How to Write an Honest and Impressive Cover Letter

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How to Write an Honest and Impressive Cover LetterWhen there’s an opening for your dream job but you’re not qualified for it yet, what should you do? A lot of people will look at the qualifications specified for the job and think of ways to embellish their actual skills and experiences to make it seem like they’re a good fit. But the moment you try to fit yourself in, you are not writing an honest cover letter. And if you are not doing that, you are not only lying to the employer but to yourself too.
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ALSO READ: 30 things that don't belong on your resume

So when writing an honest cover letter,

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Consider this.
The voice a job seeker uses to introduce themselves will give a recruiter a good feel for whether or not the personality will be a good fit for their company and culture. It comes with knowledge, research, confidence and how passionate you are to get that job.

Being direct doesn’t mean you are rude. So be direct, but polite.
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Acknowledge the challenge. Maybe you are a bit of a long-shot for this job. Perhaps the competition is particularly fierce. Address the elephant in the room and be courteous in requesting consideration. But don’t stop there. Quickly outline two or three ways that show how you fit the job description.

Connect the dots.
If there are obvious questions a company will have about your application, talk about them. Explain why you’ve switched jobs every year for the past five years. Tell them how you’ve kept your professional self relevant during an employment gap. Highlight transferable skills that make this career change realistic.

Be humble, yet confident.
If you know you can be great at a particular job, but need a chance to prove yourself and learn from others, a willingness to be mentored or to take an internship can turn into a full-time job.