{"id":2103,"date":"2014-09-03T16:30:24","date_gmt":"2014-09-03T16:30:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.magicjudges.org\/articles\/?p=2103"},"modified":"2015-04-09T17:54:10","modified_gmt":"2015-04-09T17:54:10","slug":"writing-effective-cover-letters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.magicjudges.org\/articles\/2014\/09\/03\/writing-effective-cover-letters\/","title":{"rendered":"Writing Effective Cover Letters"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Written<\/a>

Written by Paul Baranay<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

\"Written<\/a>

Written by Evan Cherry<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

The purpose of a cover letter is straightforward: convince the people reading it that YOU are the right person for the job! While this article can\u2019t guarantee that you\u2019ll be accepted every time you apply, it will give some general tips to improve your cover letters for future events.<\/p>\n

The Basics<\/h1>\n

Cover letters for judging events are quite different from cover letters in other fields. \u00a0\u00a0For one thing, there\u2019s no need to put your name and address at the top like you would for a traditional letter. That information is automatically included by JudgeApps when you apply, along with your JudgeApps profile photo.<\/p>\n

<\/p>Cover letters for events should generally be kept short. \u00a0Conveying information succinctly is almost always more important than excessive writing. \u00a0As a consequence, you don\u2019t need to spend space on an elaborate introduction or conclusion. \u00a0Judge Managers already know that you\u2019re excited to work for their event, so mentioning this is generally superfluous. \u00a0Don\u2019t make people do more work to get to the meat of your application.<\/p>\n

A cover letter is your first impression when applying to an event. Typos and grammatical issues appear unprofessional and make Judge Managers question the level of attention to detail you\u2019ll bring to their event. \u201cJoke\u201d cover letters make Judge Managers question your maturity. \u00a0Take the extra minute to make sure everything looks correct before pressing submit.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s also important to make sure you actually answer all the questions called for in the application. Read the Event Information carefully to make sure you address all requested information. Some common questions are how many days you\u2019re willing to work for multi-day events and whether you\u2019re willing to accept standby sponsorship. \u00a0When answering any extra questions, be complete and unambiguous. Do not answer \u201cDo you have a specific goal for this event\u201d with \u201cyes.\u201d \u00a0Pay attention to the posted questions so that Judge Managers have enough information to give your application the consideration it deserves!<\/p>\n

<\/h1>\n

Experience, Goals, and Needs<\/h1>\n

Everyone writes cover letters a little differently, but successful cover letters often include these common elements: your experience judging, your goals for the event, and any special needs you have. \u00a0Figuring out how you would answer these three questions is a great place to start.<\/p>\n

If you choose to use this structure, you can write a cover letter that simply consists of three paragraphs that are explicitly titled Experience, Goals, and Needs. \u00a0This is an easy way of ensuring that the Judge Manager can find exactly what they\u2019re looking for in your application.<\/p>\n

Experience<\/h2>\n

<\/p>When most people think about their experience as a judge, they probably think about all the events they\u2019ve worked. \u00a0In actuality, your experience encompasses much more than just your event history. \u00a0The Judge Manager can review your event history on your JudgeApps profile, so your cover letter should focus on specific details of your experience.<\/p>\n

An Experience paragraph is a great place to humbly but confidently state any particular strengths, skills, or perspectives you bring to the event. \u00a0This is true even if you haven\u2019t worked any Competitive REL events. \u00a0New judges sometimes simply state that they don\u2019t have any experience at Competitive REL yet and don\u2019t put much other information into their letter. \u00a0This strategy is simply not very effective because it doesn\u2019t provide any compelling reason for a Judge Manager to take you.<\/p>\n

Remember: the point of a cover letter is to emphasize what you can do for an event. \u00a0Rather than focusing on what you haven\u2019t done, emphasize what you do and will bring to the event. \u00a0Do you run a lot of Regular events for your local store or playgroup? \u00a0Have you read the IPG? \u00a0Are you a whiz at rules interactions? \u00a0Do you know the basic deck archetypes and answers to common rules questions for the format of the event? \u00a0Focus on what you will contribute to the event, not on your shortcomings.<\/p>\n

If you have worked some events, you don\u2019t need to list all of them one-by-one. \u00a0Consider grouping similar events together and expressing them as a single sentence that succinctly summarizes your overall experience. \u00a0For example, this:<\/p>\n

\u201cEXPERIENCE: I\u2019ve Head Judged three GPTs at my store, and I\u2019ve floor judged an SCG Open and a PTQ\u201d<\/p>\n

is much easier to parse than this long list:<\/p>\n

\u201cEXPERIENCE:<\/p>\n