subject: Generic Resume Cover Letter - Why You Need To Avoid Them When Applying In Technical, Medical Or Educ [print this page] I spent some time online looking for a generic resume cover letter recently to present my resume. I have a number of years of experience in the teaching field and I was looking to increase my income. I made what I consider to be a huge mistake while applying to one of the companies that were hiring. If I would have thought about the information I was getting I would have figured out my problem sooner. Here's what others should avoid when looking for a generic resume cover letter.
What I didn't realize when I came across some of the letters online was that, if I found them with such ease, other's would find them also. Of course, I didn't copy the letter word for word but the format and the text used is redundant and looks and sounds generic. So I looked for something, still generic but with reference to teaching. I found a letter and I took the information and put together a quick cover letter that I sent out.
A couple of days after the generic resume cover letter and my resume were received. I received a call from the human resources department, of one of the companies I submitted too. It was a short, doctor type of question and answer conversation that didn't last more than a minute if that. The conversation felt long and I'll tell you I haven't been that embarrassed before in my life. Turns out I didn't change the letter enough to where I customized to my field of teaching. The resume I sent was way out of what the company was looking for. It didn't clearly state my area of teaching or my technical background, which is what the position required.
As the person on the phone went over how I wasn't qualified for the position available per what my cover letter stated. I realized the mistake I had made. There was no way for me to go back and say anything regarding my mistake. After all I had just copied a letter form an online source and made minor changes to it. It was a shame for me being that I felt that would be a good place for me to work.
From that mistake I learned to create a detailed resume and cover letter for each individual company. I looked into better ways of getting my letter to stand out. As for my generic resume cover letter days, they are far behind me. I won't go through that again.
