I've been a recruiter for 38 years. This is the one cover letter I'll never forget.

Steve Levy has been a recruiter for 38 years. He lives in Long Island, New York.Steve LevyRecruiter Steve Levy finds most cover letters disingenuous and uninspiring.Levy recalls receiving only one in his career that was truly original and captivating.He stressed the importance of finding one's voice versus relying on AI to write a cover letter.This as-told-to essay is with Steve Levy, an independent corporate recruiter in Long Island, New York.In the old days, before there were applicant-tracking systems, we would get résumés mailed or faxed to us. They were multiple pages and they all almost always began with a cover letter. You were told you have to have a cover letter to introduce yourself.I've never really been much of a fan. More often than not cover letters are a real poorly summarized version of the résumé. My thinking is: Why would I want to read a poorly summarized version of your résumé, when I can just read your résumé?It was in 2009 or so that I received the only cover letter that's ever really stood out to this day. The person was applying for a senior IT systems administrator job in New York. The opening was:"I've been bouncing boxes for Uncle Sam 2.5 years now in some of the most god-awful places on earth. I've racked servers during indirect fire, maintained contact with a bird while our vehicle was shot up, mastered the finer art of the many uses of duct tape and how it applies to IT in a warzone."That's literature and it was coming from a techie. This was magic right out of the gate. How could you not be drawn into that?I read the next paragraph:"I've put up racks in Namibian provinces while cheetahs and jackals watched me from 100 yards away, I've even chased an ostrich who tried to steal my CAT5 from the box. I've worked on military projects where the dotmil PM/leadership had a more difficult time making decisions than my wife. I've danced in the Red Zone with Iraqi locals after a support call to a Forward Operating Base."I'm laughing now, and reading this thing out loud. I was in my office, so no one heard me. I come to the best part:"I've mastered the chemistry of the 'essential caffeine stack' and I debunked the myth that if you untie your belly button, your butt will fall off (it won't!). I've been shot at, shot up, blown up, broken and put back together again; from Baghdad to Namibia and from Sudan to Djibouti. I strongly feel that I have the skillset, experience and thick skin to take on the world of IT in the greatest city on earth."I called the guy's number right away. I didn't even read his résumé. It turned out the job wasn't right for him, but I introduced him to the founders of an IT consulting firm, and he got hired there.In 38 years of recruiting, this is the only cover letter I've ever responded to like this. He connected the role to his experience in a really personal way.Know your voiceThe hardest thing for any writer is to know your voice. When you find your voice, and people read what you wrote, they hear you. They don't hear some random person.We're putting enormous faith into generative AI to help us write, but whose voice is coming out? You have to find yours. It doesn't matter what your field is. Think about how you tell stories to your friends.What I usually see is cookie-cutter. Cover letters all start with: Dear Sir or Madam, or To Whom It May Concern. How about, Dear Steve? It's my name. I like my name.Then they all say things like:I've noticed you're seeking a …Yes, your skills of noticing a job listing are fabulous.And they all end by thanking you for reading their cover letter, like I'm an astronaut saving humanity."Thank you for taking the time to consider my candidacy for this exciting opportunity at your esteemed organization."I literally black out when I read lines like this.Read the original article on Business Insider

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