Bridget here. So I work with Stacey behind-the-scenes on social media, editing, writing, and design projects. You haven’t heard from me much, but I recently applied for a job as a proofreader, and the interviewer told me she really liked my cover letter. How often does that happen? I was sure it had everything to do with all the things Stacey has taught me about the job search over the past year or so. Stacey asked me to share it with you. So here is my cover letter in full (names changed, of course) with my notes in italics.

Dear Kallista,

I would love to be your (BC: made this feel more casual) proofreader at ABC Publishing for the fall and winter season (And made this feel more professional). I heard about the opening from Priya (Now I have never met her, but she shared the job posting on a Facebook group we are both part of. Did I feel weird doing this? Yes. But I did it anyway.), and I think I would make a great fit there. (I wanted to get across the idea that I would help them and they would help me—people want to enter into mutually beneficial situations.)

A little about me: I’m a freelance copyeditor, proofreader, and designer. (I omitted things that were unnecessary, like my writing experience; the job didn’t call for it.) Consistency and accuracy (Buzzwords in the industry, but they also appeared in the job description) in words, grammar, graphics, and colors have always been my goal, and that would continue with ABC Publishing. (First talk about your philosophy and then bring it back to a more specific field—them.) For example, I just finished designing from scratch the Lots of Words Journal ‘s spring issue. (Because I didn’t have direct experience, I adapted what I have done to what they’re asking for.) This involved not only picking and designing all the fonts, layouts, captions, graphic treatments, quotes, and whatnot, but since it is a nonprofit and things were tight, I had to proofread and crosscheck everything myself. It was a wonderful experience and they’ve hired me to do the next issue as well. (Added some passion here as well as hinted at my future plans—I’ve got ambitions!) As the assistant for Stacey Lane (Hi Stacey!), a career coach and consultant, I edit, design, and proofread all her client materials, keeping a keen eye out for any design, graphic, or grammar flaws—someone’s job might be on the line! Everything was done through InDesign and Acrobat, so I feel at home with both. (I really wanted my voice to come across, especially since I know I get nervous and clam up during interviews. So I worked extra hard to make sure my writing showed off who I am once you get to know me. And I use that expression frequently, “I feel at home with…”—maybe because I work from home?)

My main love right now (I’m not afraid to mention my loves and passions, so why wouldn’t I also include them in this letter? Especially since this company is all into mind-body-spirit, I knew they would appreciate it—make sure you’re aware of your audience) is proofreading and copyediting; I love being the person to come in right before the end and tidy up the artist’s work. They worked so hard on it, so I want to make their stuff look good. (As an editor, I cringed making this last word in italics—italics have no place in professional writing. As my editorial PSA, let me make that clear. But we all break our own rules, and apparently the interviewer didn’t mind either.) Currently I copyedit and proofread a wide range of works, including novels, anthologies, manuals, scholarly articles, slide shows, blog posts, and more. As for the accuracy aspect of the work you’re looking for (Here’s another acknowledgment that I thoroughly read and understood their job description), I chose to write my thesis for Portland State University’s book publishing graduate program on fact-checking. CMS and I are good friends by now (Another example of letting my voice come through), and I’m good at adapting to various style guides.

Bonus: I even live in the area! I work from home in NE Portland, so I would gladly welcome a chance to bike on over (While doing my research on who worked there, I read that at least two of them bike into work, so I shared my love of a biking commute as well) and work with my fellow coworkers at your open office. Not only would I love the daily work I’d be doing, but ABC Publishing’s focus on mindfulness and environmental awareness (and the fact that you’re carbon negative!) would make me proud to work for you. (Showing off that research again! I wanted to get across that I appreciated what I would be doing and who I’d be doing it with. Because, let’s face it, work is more about the people and the environment—you can work anywhere, but it’s who you’ll be spending your days with that make it worthwhile.)

Thank you for considering me, Kallista, and I hope to hear from you soon! (I also dreaded putting in this second exclamation point. I think there should be one exclamation point maximum in anything you write. And you’ll notice I left off a signing phrase—these fill me with dread, so I figured that the “thank you” would act as one for me.)

Bridget

And there was a happy ending to this story—I got hired! And I’ve been happily working for them ever since.

I’m Stacey Lane: Career Coach | Transition & Career Strategist | Personal Brand Specialist

I help individuals with unique backgrounds find their perfect fit and effectively market themselves so they find work that is as interesting as they are.

Contact me to get started!