Eric Woodard - Win At Work

4 Ways To Write a Great Cover Letter

If cover letters feel impossible

Here’s the fix you’ve never heard.

Most people hate writing cover letters.

Not because they’re lazy.

Because no one ever explained what a cover letter actually does.

It’s not a performance review.

It’s not a personal essay.

It’s not a “please like me” message.

A great cover letter does one thing:

It makes a human feel understood.

That’s it 👀

After coaching thousands of job seekers, here are four strategies that finally make cover letters click:

1) Write the letter even if you think no one reads it.

Effort builds trust.

Trust gets interviews.

Even if they skim, they notice care.

And care separates you from the pack.

2) Make it about them, not you.

Most cover letters sound like a diary entry.

“I…I…I…me…me.”

Flip it.

Use more “you” than “I.”

Show them you understand their world, their problems, their pressure 💼

3) Share wins and let them draw their own conclusion.

Don’t say “this is why I’d be a great fit.”

That steals the moment from them.

Give a clear example of success.

Let them connect the dots.

When they think, “this person might be perfect,” you win.

4) Add real human voice.

AI is everywhere.

Boring tone is everywhere.

Perfect sentences are everywhere.

Your humanity is the differentiator 🤝

A tiny quirk, a small joke, a warm detail.

Those are the things people remember.

If cover letters have been stressing you out, you’re not alone.

And you don’t need to keep guessing.

For more, check out this video I did about cover letters: https://value.winatwork.io/i-hate-writing-cover-letters

The Ghost Isn't About You

You applied. You interviewed. You followed up.

And then... nothing. 👻

Getting ghosted after an interview is one of the most demoralizing experiences in a job search. You did everything right - prepared, showed up, sent the thank-you note - and they just... disappeared.

Here what's more accurate about job searches:

The ghost almost never means what you think it means.

It rarely means you were terrible. It rarely means they hated you. It usually means one of these:

👉 The role got put on hold (budget, reorg, leadership change)

👉 An internal candidate emerged at the last second

👉 The hiring manager got swamped and no one owns the follow-up

👉 They made an offer to someone else and HR hasn't closed the loop

None of those have anything to do with your worth as a candidate. 💼

So what do you do?

✅ Send one clean follow-up email, 5-7 days after your last contact. Keep it short and warm - make it about them.

✅ Give it one more week. Then send another message - send them some kind of acknowledgement of value. NO "just checking in" messages.

✅ Keep your pipeline full. The antidote to a ghost isn't obsessing over that one role. It's having five other conversations happening at the same time. 🔥

The job that's right for you won't ghost you permanently.

Having trouble following up because you don't have somebody's contact info? We have fix for that. It's a short mini-course. Want access? Here you go: https://winatwork.io/how-to-contact-anybody

You don't have a motivation problem.

You might have a reference group problem.

That exhaustion you feel as a leader?

It's not from the workload.

It's from being the most ambitious person in every room.

Your brain learns "normal" from your environment.

Not from your goals.

When you're always the one pushing standards up...

When you're always the one seeing bigger possibilities...

When you're always the one willing to take risks...

It creates gravity.

Think about it:

Your team waits for you to set the vision.

Your peers default to your optimism.

Your board expects you to have answers.

You're compensating for everyone else's comfort zone.

Here's the thing most executives miss:

We don't calibrate to targets.

We calibrate to reference points.

If your current reference points include:

- That conservative CFO who shoots down everything
- Industry podcasts playing it safe
- Peer groups celebrating small wins
- Advisors who say "be realistic"
- Team meetings where you're the only one thinking big

…it may be dragging you down more than you think.

Small inputs teach your brain that small is normal.

Healthy environments bounce energy back and forth.

Someone pushes you.

You push them.

Growth alternates.

When it only flows one direction?

You're the engine.

They're the weight.

Feeling stuck in your job search? This might help: https://value.winatwork.io/how-to-get-unstuck-in-my-job-search

Years ago, my favorite restaurant moved.

New location. Bigger space. Fancier setup.

But suddenly - no phone calls. Only online reservations through a third-party app. They closed twice a week for private events. Parking was a nightmare.

My friends and I tried a few times. Then we stopped.

Not because the food got worse. Because connecting with them got too hard.

Here's what this has to do with your job search:

**Some candidates are that restaurant.**

Great product. Terrible accessibility.

Their LinkedIn is sparse. Their email bounces. They respond to messages five days later with a one-liner. Their resume has no links, no portfolio, no easy way to learn more.

Hiring managers and recruiters move fast. When they can't easily reach you - or can't quickly understand who you are - they move to the next person.

Make it easy to find you. Make it easy to reach you. Make it easy to say yes to you.

A few quick wins:

- LinkedIn profile photo, headline, and "Open to Work" signal updated
- Respond to messages within 24 hours (even just "Thanks - happy to connect!")
- Resume with your LinkedIn URL and a working email address

The best opportunities don't always go to the best candidate.

They go to the one who made it easiest to say yes.

**A lot of people think what worked for someone else won’t work for them.**

**Carolyn decided not to believe that.**

When Carolyn first came to us, she’d been looking for nearly a year.

Lots of effort.

Not a lot of traction.

Like many job seekers, she was doing what most people do:

📄 Applying

📧 Waiting

🤞 Hoping

And getting frustrated.

So she made a decision.

Instead of working harder, she decided to work differently.

She jumped into the Get Hired FAST program and got serious about improving her system.

There were ups and downs.

Moments of momentum.

Moments where it would’ve been easy to get discouraged.

And she kept going.

She showed up.

She did the work.

She stayed in the game.

Eventually, she landed her new job. 🎉

And a few days ago she shared this review.

The thing I appreciate most about Carolyn’s story is that she understood something many people miss:

Finding a job isn’t about luck.

It’s about having a system that creates trust.

A system for your mindset.

A system for your networking.

A system for your follow-up.

A system for your interviews.

When the system gets better, the results tend to get better too.

Carolyn did that work.

This success belongs to her. 🙌

We’re just grateful we got to be part of the journey.

Last week, I had four clients get offers.

Four.

Which is exciting. And every time this happens, I’m reminded of something that often surprises people: sometimes getting a job feels more disorienting than losing one.

That sounds backwards. After all, job loss can feel hard. It’s stressful financially, emotionally, professionally. It messes with identity and confidence. No need to minimize any of that.

And, at the same time, starting again can create its own kind of chaos because after weeks, months, or sometimes years of job searching, your entire world changes overnight. Your brain doesn’t always get the memo right away.

# # Welcome to Hirer’s Remorse

When you lose a job, your brain asks questions like: *What am I going to do? How long will this last? Who am I without this role?* There’s uncertainty everywhere.

There’s also something else: space.

Suddenly there are fewer meetings, fewer deadlines, no commute, no onboarding modules, no awkward team introductions.

Then the offer comes and the questions change. *Can I still sleep in? What time do I have to leave the house? Do these clothes still fit? What if I forgot how to work? What if they realize they made a mistake?*

That last one tends to be the big one.

There’s buyer’s remorse. And then there’s what I call hirer’s remorse.

It’s the belief that the company regrets choosing you. You start reading into everything. Your manager says, “How’s onboarding going?” and your brain hears: *They’re checking if I’m failing.* Someone asks if you need help and your brain hears: *They already know I’m behind.* Your laptop doesn’t work on day one and somehow your brain turns that into: *This whole thing is unraveling.*

The mind gets creative when it’s anxious, especially after a long search.

# # Why This Happens More After Long Job Hunts

The longer someone searches, the more rejection becomes familiar. Not enjoyable. Just familiar. And humans tend to trust what’s familiar.

If you’ve spent six months hearing, “No thanks,” “We moved forward with other candidates,” or “We decided to pause hiring,” your brain starts building a story. The story often sounds something like: *I’m hard to hire.*

Then suddenly someone hires you.

That new reality can feel suspicious. Your circumstances changed quickly. Your nervous system may still be living three months ago.

Here’s the tricky part: these thoughts usually feel useful.

Your brain says:

*Stay alert.*

*Don’t get comfortable.*

*Watch for signs.*

*Prepare for disaster.*

Because if you expect rejection, maybe rejection hurts less. Except hypervigilance creates a different problem. You stop learning. You stop connecting. You become more focused on detecting danger than doing the job itself. And when that happens, anxiety starts creating the performance problems you were worried about in the first place.

# # You Weren't Hired by Accident

If you’re worried they regret hiring you, zoom out for a second. They reviewed resumes, interviewed candidates, compared options, discussed compensation, got approvals, created paperwork, spent time and money, and then chose you.

Organizations accidentally do lots of things.

Hiring somebody usually isn’t one of them.

People talk a lot about surviving unemployment. We talk less about surviving success because getting the offer isn’t the finish line. It’s another transition.

Transitions are messy. Even the good ones.

So if you recently got hired and your brain keeps whispering, *What if they’re sorry they hired me?* know this: almost everybody wonders some version of that. You’re not uniquely underqualified. You’re not the only one checking your email for signs of trouble. And you probably don’t have secret evidence that everyone else missed.

They hired you because they saw possibility in you.

Give yourself enough time to see it too.

Earlier this week, I had a client who felt really defeated.

They’d been job searching for more than six months.

Another rejection email had landed in their inbox; they felt like they’d tried everything.

Networking.
Applications.
Resume changes.
More networking.

At this point, they were running out of steam and getting close to saying:

“Screw it.”

So first? I told them to take care of themselves.
Take a break.
Go outside.
Watch bad TV.
Pet a dog.

Do something that reminded them they were a human being and not a job-search machine.

Then I said:

“When you’re ready to think about this again, I want you to think about it with the memory of a goldfish.”

They looked confused.

“What does that mean?”

Goldfish Memory
If you’ve watched Ted Lasso, you probably know where this is going.

Early in the show, one of the players, Sam, makes a mistake during practice and starts beating himself up over it.

Ted asks him:

“You know what the happiest animal on earth is?”

A goldfish.

“You know why?”
“Got a ten-second memory.”
“Be a goldfish.”

Now before the marine biologists email me...

Yes.
Goldfish remember things longer than ten seconds.

That’s not the point.

The point is:
Some things deserve goldfish memory.

Bad interview?
Goldfish.

Rejection after five rounds?
Goldfish.

An awkward networking call?
Goldfish.

That email you wish you’d worded differently?
Goldfish.

Not because those things don’t matter.
Because carrying them around longer than necessary stops helping.

My client didn’t need to forget six months of job searching.

They had an opportunity to stop carrying one rejection letter into tomorrow.

And other things?
Those deserve elephant memory.

Elephant Stuff
The coworker who trusted you.
The project you rescued.
The person you mentored.
The thank-you email.

The time somebody told you:
“You really helped me.”

The dozens or hundreds or thousands of moments that prove you make a difference.

That’s elephant stuff.

I think a lot of job seekers accidentally reverse this.

They keep elephant memories for rejection.
Goldfish memories for impact.

Maybe the question isn’t:

“What do I remember?”

Maybe it’s:

Is this elephant memory?
Or goldfish memory?

Read full article here: https://open.substack.com/pub/ericwoodard/p/remember-like-a-goldfish?r=3bf86b&utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=web

The Muses.

Daughters of Zeus.

OG squad of divine creative badasses.

Still around after all these years?

Oh yeah. They never left.

Sure, the ancient 9 had their moment.

And times changed.

So the squad evolved.

Meet 9 modern Muses — born for this wild, noisy world:

🔍 Curia – Muse of Curiosity

Asks the questions that make the room go quiet — then listens like it matters.

🪞 Autha – Muse of Authenticity

No masks. No performance. Just truth, presence, and the power of being real.

🗣️ Sela – Muse of Storytelling

Drops facts like breadcrumbs — but tells stories that set your soul on fire.

🧩 Mira – Muse of Systems

Finds structure in chaos. Builds blueprints that hum with purpose.

🤝 Dova – Muse of Service

Zero ego. All heart. Quietly changing the world one bold act at a time.

🔥 Thena – Muse of Ownership

No blame. No hiding. Just radical responsibility and full-send energy.

💗 Emra – Muse of Empathy

Feels the tension no one names. Leads from the heart — even when it’s hard.

🛡️ Vera – Muse of Commitment

Unshakeable. Shows up especially when it’s inconvenient.

⚖️ Inna – Muse of Integrity

Holds the line. Even when no one’s watching. Especially then.

Want their help?

Don’t wait to be ready.

Just begin.

They love that.

Because they’re rooting for you.

Fiercely. Quietly. Always.

—
If you’re on the job hunt and want to know where there might be opportunities for you to get traction, you can get a personalized Get Hired FAST score here: https://lnkd.in/em9HsFus

You’re late.

For a very important date.

You said 3:00 pm EDT.

You showed up at 3:01. Or 4:00. Or next Tuesday.

How late doesn’t really matter.

You weren’t there.

And you weren’t in communication beforehand.

Now what?

Some folks pretend it didn’t happen.

Ever met one of these ghosts? (Ever been one?) 👻

Others throw out these greatest hits:

"Traffic was insane." 🚗

"I lost track of time." ⏰

"Something came up." 🙃

"I couldn’t find parking." 🅿️

"My alarm failed me." 🤖

"Zoom decided to update itself." 🔄

"It’s been a crazy morning." ☕

And of course, the classic:

"So sorry I’m late."

Then they plow ahead like nothing happened.

After all, time's already ticking — gotta get moving, right?

You said "sorry," isn’t that enough?

Not quite.

Being late creates a ripple.

It’s not about bad person vs. good person.

It’s about impact.

So instead of ignoring it...

Instead of tossing out an excuse...

Instead of a drive-by apology...

Get curious.

→ Ask if your lateness had an impact.

→ Ask how you can make it right.

Simple. Human. Powerful.

That’s how you actually clean it up. 🧹

(And build real trust while you’re at it.)

___________

FYI I’ve got a workshop coming up called “Get Hired FAST” where I’ll be sharing 4 strategies and 9 tactics my clients are using to get more interviews and offers right now. You’re invited: https://event.winatwork.io

Safeway. Monday night. 🛒
That means Cheep Chicken 🐔😂

It’s what they call it when fried chicken is on sale. 🍗
$8.99 (two dollars off) for a whole chicken. 💸

2 wings, 2 drumsticks, 2 breasts, 2 thighs 🍗🍗
She’s picking them out of a big pile. Lots of chicken. 😄

I playfully ask…
”can you please make sure all the pieces I get came from the same chicken?” 🐓

She smiles, politely - could tell I meant no harm 🙂
My daughter standing next to me shakes her head. 🤦‍♀️
Nobody rolling with laughter in the grocery aisles though... 🫠

Now - I thought this was the funniest joke in the world. 😂

Making sure all the pieces came from the same original chicken?
All the pieces in that pile?
After they’d all been fried and all look alike? 🍗🍗🍗

Hilarious. I was sure of it.

And my audience disagreed.
Bawlk. 🐔

Here’s the thing I see with a lot of job seekers…
They’re sure it’s that perfect job. 🎯
Sure this is the one.
And then - not so much. 😬

The opportunity - be ok with not knowing. Take the shot. 🚀
I’ll still keep telling chicken jokes - because while some won’t land, some will. 😅

Keep putting yourself out there for that job.
Some won’t land, some will. 💼
And very likely the ones that seem to be the surest thing, won’t be.

Still think my chicken joke was hilarious though. 🤷‍♂️🐔😂

BTW - looking to get unstuck in your job search?
I’ve got a workshop coming up called Get Hired FAST where we talk about how to get unstuck. ⚡You’re invited.
Sign up here: [https://event.winatwork.io](https://event.winatwork.io/)