How To Give Yourself a Pep Talk

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    'Tis the season... for college students to apply for jobs.  I literally have a list of several dozen places to apply in the next few weeks, and in this economy, the more applications you send out, the better.  Of course, you can't just spam employers: each one needs a fairly tailored resume, and a personalized cover letter.  Your resume will mostly speak for itself: that's the place to quantify your achievements in (reasonable) detail.  However, you have to get your resume read in the first place.  And that means bragging in your cover letter.
   Bragging does not come naturally to me, yet it is necessary.  If you are not confident in your achievements, how can a potential employer be confident that you will make a good employee?  For those that don't enjoy promoting their own achievements (like me), here are a few ways that I pump myself up to write that cover letter:

1. Reflect on your experience.  What did you enjoy doing the most?  This is what you will be best at.
2. Reflect on compliments you've gotten in the past.  Are you teachable?  Efficient?  A team player?  Professional?  Highlight those things.
3. Picture yourself a year or two ago.  Look how far you've come!  Now picture yourself in five to ten years.  Think of how far you can go.
4. Reflect on your proudest moment.  For me, that was realizing that people all over town experienced the effects of my work.  Even if you can't quantify it, it is still important.
5. Think about why you want the job, and why you would be a perfect fit.  Then go prove that you're that perfect fit!