My Personal Cover Letter (to my future employer)

I’ve spent the last few weeks writing cover letter after cover letter, continually updating my CV, tweaking my LinkedIn profile and creating countless accounts on different job sites. Fun times. So many of us have been affected by this in different ways and to varying degrees. For me, with this happening in my first year of full-time freelancing, my income stopped more or less overnight. So, as I now find myself camped out at my parent’s place indefinitely, I’m trying my best to make the most of each day I’m here (while also being acutely aware of the fact that until I can figure out how to once again pay rent and buy food, here is where I shall stay). Not the greatest feeling when you’re 36-years old, but I suppose there are worse places to be stuck. I know things could definitely be worse - and I feel surprisingly better knowing that a lot of other people have had to do the same. 

Thankfully, I still have my health, my laptop, my camera and I’m very lucky not to have any children or pets I need to support. I’m trying to do the things I love every day to keep my spirits up and keep my focus on the end goal of once again being gainfully employed. 

I now find myself answering the same question every day, over and over in cover letters and job applications: Why should my future employer hire me? What is it that makes me so special that in this time of economic downturn so extreme that it’s being compared to the Great Depression, why should I be the one they hire over all of the hundreds of other applications they’ll receive? What do I bring to the table that no one else does? Whoever my future employer may be, and wherever they are, this is my cover letter to them. I hope they see it soon.

My Personal Cover Letter

Dear Future Employer, 

Please find here my application for the role of Most Amazing Job Ever.

You could not possibly find a more perfect person for this job than me. In addition to the wealth of experience you will find listed on my CV, personal website, blog, portfolio and on the 47-page application and profile I had to create in order to apply for this position, I will also bring the following qualities with me to this role that may not have come across in any of the other aforementioned places.

Firstly, I really want a job right now. Few things hit harder than the loss of one’s livelihood. I want to once again have money and financial security. I want to be able to pay my bills, pay rent and start saving to buy a home (I know this seems like an impossibility for most people from my generation but, hey, a girl can still dream - right!?). I also want to get a masters degree (a recent revelation that has come from the hours I’ve spent over-thinking my life during this lockdown). 

I’m in a particularly weird situation where it doesn’t appear that I’ll get much support (if any) from either of my governments. I haven’t lived in the USA for more than a few months at a time since university so I don’t qualify for any kind of unemployment relief from the US government (not surprisingly), and in the UK, under my current and relatively recent status of self-employed, I’m still waiting to see what kind of relief the government can offer me. It appears they are only helping self-employed people who have been earning self-employed income for more than a year - and when the crisis hit I had only been self-employed for about 9 months. So, that pretty much sucks. I’m now dipping into my savings just to pay my phone bill and have gotten pretty creative with balance transfers etc. to keep the few other remaining bills I do have as low as possible. So, to reiterate once again, I really want a job right now. 

Secondly, when I want something, I will stop at nothing until I get it. I take persistence to the point of relentlessness if that’s what it takes to get the job done. I am an incredibly hard worker and when I’m passionate about wanting something, it becomes like tunnel-vision for me. I keep my eye on the prize and I will not give up until it’s mine. I’ve worked with countless pretentious and arrogant people over the years who think that some jobs are beneath them. I am not that person. I’ve waited tables, bartended, answered phones, cold called, temped and entered data - I was even an Uber driver for a few months back in 2013 in order to cushion my savings before I moved to Australia. I would readily pick fruit and mop floors if that’s what it takes to find the means to get to the end. I’ve lost count of how many job applications I’ve done over the last few weeks but you can rest assured that I will keep doing them until one of them converts into “the one”. And since this particular cover letter is for The Most Amazing Job Ever, I feel certain it will be this one.

Thirdly, I’m incredibly adaptable. In many ways, I think I kind of thrive on change. I’ve lived and worked all around the world, something which has allowed me to experience full-time jobs, part-time jobs, one-day and weekend-long gigs, contractor positions, temp roles, agency roles, and most recently, working as a consultant on the verge of starting my own agency - a plan that’s now on hold for a while, if I ever return to it. My adaptability comes from my ability to not get too attached to things because I’ve seen over and over how it all can change in an instant. Right now we are all living out the biggest example of this most of us have ever encountered. I never thought I’d apply for full-time employment again, but I of all people should know better by now than to ever say “never again”. I’m now finding myself exploring other industries to work in, excited about the idea of possibly studying again, connecting with new people, exploring new job sites etc. I very much embody the Steve Jobs quote “Stay hungry. Stay foolish.” I love that quote. Never get too comfortable - that’s when it all changes! 

Fourth, I’m curious and open-minded. In a number of my bio’s I describe myself as “a student of the world” and I truly mean this. There’s no better teacher than life experiences and travel and my life has been jam-packed full of them! I love learning and I’m not embarrassed to admit when there’s something I don’t know. I’m grateful and proud that up until this point in my life I have lived in many different countries and experienced a wide variety of jobs, cultures and lifestyles. I never want to stop learning - which means I’m very unlikely to be one of those grumpy old people set in their ways and dramatically resistant to change. I’m always happy to explore new ways of living and working and I believe there is no one right way to be or live; there are many and I’m curious about all of them. 

Fifth, I care. I genuinely give a fuck about the people in my life and the work I do. Whatever I do, I want to do a good job and it’s important to me that I can help and give back somehow. I’ve tried to nail down a job in the charity sector for many years (though I have found it very difficult to find any paid roles so I volunteered for 2+ years before finally having to stop before I became a charity myself). Knowing that I’m working with or for a cause that’s making the world a better place and helping people and/or the planet is incredibly important to me. I’m also very averse to conflict. When people are confrontational, rude, condescending, deceitful, disrespectful or just generally try to start problems in the workplace (or in my personal life) I don’t want to be around them anymore. If people are acting this way at work, I’m quick to try to find a resolution to the problem. I can’t just ignore a problem or someone trying to mess up my workplace. I’m big on finding solutions when and where I can rather than endlessly mulling over issues and drama. 

Finally, I’m incredibly passionate, optimistic and fun to be around. There are no half measures in me - I’m a very all or nothing kind of girl. When I get behind a job, event, project, task or assignment, I give it my all. Whether it’s driving more engagement on your social media profiles, helping your kids with their science project, taking an awesome picture of your product, making a winning pitch, selling the most beers at a festival, writing powerful copy for your website or planning and executing the perfect event - I got it. What I lack in experience, I make up for in enthusiasm. I am a quick learner and, if I care about it, I’ll figure it out and will try to have as much fun as possible along the way.

I have the spirit and tenacity to succeed at whatever it is I put my mind to - which is why I am the absolute perfect candidate for the role of Most Perfect Job in the World. 

Yours Sincerely, 

Meghan Fitzpatrick

Do you want to work with me? If so, leave me a comment below or send me a message here. I’d love to hear from you!