Cover letters are the bane of their existence for anyone who works in career services. Few people, from the most senior partners in firms to first-year law students, are good at writing a cover letter. Perhaps it is because cover letters are arduous, and most people don't want to take the time to craft them. Maybe it's because people are taught to be humble and don't want to "toot their own horn" in a cover letter. Perhaps the skill of tailoring a cover letter to the job is too overwhelming when applying to many employers. Whatever the reason, most lawyers get it all wrong.

In working with my law students and alums over the years, I have used a mantra that makes sense regarding cover letter writing. It especially makes sense to those in their first legal writing class. Your resume is your facts; your cover letter is your analysis. In other words, your resume is what you have accomplished, and your cover letter is your chance to tell the employer why you are the match for the job. Also, when writing a cover letter, you must write from the point of view of what you can do for the employer rather than what they can do for you. Frankly, the employer doesn't care what they can do for you—it is all about what you can do for them. Keep these two ideas in mind when you start to write.