I might tell myself that this person took a sabbatical after graduating and is reconnecting with family and friends, maybe hiking across the islands, or perhaps she is doing some self-studying to figure out what field she wants to break into. I might tell myself that this person is trapped in the "cannot get a job without experience and cannot get experience without a job" trap, and she needs her big break. Or, I might tell myself that she has applied to hundreds of jobs and she is so bad that no one has wanted to hire her, so I am not going to be fool that wastes my time trying to train her!

Put yourself into the shoes of the person who is reading your resume. What is the story that you want them to tell themselves about you? Don't let them assume anything! Tell the story!

Let's assume you found a job posting online and you are applying. Do your homework to know what the job entails and how you have experience that you can bring to the table. Do your homework and know what the company does and what people think about that company (online reputation via a Google search). Do your research and see how that company compares to other companies in that field. Then write a cover letter to tell your story:

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Dear Hiring Manager,

My name is Furreverdreamer and I am very interested in being your new [insert job title here]. I am familiar with the [insert industry here] industry and the online reputation of your company. I am confident that my knowledge, skills, and experiences will definitely help [insert company name here].

I am the person you need because the job requires someone who is [list key skills from the job description]. I learned how to [skills] while executing several projects in school. [Give an example] I also gained valuable experience doing [list activities from the job description and where you did those things for school, family, friends, or extracurriculars like church]. I admit that I learned a couple of lessons the hard way. Fortunately, I am a quick study so when I struggled with [knowledge or skill from job description], I realized what when wrong and I adjusted. [Give example of when you failed and how you applied the lessons learned to the next similar assignment - Canos love that sort of thing.]

I graduated with a degree in [degree name] from [college/university name] in [month of 2023]. After taking some time to get settled back home, and studying the job market, I am ready to break into my first, full-time job.

You will be delighted with my work ethic and quality, so let's schedule a time to speak!

Sincerely,

Furreverdreamer

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Note that I did not lead with the story. I ended with the story because people have short-term memory and what you say last sticks with them more than what you said in the beginning. Not many folks will actually read a cover letter, but you probably want to work for the kind of person that does...

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