Ban these Words from your Cover Letter Now

Writing cover letters is hard work. If you are going about it the right way, you are tailoring each one to the specific job. At a certain point it all starts to seem a bit fluffy, doesn't it? When you have cover letter writing fatigue you are more prone to start stuffing in words without thinking about their meaning or how they might be perceived.  

​Words have different connotations to different people, so there is bound to be a range of responses to what you write in the cover letter. However, here are 4 words I frequently see and explanations of why I suggest you ban them from your cover letter now (including what to put in their place):

Passion
I am listing this one first because I am guilty of using the word in my own cover letters. I've described my "passion for advising students" before. It wasn't until I read this great article on the problems with passion talk that I began to question how describing my emotions about study abroad work had anything to do with my ability to meet the expectations of my employer. Do you have a passion for study abroad? Wonderful! That is a prerequisite. But enjoying your own study abroad experience and enjoying the work of administering the programs are two different animals. If you choose to use the word passion, be sure you use it to describe the features of the job itself.

Trip
In your cover letter you want to signal you are "in the know" and familiar with the language used by industry professionals. The term trip is generally frowned upon when used to refer to a study abroad program. Instead, use the term program. A trip sounds like a vacation and de-emphasises the academic and programmatic nature of study abroad. Whether you agree with this or not, you will score points by using the common terminology (and might lose credibility for calling your program a trip).

Travel
In the case of the word travel, it is not so much the word you should ban, it's what normally follows. Including a summary of all of the places you have travelled is a waste of cover letter real estate. Instead of providing a laundry list of your Eurail whistle stops, only describe meaningful learning experiences abroad. If you have been to lots of places, great. But the important part is to tell the employer why that makes you suited to this job. What did you accomplish during your travels (ex. experiences working alongside different cultures, honing your language skills, fundraising for a charity) and how has that life experience prepared you for this specific job and its duties. Learning how to navigate public transportation and backpack is an accomplishment, but not one that directly relates to most study abroad office jobs.

Immersed
There are two problems I have with the word immersed. The first is simply that it gets overused. In nearly all scholarship applications, study abroad essays, and cover letters I read, someone drops this word to emphasize the overseas experience as truly foreign. This takes away from its power and starts to generate a little eye-roll after reading it so many times. The second problem is that it comes across as a bit dramatic. Just being abroad, in another country, you are surrounded by difference. Is this how you are using the term immersed? What are you really trying to say? If you mean you lived with a host family in a small town where you did not speak any English for 6 months, and only interacted with host-nationals, describe that instead. And, like travel, tell us how it changed you. How did this immersion impact your worldview, skills, and attitude.

So what do you think? Agree with me? Disagree? Are there others that should be included on this list? Let me know what you think in the comments below.

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