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NCRW Corner: Two Tips to More Confident Cover Letters

October 05, 2021 5:00 AM | Administrative Manager

By Dr. Cheryl Minnick, NCRW, NCOPE

Want to present more confidence in your clients’ cover letters? Follow these two tips to grab attention and boost confidence in career accomplishments.

Tip #1 Do Not Introduce Doubt
The NCRW Study Guide (SG) states a cover letter’s “main purpose is to grab the reader’s attention and entice them to continue to the resume. If the resume is read first, the cover letter reinforces the client’s qualifications and adds a personal touch to make the reader want to arrange an interview.” A cover letter’s style and tone should be professional and assertively sell the client, not introduce doubt about their candidacy.

Resume writers introduce subliminal doubt when we use the phrases “I think,” “I feel,” and “I believe” in cover letters. These phrases undermine the statements following them, positioning the candidate as insecure. It is better to omit these phrases to write more confidently. Rather than, “I believe my candidacy is strong,” a writer could state, “I am confident,” “I am convinced,” or “I am optimistic my candidacy is strong.”

Tip #2 Grab Attention Confidently
The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines an exclamation point as a “mark used especially after an injection or exclamation to indicate forceful utterance or strong feeling.” The SG states that a cover letter should “exude confidence” and “give the client a competitive advantage.”

Seen as an indicator of emotionality or excitability, research on exclamation marks (Waseleski, 2006) found 73% of exclamation marks are used by women (as a means of friendly interaction), compared to 27% by men. Tannen’s (1990; 2001) research found women communicate to express warmth and build rapport, while men communicate to report information, grab attention, and show power. She coined the phrase “Genderlect” to describe the difference in female and male communication styles … rapport versus report.

As resume writers, we should limit exclamation marks to deliver a clear, confident message, report information, and grab attention in a professional manner and tone.

Tanne, D., You just don't understand: Women and men in conversation. New York: William Morrow & Co., 1990, and Tannen, D., You Just Don't Understand: Women and Men in Conversation, 2001.

Waseleski, C. Gender and the Use of Exclamation Points in Computer-Mediated Communication: An Analysis of Exclamations, Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication. P. 1012-1024, July 2006.

Dr. Cheryl Minnick, NCRW, NCOPE, has been a member of the NRWA since 2005 and has served on the Certification Committee since 2013. For the past five years, she has ensured the NCRW Study Guide aligns with best practices and Gregg Reference Manual updates. She has also served on past committees for Member Support and ROAR Awards. She regularly presents at NRWA conferences on ATS, implicit bias, new grad resumes, and college career center services.

A veteran of the higher education career development space, Cheryl works as the Senior Career Coach at the University of Montana-Missoula and provides executive career consultations and resume writing for executive career development firms as well as her own boutique business The Paper Trail. Find her online at LinkedIn.com/in/cherylminnick.

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