LlyfrgellyddIt’s Welsh for librarian.

In the Library Society of the World chat room, we’ve been discussing job searches. I’ve served on two search committees in the last year or so, and so I’ve been thinking about job searches from the other side of things. In the chat room, we started talking about the proper length of cover letters, and I found a copy of the cover letter I’d written when I applied to work here at GVSU. I admit, I winced a little, but all in all, it wasn’t too bad. But I know some of my early cover letters were terrible. An idea sprouted: why not share some of my terrible writing with the world?

I figured this might be fun for others – I’d certainly love to read other people’s cover letters – so consider it a meme. Post a cover letter that you wrote. It can be terrible, it can be wonderful, it can be the one that got you a job. But post it with the idea that other librarians (new, old, and not-yet-to-be) can learn something from it.

(Note: it’s probably best to remove identifying information that’s not your own – the library you applied to, the person you addressed the letter to, etc.)

Here’s one of mine, with (my) commentary. I don’t think I ever received a rejection letter from them…

Dear Ms. _____:

Hello; my name is Laura Harris and I recently received my master’s degree in library and information services from the University of Michigan’s School of Information. I am writing to apply for one of the entry-level librarian positions at the _____ Public Library.

This isn’t terrible. It’s not wonderful, either, but it gets at the basics: I was new to the field and I was applying for a particular job. It might have been nice to mention where I saw the job listing, but I don’t think that’s necessary.

I believe that my coursework and experience working in public libraries have prepared me for success at the _______ Public Library. While working at the [new name of a library] (formerly the [old name of the same library]), I completed circulation tasks and assisted with technical support. Last fall, I took a course on issues in public libraries, which covered a variety of topics ranging from the origins of public libraries in the United States to information literacy to legislature such as CIPA. I feel well-versed in the issues facing public libraries and look forward to applying this knowledge in my career.

Basically, this paragraph is all about me. It restates information that likely was found in my resume. It doesn’t go into any detail about how my skills can help them. This is just “Skillz and experience, I has them.” So already, I was off to a less-than-stellar start… Then I hit them with this piece of crap:

I also have over seven years of experience using the Internet and other web resources.

Um, do they care I’d been dicking around on the web for 7 years? No.

My reference class also introduced me to several resources available on-line, both for pay and for free.

OMG, there are pay AND free resources? And she knows about BOTH? Wow, we only expected applicants to know about the free ones. (Seriously, though, this would have been slightly less heinous if I’d given some examples.)

Perhaps the most important lesson learned from this class was how to tell which resources are reputable. I believe that my knowledge of resources, when coupled with my customer service skills and experience, will aid me in helping patrons find the information they seek as well as instructing them in how to use these resources on their own.

Read: I will get lost in a paper bag.

To me, this paragraph demonstrates a totally naivety about being a librarian. I’m not sure how a new librarian can avoid that – it’s often difficult to know what you don’t know. (Maybe someone will leave a brilliant comment telling us how one can avoid parading one’s ignorance all over one’s cover letters?)

Finally, as a residence hall librarian, I supervised undergraduate student staffs of up to 10 students. My duties as supervisor were comprehensive, and included delegation of tasks, performance evaluation, disciplinary action, payroll, and so on.

Finally? You mean the prior paragraphs were supposed to be making a point? Also…never use “and so on” in a cover letter. Use fancy phrases like “and other duties as assigned.” Again, this doesn’t show the recipient anything they didn’t know from looking at my resume – these are not unusual tasks for a supervisor to undertake. It would have been better to try to demonstrate some talent or skill at supervision. Which, frankly, I don’t think I had at the time. (Not sure I have any skill at it now, but I like to think I’m learning.)

I “think outside the box” when it comes to librarianship; I have learned to think about professional issues from the perspectives of economists, policy-makers, information architects, and, of course, users. I have enclosed my resume and references for your perusal; please feel free to contact me either by e-mail (____), or phone (___-___-____) if you would like to further discuss my qualifications for this position. I look forward to hearing from you, and thank you for your time and consideration.

This little bit of wankery was something I appended to almost all the cover letters I sent out right after I graduated. It worked better when the rest of the letter wasn’t so abysmal. I do like the general tone here, though – the “I look forward to hearing from you” suggested that I thought I WOULD hear from them, but “contact me if you would like to further discuss my qualifications” saves it from being totally overweening. The closing paragraph should, in my opinion, strike a delicate balance; be self-confident, but not arrogant.

Sincerely,
Laura J. Harris

Okay. Your turn!