How NOT to write a covering letter

The 18 year old son of a colleague at work is looking for a job. Dad has been teaching him the finer points of writing a covering letter: make it stand out, be clear about what work you're looking for, why you'd like to work for the company you're applying to, what special qualities you'd bring to the job - the usual stuff. Son was interested in working for a local bakery, so he applied. Afterwards he showed Dad the covering letter he'd sent them. Dad showed it to me yesterday, and I thought it was too good not to share. I'm transcribing it exactly as it is on the page in front of me, with his name XXed out...


...He got the job...

Dad is beside himself (and shit).

had a good sense of humor.

One thing I can guarantee a cover letter like that did was stand out.

:rofl:

for one." No one is that clueless.

He'd talked to some of the people there in advance, so I think he knew he had the job and just wanted to wind Dad up a bit.

He succeeded.

The guy's got balls to send a letter like that.

I would, however, insist he bake food rather than shit.

If the bakery thing doesn't work out, I totally want first dibs on this kid. And shit.

and shit.

and shit.

sort of.

Hell, I would hire him.

Not the imagery you want to paint.

Unless it's the really good shit and shit :rofl:

-Hoot

which claimed she was the best candidate for the job because she was a Martian. She had no other explanation or any other weirdness on the letter or resume. I wanted to schedule her for an interview, but my boss said no.

I'd hire him. But, I wouldn't want him designing or assembling jet aircraft engines, or even driving the delivery truck! He'd be fine for decorating and boxing baked goods - if you allow a bit of employee pilfering every day after break-times. :9 :smoke: :+ Righteous dude, 'n shit!

The answers to those questions might explain how this kid got the job.

It's got a great reputation, both locally and in the city. The customers are a mix of locals and townies, with a good representation of the Birkenstock and beads set. I've shopped there - the baking is great, and it's got a pretty laid back atmosphere. He probably prepped them for the letter, just to do a number on Dad.

The possibility I thought of was that the kid had done some research on the place. Went and spent some time there. And he picked up on the atmosphere. With that done, he wanted to portray himself as a "character", some one patrons would generally like and remember, not just another lifeless kid behind the counter.

Thanks for reminding me of my younger days.

When I was about his age I went to a job interview attired in business professional - and wearing a handmade paper turtle hat.

I wanted to make a statement and stand out and be remembered. I knew going in that the person I was interviewing with was an artist and would welcome somebody who didn't fit the mold. I already knew people making the hiring decisions and knew that I had a good rep and references going in.

Yes, I got the job.




Makes me think I should be far more creative in my job present hunting efforts. Worst ting that will happen is they will ignore me or say no, right? The upside is that they might talk to me or possibly hire me when they otherwise wouldn't.

I never had the cojones. Good on you!

I saw this letter 3 weeks ago. Different Dad, Different Employer.

Mr. Grumpy hates it when people smile.

It looks like his son found the original on line, thought it was cool, and used it. He did in fact give it to the girl behind the counter as part of his application, and she gave it to the owner, who liked it...

He's on his second day there, and is discovering that "bakers' hours" aren't anything like "bankers' hours" :-)

:P

Well, there you go. I wonder if Dad was winding us up here at work, or if sonny found this and used it to get Dad's goat.

I've send out "amusing" cover letters before and got some favorable responses from them. I usually avoided the usage of the word shit though.

He tailored the letter and used it.

.

Google search would show his colleague is either lying, or his son plagiarized his letter.

Of course around here lying is a virtue.

It's not like we fell for an Obama campaign speech...

Somebody pee in your Cheerios?

He tailored the letter to his own name and the bakery, and used it for the application. The owner saw it and liked it.

I guess the owner didn't use teh Google either.

Answer: Because they need the dough. (rim shot)

Thank you, thank you. Please tip your waitresses, and remember the 10:30 show is completely different from the 8:30 show. Good night.

WHACK.

:rofl:

I don't recommend what one guy did, applying for a job as a reporter. He came in in dirty jeans, a shirt that hadn't seen the inside of a washing machine in quite a while, sat down and put his feet up on my desk.

Second place, was the woman who came in with too much hair and a totally inappropriate blouse stretched across an ample bosom. During the interview, she leaned forward, opened the second button on the blouse (the first was already open) and said breathlessly, "I would do just anything to get this job." We were in an open office with incredible acoustics. My secretary jumped from her desk and ran to the ladies' room. You could hear her laughing before the door shut. Several other people also had to leave the room in a hurry. The fact that I'm gay probably made her advance even funnier.

The reporter sounds like he was copying the "LA Tribune" photographer Dennis Price, nicknamed Animal, on the late '70s TV show "Lou Grant". I was working as a news photographer when the show started, and always envied his persona.

He's a narwhal.

:P

Hope he gets the job :evilgrin:

That was my favorite.