Best. Cover Letter. Ever.

I was just thinking about this cover letter I wrote last fall in response to an ad posted by a new winery looking for someone to give tours. They stressed that knowledge of wine wasn't as important as having a great personality. I took that and ran with it....and they called me immediately.

Of course, they were too far away, and I didn't have enough availability. But still....the letter is a piece of art.

Enjoy!

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Dear Human Resources,

While browsing Craigslist, I ran across your ad for a Tasting Room Sales position in Alexander Valley. As a wine enthusiast, seasoned sales professional, and all-around people person, I couldn't pass this up, so I'd like to apply.

My resume is attached for your perusal, and, as you will see, I have extensive experience in the music business. I'm eager to learn about another business and have fun at the same time. I believe that working at a winery will give me just that. Since my resume outlines my "corporate" experience, I'd like to share with you some of the highlights of my customer service career. My first job was at an ice cream shop, which really prepared me for conducting wine tastings. Why? It's simple really. As you may know, people like to sample different ice creams before deciding upon the perfect cone combination, and, as the counter help, I worked hard to ensure that each customer made a well-informed decision. While in college, I also worked at Nordstrom and the Gap, thus giving me more customer service experience.

My favorite position, however, was being a campus tour guide. I enjoy few things more than giving tours and/or presentations, and you will be hard-pressed to find someone that can talk as much as I can. In fact, I've been known to give impromptu tours of San Francisco to tourists that ask me for directions or want to know a fun-fact about whatever building might be in front of us. It's just who I am.

Basically, I enjoy people, and, since theater is a hobby, I do well in front of groups. As I mentioned before, I think your open position sounds like fun, and I believe that I could be an asset to your tasting room.

Thanks for your time. I hope to hear from you.

Sincerely,

Cardelia Boardeaux
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Okay, so I didn't mention that I almost got fired from the ice cream gig because I was unable to make milkshakes at lightspeed, or that I was rarely allowed to work the front counter because I tended to drop ice cream on people, and, really, my main job there was to wash dishes and assemble salads. But that's neither here nor there.

And, you're right, at no point did I mention that my stints at both Nordstrom and the Gap were for a mere 3 weeks. No, I didn't say anything about how I spent my last day at Nordstrom folding socks in the backroom while the 18-year-old manager popped in to make sure I understood that I needed to match socks of the same color (which I did understand, but she liked to lord her authority over me because she was an evil, evil girl...who just so happened to be the receptionist at the insurance company I temped at one year later...and she was much nicer and seemed to think we were friends at Nordies). And, yes, when I was at the Gap, I was THE WORST EMPLOYEE EVER. No, I didn't arrive on time, and yes, I did yell at the manager in front of customers. And I may have been in at war with some short, fat girl named Cynthia who would knock over all the piles of clothes that I had JUST folded, and say, "You should fold those." But is any of that REALLY important?

I didn't think so.