What You Need to Know About Cover Letters

By AnaMaria Glavan

Applications for editorial positions always require the same thing: your resume, a few published clips, and (cue scary background music) a “brief” cover letter. Before delving into writing those dreaded three paragraphs, make sure you follow Ed’s do’s and don’ts of cover letter writing. You’re welcome.

Start With a Lede.
Just like you’d begin an article or story with a gripping lede, your cover letter should follow a similar pattern. “Kick things off with a bang! Make your cover letter stand out and be memorable by opening with a punchy first sentence. Years later, I still remember two applications in particular (word-for-word) that used this tactic,” says Maryn Liles, Associate Lifestyle Editor at Parents.

Don’t go overboard, though! “Try opening with a brief anecdote—but seriously, keep it to three sentences or less,” she adds, since any more may defeat the purpose of a catchy lede.

Don’t Re-introduce Yourself.
It’s tempting to begin the first line of your first paragraph with an introduction. However, that’s a no-no. “Absolutely do not begin with your name or the job to which you’re applying, because you’re automatically placing yourself in a category with everyone else. I almost always stop reading once I see “My name is TK and I’m interested in TK position,” says Sarah McNaughton, site director of Dr. Oz’s The Good Life (who was coincidentally neck-deep in cover letters when she gave me her expert advice). She adds, “I saw what your name was at the top of your email, and I’m familiar with the positions for which I am hiring.”

Show Some Numbers.
Vagueness is not your ally, whippersnappers! In order to write an awesome cover letter, being as specific as possible is an absolute must. For example, using numbers to illustrate your success and progress in past jobs makes you seem more reliable. “I can’t trust that you’re good at organizing if you just say, ‘I am a good organizer.’ I can trust that you’re good at it if you say “I built and maintained the system used in the newsroom to keep track of more than 300 freelance writers so that editors could easily find a writer at a moment’s notice,” says Sarah.

Don’t Just Hit Send.
You’ve heard it before: proof read. “It may be said over and over, but please please please have a friend or parent—or anyone!—read it first. They will catch things that you miss,” says Kathleen Harty, Fashion Assistant at Marie Claire. If you’re by yourself and really need to send off your application, reading your cover letter out loud may also help you catch grammatical errors that you wouldn’t have noticed otherwise.

Kathleen adds, “If there is a name in the job post, do not put ‘Dear Hiring Manager.’ If you’re given a name, use it.”

Leave Things Out.
So, you’ve worked in social media, were a photo intern in college, and are obsessed with celebrity gossip? While those may be great points to bring up in an interview, it’s important to avoid mentioning a slew of irrelevant (this is a harsh word, I know) qualifications in your cover letter. “Frame your second paragraph around only examples that speak directly to the requirements mentioned in the job listing,” says Sarah. “For example,” she adds, “ if the requirements don’t mention anything about social media but do mention data analysis several times, focus on examples of times in previous jobs where you worked and succeeded with data analysis. Save the social media info for the interview as an additional selling point.”

Also, writing a cover letter tailored to the magazine’s style shows that you’ve done your research. “If you want to make a good impression, it’s best to show that the brand has already made an impression on you,” says Hannah Werthan, Associate Social Media Editor at Parents.com.