The typical cover letter sucks. It literally hurts to read them they are so bad. But, don't fall for the "fried ice cream" peddled by the private sector recruiters who argue that cover letters are no longer necessary. That is not true. Every public sector executive competing for a position needs to have a cover letter and this is one of the easiest places elite candidates can differentiate themselves from their competition.  Write a great cover letter that captures the reader's attention and you are going to stand out from the crowd.  However, you can't write a kick-ass cover letter if you are committing one of these 8 deadly sins. SHOW NOTES: Engaging Local Government Leaders (ELGL) is accepting nominations for their Top 100 Local Government Influencers list. I would encourage you to nominate Micah Gaudet and Benjamin Effinger using this Google form or at this URL: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdSZXZtVm3s6a3Tv-uixuWVxrhoq29-weAj6AWGLp0CieKv7Q/viewform   Micah and Ben have been guests of the podcast and you can catch their interviews here: Ep. 24: Unlocking Veteran Benefits for Employers & Family Members with Benjamin Effinger Ep. 14: The Only ChatGPT Course Designed for Public Sector Professionals with Micah Ep. 07: ChatGPT: Skeptic to Believer in 30 Minutes with John Weidl & Micah Gaudet Ep. 04: Micah Gaudet: Level Up & Use ChatGPT in the Public Sector Today   If you want to post a senior or executive level job in my weekly newsletter for $100, please email me at: citymanagerunfiltered | at | gmail | dot | com. SUPPORT THE PODCAST: I recently re-launched my weekly report of city and county manager resignations, terminations, and retirements, or RTRs. I am now publishing this content in my free weekly LinkedIn newsletter. Don't forget to subscribe at this link if you want to get a heads up on future recruitments that are going to be coming down the pike: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/city-manager-rtrs-job-board-7164683251112992768/ If you would like to support the podcast by making a donation, please use the "Buy Me A Coffee" link. Please rate and review the podcast on Apple or your preferred platform if you enjoy the show. It helps tremendously. But more importantly, refer your friends and peers to podcast through personal conversations and posts on your social media platforms. Joe Turner's LinkedIn Page City Manager Unfiltered YouTube Page - Subscribe Today! Note: Page may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.