Being Bold in Your Cover Letter

When Lowell Perry Jr. Found himself unceremoniously laid off from a long-standing position, he acted fast.

He cleared his mind of negative emotions, got excited for a new chapter in his life, emptied his calendar and then hit his network – hard! (Here’s the story of his first day).

So what was next?

After leveraging his entire network, Perry received immediate responses. Within days, he had multiple leads.

Perry believed in himself and his experience. Being unemployed is not a time to lack confidence. You can’t let this low point in your career become an excuse to be apologetic, defensive, or passive about the quality of your skills.

Perry knew that as soon as he could get in front of hiring managers, it would be tough for them to say “no” to taking him on. He knew that his resume was important to sell himself to the hiring managers, but above all else he knew he had to be bold.

Be Bold on the Cover Letter

In addition to including his key achievements, and ways he could help the organization, he flat out told them in the cover letter: “You need to meet me.”

“I guarantee you that what I’m bringing to the table is unique, and at least worth bringing me in for a conversation,” said Perry. You have a better chance to get an interview “if you can raise some eyebrows.”

Don’t Hide From Your Blend of Skills

Perry didn’t hide the fact that his skill-set was broad. Whether they were transferable skills or not, he let all of them shine. Perry drew on his experience as an actor, having appeared on a number of movies and television productions, and used his acting chops and charisma – the very same he used in speaking engagements to raise funds for a non-profit – to seal the deal in the interviews.

Within a matter of weeks from being laid off, he found himself happily employed with a new executive level role.