Writing cover letters that feel like love letters to strangers.
WRITING COVER LETTERS THAT FEEL LIKE LOVE LETTERS TO STRANGERS.
Follow for more candid reflections on the post-campus maze.
We walked off campus, diplomas in hand, brimming with the confidence that our esteemed education had prepared us for anything. The world, we thought, was our oyster, ready to be cracked open with intellectual rigor and strategic thinking. But then came the great, weird transition nobody quite warned us about. The job hunt after Ivy is often less of a triumphant march and more of a puzzling scramble.
Suddenly, you're not just articulating complex theories or debating profound ideas. You're trying to distill years of intense learning and personal growth into a few hundred words, meticulously crafting a cover letter. It’s supposed to be professional, compelling, unique. Yet, doesn’t it feel a little like a desperate, hopeful plea? A love letter to a stranger, carefully designed to make them fall for your potential, your skills, your very essence, all based on a few bullet points and a shared belief in your future fit. You pour your authentic self into it, hoping to spark a connection, to differentiate yourself in a sea of equally brilliant minds. The vulnerability in that act, repeatedly, can be exhausting.
It's a strange courtship, isn't it? Convincing someone you've never met that you're their perfect match, armed only with carefully chosen words and a polished resume. This unexpected reality check, this emotional labor, is a shared experience. Remember the resilience that got you here. Keep writing those "love letters." Your moment is coming.