Writing the Perfect Cover Letter
Our Global Health guest blogger Lillian Gu asked me to write about cover letters. Specifically, should a cover letter for a global health job be different from a standard corporate one? The answer, unfortunately, is sometimes. It all comes down to organizational culture.
Some global health organizations are very corporate in their approach. They focus heavily on numbers and costing, or consider themselves entrepreneurs. Population Services International is one example. Google.org was another, back when they still did health. For organizations like that, a classic numbers and achievements cover letter will get their attention. They want to know what you've done and how you can do it again for them. All about skills and accomplishments.
Other organizations, particularly those who use a lot of volunteers, want to know about your motivation. They want to find out if you have a passion for their work, and where that passion comes from. These tend to be organizations that use a lot of volunteers, or do a lot of advocacy work. Doctors Without Borders, Oxfam, and Project HOPE are examples. Cover letters to this kind of organization need to demonstrate your sense of mission. And, of course, your relevant skills and accomplishments. It's a more difficult letter to write.
It gets even more complicated from there. Organizations with a lot of turnover will want to hear that you are tough, because places with a lot of turnover rarely know it's their own fault. They think they keep hiring wimps. Organizations who believe that field work is what matters most will want to know you're committed to travel or field posts. DC/Geneva/London-based shops will want to hear you won't get bored with a headquarters job.
How do you learn all this about organizational culture? Stay tuned for my next post.
Now you're going to ask me if you really have to be this careful with your cover letters. And the answer is no. Very often, your cover letter will be ignored or thrown away. You can get away with using the same basic letter every time and changing three things to make it match the job you're applying for. When you're doing the kind of every for everything job-hunt blast you often have to do, it may be you have time for. But if you see a dream job, take the time to write the perfect cover letter.
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