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“Please do not use cover letters that you copied out of a book. If you write ‘I understand the position also requires a candidate who is team- and detail-oriented, works well under pressure, and is able to deal with people in departments throughout the firm’ then at best people will think you're a bullshit artist and at worst they will think that you were not born with the part of the brain that allows you to form your own thoughts and ideas.”

Getting Your Résumé Read

PS. This article got two kinds of feedback:

Ok Joel, I've been getting you newsletter for a while now. Mostly I was glad to. I'm a twenty year vet myself and I agreed with most of what you had to say. You were always a little pompous, but the resume "thing" takes the cake. PLease take me off you maliing list.

And:

It's absolutely perfect. Please make sure that this article stays on your site for a very long time. I want to maintain a link to it and recommend it to everybody who is looking for a job. Thank you!

Why the disparity?

Attention, All Gay Men on the Planet: OK, I can understand you don't want to dress up for the interview, but at least pick out a handbag that matches your outfit!

My new book is here! Apress has just published a new collection of 36 essays from Joel on Software, aptly named More Joel on Software. Get yours today! Available from Amazon.com or wherever fine cheese is sold.

About the Author: I’m your host, Joel Spolsky, a software developer in New York City. Since 2000, I've been writing about software development, management, business, and the Internet on this site. For my day job, I run Fog Creek Software, makers of FogBugz—the smart bug tracking software with the stupid name, and Fog Creek Copilot—the easiest way to provide remote tech support over the Internet, with nothing to install or configure.

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