Recently I was on a recruiting trip to Ohio State. I was waiting in the lobby of the Engineering Career Center for my next appointment. I took the opportunity to scroll down through my e-mails and noticed an interesting cover letter from an applicant. It started out like any cover letter - this is my name, what I want, and how I can help your company. The last sentence is where it got interesting. The applicant said, "I'm sorry the quarterback at Alabama sucks."
Really? Was this applicant that crazy to think that would help him get an interview? At some point you have to be smarter than that and put the school rivalry behind you. This applicant is an LSU grad and today, 11/7/09, LSU and Alabama meet for their annual showdown. The applicant could not resist making a jab at me and my school since he is from LSU. Guess how far that resume went! If he would say something like that in a cover letter imagine what he would say once he gets hired and "loosens" up a bit.
There were 5 students waiting paitently in the lobby and I read this cover letter out loud to them as an example of what NOT to write to someone who can help you get a job. They laughed and said they could not believe the guy wrote that to me. I'm waiting until after the game to respond to his e-mail. Should be interesting!
Marty Brack
Which employment tests work best? An update.
8 years ago
