid and work long hours and have to approach strangers and you know, all for whatever pathetic wage that you make as an entry level journalist. yeah, I I do have a certain admiration, I guess. Although nobody who's working the people I really the people I admire more than that are people like Michael Lewis, Stephen Dubner, E Ezra Klein. These are not people who are on the beat, you know, they are, um, especially the first two as Kline has this work cut out for him a little bit more. 
As a politics reporter or I don't even know if you could call him a reporter now. Well, I don't. Maybe he still writes for the Times. 
I don't know, actually, but in any case, these are people who just find interesting things to write about. And in in my capacity as a writer, that's what I would much rather do. I don't want to I have no desire to be a reporter. 
You know, I'm not um I'm not listening to whoever boots on the ground, whoever has boots on the ground on NPR and uh envying that person. I'm not. I uh or I wishing I was that per well, I guess that's envy. 
We're admiring that person. I think admiration is a good place to look when you're thinking about career or just things that you wanna do because um you want to admire yourself, and therefore, if you become like the people you admire, presumably you will presumably you will admire yourself. So, admiration might be a good place to look, and you can find that anywhere. 
I'm not just talking about career. I'm also talking about approach. I am talking about practice. 
I think of dirt, um, who I'm not necessarily married to learning jujitsu, but I really admire dirt's approach to jujitsu, and it is one that I believe I can take with me to pretty much anywhere. I do want to continue learning martial arts. I don't know that I want to learnroduce you specifically. 
I'm very interested in Kraft Maga. There's a gym here in town, but it's quite expensive. I might learn or look elsewhere, just to see, but you know, definitely something that's worth the money. 
I think, um it's but it's a lot. It's like it's over two hundred bucks a month, I think, to have a membership with that gym. um I wish there were a better model where where you could kind of pay what you use, sort of a pay for pays you go almost, where if you sign in a certain number of times, um you just pay for class. I don't almost like that better. 
And I know they're trying to encourage people to to be consistent. So but I don't know. If you want to be there, you want to be there. 
If you want to be there, you will be there. I guess is what I meant to say. Anyway, I'm not sure how productive is any of this has been, but sign enough.

Resources

• Cover Letter Tips (Harvard)