The cover letter that sent me running to the trash can

I'm a property manager, so I read a lot of applications for maintenance and leasing jobs. Last week I got one where the guy wrote a whole paragraph about his cat's litter box training routine. Like, he connected it to being detail oriented. Look, I get trying to stand out, but I just sat there thinking... buddy, you're applying to fix plumbing, not run a petting zoo. The worst part is he actually had decent experience buried under that nonsense. So now I'm wondering, has anyone else seen applicants try way too hard with weird personal stories in their cover letters? What's the most bizarre hook you've ever gotten?

3 comments

3 Comments

martin.riley1mo ago

Have you ever just called the guy to ask if he could drop the cat stuff from a revised version? Sometimes a quick phone talk saves a good candidate from their own cover letter.

aaronsullivan1mo ago

Quick phone talk saves a good candidate from their own cover letter" - yeah, @martin.riley, I've done that and ended up awkwardly praising the cat stuff because the guy was so proud of it. Ever rescue a cover letter only to regret it more?

riverh491mo ago

Have you ever called and then just sat there listening to them explain why the cat stuff is actually a metaphor for their work ethic? I feel you, man. I once talked a guy out of mentioning his cat's Instagram handle and he got all quiet, like I'd insulted his firstborn. The next version came back with a whole paragraph about his cat's "strategic thinking" during playtime. Sometimes you gotta just let them keep the weird stuff.

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