Cutting Corners: Building the Skills Matrix by Ahjah Marie Johnson

Cutting Corners: Building the Skills Matrix

by Ahjah Marie Johnson


Greetings, good people! I hope that this blog post finds you just at the right time. I recently posted about how to get started with writing titled Channeling Your Inner Boss. I want to stress that approaching writing with confidence is important. I’d also add that strategy is the tool to secure that confidence, especially when writing documents like cover letters and personal statements, where it is a necessity to describe your skills and abilities.

Right now, I’m currently on the job market and cover letter writing as you know is something that must happen. However, getting started to write a cover letter feels like putting on my Mama’s dress shoes as a toddler, slapping a wig on my head, just to play pretend. Essentially, it feels performative, fake, and sometimes, I feel like an imposter. The websites to aid in this and other resources will quickly tell me that it’s essential to grab the employer’s attention, to do my research, address the employer by name, and lead with a strong thesis about my skill set. However, it still doesn’t make the document feel like enough to get me off the market fast enough. While channeling your inner boss is all good and well for writing a cover letter, I also take a strategic step to ensure that the cover letter by developing a skills matrix.

Just think: As a graduate student, how many fellowships, applications, personal statements have you written to get awards, conference opportunities, internships? [INSERT ANSWER HERE] …Exactly!

In reality, there truly is no cheating if your thoughts are your own. Paragraphs where I’ve detailed my experiences are transferred into a Google Sheet where I can label them based on the experience type (e.g., assessment, supervision, research experience). Later, as I perfect paragraphs about my skills in the submitted cover letter I place them in the matrix in another column. This allows me to see how my writing skills have improved over time. Paragraphs/passages within my skills matrix become the building blocks to my cover letter/personal statement writing.

Brew you something warm and conjure up those documents! Then, dump relevant passages in an excel or some preferred platform where you can label the different experiences you’ve talked about to start building your skills matrix. It’s okay if they aren’t exactly written the way you want for this new document. Remember, it’s just a building block and not the editing phase. Once you have your building blocks placed in the matrix and labeled, select the ones that are the most updated, if necessary, and highlight them.

Now that you’ve seen all of your accomplishments, getting started on the cover letter. First start with highlighting the job tasks and key words. By reading the lines of the description and what is written in-between the lines (yes, there are hidden messages), ask what are the top 2-3 experiences that you want to highlight for this position. And then, use your skills matrix to conjure up a draft and paste the relevant skills you’ve already written about into your cover letter draft, preferably in the order in which they were written.

Tip: If you have similar, differently written paragraphs about the same skill, no problem, copy both and paste them into a blank document where you can combine the two.

Lastly, take a break; cover letters, despite its much shorter length compared to most of your work, are not meant to be written in a short period of time. When you get fatigued, take a break. Come back to the cover letter when you’re feeling up to it and begin filling in the blanks, perfecting previously written portions, and drafting that conclusion.

What I’ve learned with my writing is that no matter how many times I draft a cover letter, I get exhausted, I need more support. Tired eyes make it harder to find mistakes and a tired brain makes it more difficult to comprehend all together. For me, setting up an appointment at the HWC and get some extra encouragement. Sometimes, getting started is hard, but sometimes, continuing can be more challenging. Currently, for motivation with job searching and completing my dissertation, I have weekly appointments at the Howe Writing Center (HWC). When I feel fatigued or like I’m performing, my fellow colleague and writing consultant Tanzim helps me get through the cover letter draft to the application submission. The HWC is a great place to receive additional support in your writing.

You’ve got this! Now, let’s get to brewing, drafting.

For more about editing the cover letter stay tuned!

Comment below and let me know what you think!

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