Attitudes for Cover Letters – Find the Right Blend

A resume offers a factual account of your work history and achievements. The cover letter should convey the winning attitudes behind your success. Let’s consider how candidates choose their attitudes for their cover letters.

Offering a glimpse into who you are is difficult within the limited format of a resume. The free-flowing nature of a cover letter allows you to lift the lid on what makes you tick. 

While you should still describe how your experience fits the role in a cover letter, the language that you choose can convey how you achieved it. The margins between success and failure are tight. Your attitudes often dictate whether you get over the line. 

Countless examples of positive attitudes for cover letters might spring to mind. Consider the culture of the business you are applying to and the kind of people who work in your functional area. Choose your stories carefully. Try to imagine the sort of person that your hiring manager would like to hire and present yourself accordingly. 

However, there is a word of warning. 

Rather than string together a long list of adjectives to describe the attitude for cover letters that you think might be useful for the job (whether they apply to you or not), a cover letter should offer a more in-depth exploration. Pick four or five core attitudes you want to convey and weave them into your narrative. You don’t have to name them explicitly. It is often possible to understand from the context. 

15 Attitudes for Cover Letters

Driven. When a challenge is set and you have no idea how to achieve it, you need to find some initial momentum from somewhere. Driven people have a fire inside them that fuels the belief that they can make anything happen. Perseverance and determination help overcome the inevitable setbacks that accompany any iterative process. When success does not come the first time, you fall back on the drive to keep you going. 

Curiosity. No business is going to thrive by relying on the obvious solutions. Curiosity is a rare trait in the busy corporate world. It requires a quiet and enquiring mind, a fascination with exploring the roads not taken, and the courage to ask unusual questions. Curious people are not scared to be wrong. If you can become curious at the right time in the right situation, you never know what might be around the corner. 

Dedication. When you take on a task, you will see it through. No matter what it takes to make it happen and no matter how many competing priorities appear along the way. Every business needs these completer-finishers who have the steel inside them to do what they promise. Boasting a track record of consistent delivery in the face of large volumes of work requires a never-say-die attitude of “I am going to get this done.” 

Bring something new

Creativity. The ability to bring something into the world that did not exist before is actually vanishingly rare. Truly creative people do not only challenge the status quo; they ignore it completely. There is nothing more potent than a blank sheet of paper and a creative mind that is not afraid to explore the possibilities with those around them. Indeed, creativity cannot exist in a vacuum, so the most influential creators can take others with them on their journey of discovery. 

Humility. Selflessness and humility are at the heart of every team that puts the needs of the collective first. When individuals can work free of personal agendas or ambitions, they will make better decisions, forge closer relationships and place themselves in the service of those around them. When everything doesn’t revolve around you, it is so much easier to see the bigger picture. Then you can communicate it to the self-obsessed types, who would instead focus on their particular role.

Loyalty. Whenever a top performer joins a company, a vital HR metric is how long the company will be able to retain them. There are many ways to engender employee loyalty from an employer’s perspective. It is a compelling attitude to hint at in your cover letter. Show that you are willing to work for your employer through the good times and the bad. You won’t jump ship at the first sign of trouble. 

Cover letter honesty

Self-awareness. From understanding your impact on others to knowing the limits of when you need to ask for help, the importance of self-awareness cannot be understated. Many roles demand considerable independence, so being able to run your desk (particularly from a mental perspective) is essential. Self-awareness comes after reflection – show that you can objectively assess and measure your impact. 

Responsibility. Can you be relied on to get something done without being micro-managed and nagged? Will you make it happen to the best of your ability? Play your part with projects often involving multiple stakeholders? Allow others to take on your burden? Being responsible is an old-fashioned attitude. When there are so many demands, not letting too many things fall off the table can’t be underestimated.

Adaptability. There are no prizes for sticking with a second-rate idea until the bitter end. Having the mental agility to adopt a different approach in the face of difficulties is a matter of judgement and timing. Many businesses have been killed precisely because their people weren’t adaptable enough to pivot in time. Don’t be afraid to tell stories about how you have been pushed towards a different course by mitigating circumstances. 

Who are you on the inside?

Integrity. For those with a strong moral compass, the compulsion to do what is right when no one is looking is non-negotiable. Sadly, too many of us seek to do the minimum in such a situation. If integrity is a vital part of your makeup, it is one of the strongest words you can use in a cover letter. If you can expand on how this attitude plays a role in your life during an interview, future employers will be queuing up to hire you. 

Passion. This is one of the most important attributes that should come across in any cover letter. If we cannot convey our enthusiasm about our previous work, what hope do we have of coming through the doors of a future employer with a smile on our faces? Passion is contagious, but apathy is equally so. While you should avoid gushing, a few carefully chosen verbs and adjectives will inject a sense of love and enjoyment for what you do for a living. 

Consistency. The ability to regularly perform the same task to the highest standard is the basis of a solid business. It is the minimum that any hiring manager might expect from an employee. However, this is not to say that it is not worth highlighting, especially for less senior roles. Being proud of a consistent record of results is tangible and easily verifiable at the referencing stage. Don’t hesitate to mention it. 

Other cover letter attitudes

Leadership. Whether you are a direct line manager or a member of a team, everyone has the opportunity to act as a leader at certain times. If you are the type to embrace these changes to take others with you, it is important to give examples in your cover letter. Every business needs natural leaders at all levels of the organisation. Talk about what others have been able to achieve with you by their side to guide them. 

Tolerance. In a world where the value of diversity is increasingly being understood, tolerance for the opinions, attitudes and beliefs of others is an important virtue. Diversity of thought often comes from a variety of beliefs. The ability to see things from another perspective will bring fresh insights, both to individuals and their employers. True diversity comes from a place where tolerance is a way of being. 

Confidence. A simple belief that you deserve to be considered for the role should be woven into the tone and language of your cover letter. Don’t come across as desperate or unsure of your abilities. Tell the most suitable stores possible, make sure that they fit with the job description, and you will have every chance of being invited to interview. The perfect applicant doesn’t exist, but if you are not confident in your ability, your rivals will suddenly seem more attractive. 

A cover letter will always be a mix of career stories, personality insights and quantifiable achievements. Still, if you sprinkle the right blend of attitudes for cover letters into the mix, you will create a compelling piece of writing that will be hard to resist. 

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This blog is shared with Job Seeker Duetists.

Written by former recruitment ghostwriter Paul Drury (not AI).