...applying for jobs. Does this make me some sort of masochist? Who just applies for jobs just for the hell of it? I mean, I'm always trying to improve my standard of living or whatever, but come on! What the hell's wrong with me?
I actually enjoy writing cover letters. I never write boring form letters anymore, oh no! I write very cheeky silly cover letters. Take, for example, this one that I wrote yesterday to the producing director of a summer theatre in Northern Wisconsin:
"Dear Mr. 'Black',
Hello. I'm sending along my resume and a link to my
online portfolio in hopes that they will intrigue you
enough that you might want to consider hiring me for
the position of costume designer for your 2005 season.
Let's see if it works!
About me: I'm recently out of college (University of
CA, Riverside, March 2004), and am currently living in
the Boston area following a brief stint in northern
New Hampshire last summer, where I worked as a
designer and a stitcher in the costume shop of the
Weathervane Theatre. Since moving to the Boston area,
I have designed the costumes for an independant film
that I fear may never see the actual light of day.
Other than that, I've been waiting for the right
opportunity to take the world by storm, and working
retail.
Attached, you'll find my resume in rich text format,
and at www.devodesigns.net you'll find another copy of
said resume with portfolio pics of a vast majority of
my work.
I'd love the chance to chat with you about the
'Northern Lights Playhouse', so please don't hesitate to
call me!
Regards,
D."
Who writes this shit? And more over who actually enjoys it?
For me, it's almost like some sort of perverse game: how out there can I go and still get a response? And how memorable is too memorable in writing a cover letter? God forbid that I'm actually boring. And even with the above letter, I've already gotten a response in which Mr. "Black" has sent me his private number with instructions to call when it's convenient. Who knows, I may end up in Wisconsin for the summer.... keep your fingers crossed, I guess......
That is all.
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A Childish Charlatan's Charades About Chicago. (Formerly: A myopic misanthrope's misadventures in Massachusetts.)
2 comments:
I'm so jealous. Will you write my cover letters? My resume is great, I am just having trouble with the stupid letters...although you have given me a great example to work with!
My advice? Throw 'em a curve ball -- and remember to use your personality... I've found that instead of the typical cover letter, doing something really unexpected not only shows a creative side (excellent in a creative field such as ours), but makes you all the more memorable.
For instance, look at what Gap is doing in the fashion world right now: they're taking chances for maybe the first time -- there's a new head designer in town and she's definitely making her mark -- and suddenly they're actually getting space and notoriety in mags like Elle and Cosmo as a more affordable option. (They're still none too cheap, but I digress.)
It's all about marketing: not only must we dress the part to which we aspire, we must at the same time realize that it's all a game and whoever is wise enough to see it as such will succeed. Good luck to you -- this is really what has been working for me lately -- and I actually have been getting calls with what's primarily a college resume. :)
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