Should One Rely on Sample Cover Letters?

In the old days, all people were challenged to write their own cover letters together with their resume. This is because traditionally the means to share information from person to person were not as extensive and advanced as today’s world obviously is. When the Internet came into public use, people have found a means of easily and effectively sharing information to a lot more people than was previously possible.

Among other things, sample cover letters are now abundant in a lot of websites in the Internet. Most of these samples are free and easy to download and use. Hence, with the similar laziness that comes with the convenience of technology, more and more people have come to use the sample cover letters as actual cover letters for their applications. They simply cut and paste the letter into their word processor, add in their names and contact information, attach their resume and they’re all set.

Question is, is it really beneficial to rely on sample cover letters? To answer that question, one needs to take a close look at what sample cover letters can and cannot do in relation to his application.

Sample Cover Letters Cannot Convey the Real You

A cover letter is considered as the HR department staffer’s look into your personality, and a means to find points in you that will qualify you for the position that they are recruiting you for. All this information can only be conveyed through careful writing of a cover letter. However, with a sample cover letter that is unedited, you fail to convey this information. Instead, it turns you into something generic in the eyes of the HR department, a classic criterion for qualification in the paper shredder or trash bin because this goes against what a cover letter should do: set you apart from the other applicants and prove your qualifications and worth.

In the same note, sample cover letters are so abundant that employers themselves can spot which ones are genuine and which ones are rehashes of existing cover letters. That is why you should not rely too much sample cover letters without editing them thoroughly.

Sample Cover Letters Are Just Merely Templates to Improve On

There’s no doubt about it. Sample cover letters are created by people hoping to help others in coming up with their own approach and style in writing cover letters. They are merely templates that show what a cover letter should look like: the wording, the structure and, most of all, to show the purpose of the cover letter which is to sell yourself to the prospective employer.

Tips for Writing a Cover Letter from a Sample Letter

By now, you would’ve realized that you need to come up with your own cover letter. It doesn’t hurt to refer to a sample. However, you need to edit them. Here are some tips to do just that:

•    Mention the individual’s name instead of the “Dear Sir/Madam” or “To whom it may concern” that you can find in most cover letters.
•    Make sure the letter informs the individual of how you found out about the job.
•    Indicate your interest in your own words and creativity.