A few months ago, my brother asked for help proofreading cover letters. He was applying for jobs at several advertising agencies and wanted another set of eyes (he also knew I’d do it pro bono, which is a major plus for a soon-to-be graduating college senior). Honestly, there weren’t many typos or grammar issues to point out.
But the words and sentence structure didn’t feel right to me.
“Your tie is way too tight!” I told him. “Loosen up the collar and roll up those sleeves. You’re a fun guy with lots of great ideas, but this sounds stuffy and formal.”
He was writing as if he were wearing a scratchy wool suit and really ugly shoes (possibly a size or two too small). But the agencies where he was applying were the kinds of places where you could get away with wearing a vintage blazer and Steve Madden shoes. They didn’t want corporate clones. (And fortunately for him, he’s actually the kind of guy who looks great in a tweed blazer.)
In his defense, a lot of people slip into their “stuffy, soulless corporate” voice when they write cover letters for jobs, but mine are bursting with personality (the ones I wrote while applying for full times jobs and the ones I use to apply for freelance gigs now). I think that’s the way to go, especially if you’re in a creative industry like writing or advertising. We went through a few more drafts and eventually found a good balance. He scored a killer job in DC doing social media and now he has former classmates come to him for job advice.
But this exercise isn’t just for cover letters. Anytime you get stuck on a project or aren’t sure what voice to use, ask yourself this simple question: “what would this copy wear?”
If your answer is lululemon yoga pants and a tank top, then your copy should read differently than if it’s argyle socks and a lederhosen. (And if you’re writing about clothes, then answer is pretty obvious!) Picture your copy persona and write in that character’s voice. Often we do this for our readers or target demographic, but we don’t think as much about who’s speaking and how they relate to readers.
So, what would your copy wear? And what other tricks do you use to think about your writing style?
Flickr photo courtesy of ncyg46
What a fun way to think about style! In the last few weeks I've written about boxing, childcare and makeup for different clients so from now on I'm going to imagine a little doll sitting on the laptop wearing a different set of clothes for each one. Thanks Susan!
That's a very interesting way of thinking about cover letters. It's really invaluable, and it comes at a perfect time cause I'm applying for jobs now and thinking about my cover letters.
Many years ago when I was applying for a job as a real estate agent (for which I had no quals) I wrote the cover letter as if I were 'the property' needing to be leased to new owners…..
eg. For Lease: Smart, meticulous, creative applicant in A-Grade excellent condition. Currently leased to the Department of Education (*was a teacher at the time), but willing to negotiate new lease in exchange for new opportunities and experiences. Inspection bound to impress. Contact for private appointment. etc etc!!
I presented it the way a real estate ad would look in a newspaper with my pic at the top and the writing underneath in 'agent style'.
Worked a treat! Got me an interview (only 5 out of 200 got one)! Unfortunately I missed out by 1 person, but it was a great experience going through the process.
Linda.
Great visual exercise, Susan! I need to tell this to the young man in the house. He has a wonderful website that's unreadable. He's trying too hard to be flowery (didn't we all make that mistake once?) and he's ending up not saying anything.
An interesting article on why we don't need literary agents or publishers anymore.
http://www.bostoniamagazine.com/fall09/kirsner/
I try to think of how I'd talk to the intended audience in person. Usually, my business writing starts out in a "stuffy, soulless corporate" voice, and my fiction defaults to a 19th century voice, so I ask myself, "Would I really use this language if I were providing this information aloud?"
I'm afraid my style is still too formal at times. Thank you for this trick.
I'm always trying to tell my job-hunting friends this very thing.
What a great analogy. I'm a writer as well as a fashion lover so I totally relate to this. I always try to do fun and creative cover letters when applying for jobs. I figure that they're gonna read a million of these things and at the very least I want mine to be memorable. This method has actually got me many jobs and internships in college.
Thanks for the post.