It Pays to Take Your Time When Writing Cover Letters
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL | April 20, 2004 | By JOANN LUBLIN

A great cover letter is the golden key to any job search. Yet despite a glut of advice books and Web sites, an estimated 85% of cover letters are so flawed that senders never land an interview, career coaches say. Even experts err. An "ideal" letter sent to me by one career counselor contained this sentence fragment in the first paragraph: "With a great deal of interest."

Looking elsewhere for how to craft a compelling cover letter, I turned to Lisa Jacobson, a frustrated small-business owner, and Deborah J. Storz, a marketing specialist whom she hired last spring. Their sage advice may be worth heeding as the employment rebound gathers speed.

Ms. Jacobson and her colleagues have reviewed several hundred thousand cover letters since she founded Inspirica, a New York high-school and college tutoring concern, in 1983. Not even 1% of those letters were acceptable. If Inspirica tossed every cover letter "that had something wrong with it, we would have virtually no one to choose from," the chief executive complains. Her 150-employee firm brings aboard about 20 staffers a year.

In March 2003, Ms. Jacobson advertised for a part-time, experienced marketing manager. "One person department, work directly with CEO," read the blind newspaper ad, which also requested a cover letter. Roughly 100 of the 150 job seekers sent letters. Two-thirds contained mistakes (including a misspelled current job title). Fifteen applicants addressed the female CEO as "Dear Sir."

Equally distressing, a mere six cover letters specifically addressed qualifications listed in the ad. And only three piqued Ms. Jacobson's interest enough to read the senders' rŽsumŽs.

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