Your cover letter should be your personalized narrative that sells your candidacy to potential employers. As a high-quality candidate, how do you make that happen?
As a senior school leader, I’ve reviewed thousands of resumes. Yet, most cover letters I’ve seen don’t sell candidates well.
The single biggest flaw I see is when candidates provide a generic rehashing of their resume. Some letters may attempt to explain a bit more by including something about their education or teaching philosophy. Yet, the statement is so bland that it could fit any educator and, therefore, doesn’t distinguish their unique qualities from the crowd. Examples I see often include statements like these.
- I believe every student can achieve.
- I love seeing students reach that ah-ha moment.
If you’ve presented that generic letter, then you’re up against well-prepared candidates who’ve crafted a well-honed letter. How will your introductory letter hold up in comparison? While a generic letter may fill a basic need for an introduction, will it help you stand out and land your dream job in an international school? My answer is a tepid “maybe.”
A second common mistake is to express initial interest in a job opening by sending the same generic cover letter to every school where the candidate applies. It’s a tempting time saver to copy and paste. I get it. Some candidates think they’ll personalize the letter by changing the name of the school they’re sending it to, but inevitably, they’ll slip up and forget and, at some point, address a school by the wrong name. The candidate may laugh it off or, worse yet, never even realize the problem. Yet, to the school recruiter, it shows a lack of attention to detail and carelessness.
Generic letters also signal that the candidate isn’t carefully looking at what the school values in its applicants. No two schools are alike, so one-size-fits-all letters don’t work. Some candidates won’t treat the schools as having unique needs but instead will provide them with a generalized letter. However, you, as a high-quality candidate, need to present yourself by explaining how you meet the unique needs of their school.
High-quality Candidate Solutions
Your challenge as a high-quality candidate is to sell a recruiter about why you are the unmistakable best choice for the position.
First, it’s helpful to remember that details matter. For example, suppose the school says applicants must possess a chemistry background, but you have been a biology teacher. In that case, that doesn’t indicate a match if you write a cover letter that extensively touts your years of biology experience. Instead, you could briefly mention your science teaching experience, which includes biology. Yet, your focus is to explain that they’ve taken many chemistry courses in college and did a summer internship in a medical lab.
Maybe the school seeks applicants with a background in teaching advanced high school history. If all you’ve taught is upper elementary social studies, the chances of landing an interview, much less getting a job offer, are slim if you only explain what you’ve done in the past. Instead, as the advanced history teacher candidate, you can show how you’ve been involved in significant history research projects, volunteered at your local museum, and actively served in your college’s history honor society.
These more vivid details help less experienced candidates stand out versus simply saying, “I have always loved ____ (insert favorite subject here).”
HOT TIP 1. Put your data skills to use as you write your cover letter. You want to sell your candidacy, which data specific to your success and impact does. Bland generalities won’t. For example:
Bland. I helped my students increase their AP Chemistry test scores.
Data-driven. Thanks to my taking the AP Chemistry preparation course for teachers, 83% of my AP Chemistry students passed the AP exam with an average score of 4.35.
Notice that the bland example gives only one general data point (increased Chemistry test scores). The data-rich example lists three impressive and specific pieces of information while alluding to a fourth.
· You’ve had specific AP teacher training.
· Your students had impressive test results supported by two specific data facts.
· You have a growth mindset by taking high-quality professional development training and putting what you learn to good use.
HOT TIP 2. Write down 3-4 things that are your professional specialties for each specific job type you apply for. Then, develop one impressive data example to highlight your impact in each specialization.
Note that if you are applying for two different types of jobs, you’ll want to develop data points that match each particular job type. For example, maybe you’re open to roles as a primary school or middle school teacher. I recommend you develop some data that is specific to each. While a couple of specializations may be in common between the two job types, two other data pieces apply to only middle school, and two more only to elementary. That way, when you apply to different roles, you can create a cover letter that applies specifically to each role type and lists four specific specializations with accompanying data to support that job type.
While creating specialized cover letters requires more effort, the time you put into them will make all the difference in the quantity and quality of responses you get to your application.
Copyright 2024 by Kelley Ridings
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- My book, Teach or Lead Abroad: Easily Find Your Dream Job in International Schools, is available on Amazon or Audible.
- My new book, The GIFT Hiring Method: You Can Confidently Recruit Quality School Staff, will be released in January 2025 on Amazon and Audible.