His Cover Letter Read “I Won’t Waste Time Inflating My Credentials,” He Got The Job!

The several ways (and they are many) a ‘perfect’ cover letter should be written are always debatable.

There are those who are of the opinion that it should be severely short, maybe a few sentences and then there are those who believe that a cover letter is your chance to sell yourself. You know, show the recruiter why you are the best candidate for the job.

But can you just decide to ignore all the cover letter rules and write it in your own way?

Last year, Matthew Ross a fresh-faced college graduate made headlines with a cover letter that was described as “brutally honest” when he applied for an opportunity with a Wall Street firm Duff and Phelps asking for an internship.

What was so honest about the cover letter you ask?

After introducing himself and his academic background, Mr Ross wrote, “I am extremely interested in investment banking and would love nothing more than to be on your tutelage. I have no qualms over fetching coffee, shining shoes or picking up laundry, and would work for next to nothing. In all honesty I just want to be around professionals in the industry and gain as much knowledge as I can.”

He went on to add that…. “I won’t waste your time inflating my credentials, throwing around exaggerated titles, or feeding you a line of crap about how my past experience and skill set align perfectly for an investment banking internship. The truth is have no unbelievably special skills or genius eccentricities, but I do have a near perfect GPA and I will work hard for you……”

And what do you know! Mr Ross ended up getting the job of his dreams as an investment banking analyst. In an interview with CNN Money, the young man says, “I was reading through some cover letters, and they were all fluff to me, everyone was embellishing and lying. I wanted to take a fresh approach, tell the truth, and be brutally honest.”

And what did the Hiring Manager think about the daring cover letter? Sherry Cefali the hiring manager with the firm says, “The cover letter opened the door but he really did get the job on his own.”

You can have a look at brutally honest cover letter HERE

Back to Kenya, do you think such a daring move would land you that job?

Courtesy: CNN Money

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