Employer Flattery Works Well in Cover Letter, Too

A recent University of Washington study reveals something about job-seekers: it’s better to flatter than to brag. The study looked at job-seekers and the recruiters who interviewed them. People who flattered the interviewer received higher ratings than those who expounded on their merits.

They received those ratings because interviewers believed they shared their beliefs and attitudes, indicating a potentially good fit at the company.

Ingratiating yourself to employers through appropriate levels of flattery (nothing obvious or obnoxious, of course) may help you more than your own impressive credentials.

You can deploy flattery in a cover letter as well as in an interview. Take a paragraph of your letter to show the reader you’ve researched the employer — and based on that research, you have great admiration for the organization and its mission, values, products, services, or other aspects.

— Adapted from the Echo newsletter from Communispond