Does Your Cover Letter Repeat Your Resume?

I see this mistake all the time! Applicants think that employers won’t notice if they just copy and paste bullets from their resume into their cover letter. Guess what? It looks lazy!

But how can you figure out which information belongs in the resume versus the cover letter?

The resume is where you want to showcase quantitative details, measurable outcomes, impressive clients, and company names. Think small bits of information that stand out.

The cover letter is where you can expand on 2-3 qualitative accomplishments. You have more space and flexibility there, so you can give more context about where and how the accomplishment took place.

Ideally, you’ll want to choose 2-3 examples of wins that directly relate to the job you’re targeting. Use the cover letter to go a bit more in depth about each of these, to show the employer how they directly relate to the role you’re applying to.

So when deciding where and how to list a win.

• Can you describe it in less than two lines? If so, add it to the resume.
• Does it require a backstory/explanation to do it justice? If so, include it in your cover letter.