Using language contained in the job posting and company website

Question

I'm currently applying for jobs, and a lot times I come across a general interest post (where you're allowed to send your resume and documents, and they'll contact you when a position is available) or a section where it says:

if you don't see a position that matches your skills email us

I'm currently looking at a company website where it says the following:

Don’t see a current position for your skillset but believe you would make an awesome addition to our team? email us insertcompanyaddresshere.

Would it be okay to state in my cover letter:

I don't see a position, but I do have an awesome skillset to be a great addition to your team.

I highlighted the word awesome because if this was another company, you won't use such word, but since it's on the career page, would it be okay to use it?

Clarifications:

• I haven't sent my cover letter or resume yet. I'm waiting to read the answers provided here.
• Should I restructure the sentence in my cover letter, if so, how?

Answer 1

In general when it comes to the topic of,

Using language contained in the job posting and company website

It makes sense to carefully read and understand the language an employer uses on their website, job descriptions, career page, etc. It can provide you a glimpse into the culture of the employer and the specific type of person they're looking for.

Mirroring the same voice, vocabulary, level of complexity, and overall style in your correspondence (without going overboard or stepping outside the norms of formal communication) can help you show that you understand and fit the profile they're looking for.

To answer your specific question,

since it's on the career page, would it be okay to use it?

I'd say, it depends.

As you're acknowledging, "awesome" is a pretty informal slang word and wouldn't normally appear on a resume or career website. So - rather than focusing on that specific word, look at the bigger picture. Does this company portray a less formal culture through the rest of the language on the career page and in their job descriptions? If so, then yes, it's a great idea to use that word, and it'll be a specific nod to the fact that you're paying attention. If "awesome" seems a little out of place in a sea of otherwise-formal language, I would advise against it, but it's perfectly fine to mirror the sentence otherwise, as you're planning when you said:

I don't see a position, but I do have an awesome skillset to be a great addition to your team.

Just make sure you can back it up - be prepared to show in your letter and CV what your skills are, how you've solved problems similar to what they may be facing, etc etc. This sentence won't mean much on it's own of course, but can be a good intro and a way to show that you actually read their webpage.

And as a final thought, you need to filter all of this through your own personality. Don't try to be someone you're not - you want them to hire "you" not a character you make up to try to fit exactly what they're looking for. Overall, choosing a single word (or not) is a minor part of a bigger picture of matching yourself to the employer.

Answer 2

No.

It's not so much the use of the word "awesome" or even of the presence of the skillset - it's that you've missed the key word, which is actually addition.

The company doesn't care about your skillset - let's pick a tech one, let's go with D3. Let's say you're great at D3. But the company sells 3d games for the XBox. Your D3 isn't going to be very useful, is it?

Unless maybe it is - in this contrived example, maybe you can see that D3 is just the thing they need to add some widget or feature that will make the game a killer game. Now, it doesn't matter what the company does - your real selling point will be in arguing that you care enough about this company that you've thought of something that is amazing for them, and you have the skillset to make it happen.

That will get your CV read, and re-read. Answering a generic call to a company - "oh, you need an apple picker? I can pick apples!" is great and all. Reaching out and telling them that what they need are polished apples, and you can make apple-polishing robots is going to elevate you above every other CV they have though.

So, sure, use the word "amazing" if you like, because the company has used it so its part of their culture. But try to think about what the company does and why and how what you do will make that company even better.

Answer 3

The answer that would work in this case really depends on the "vibe" that the company gives off. If they're a "wacky energetic start-up" then they might be looking for that type of person. If they're a large enterprise who has shown great accomplishments over decades of existence, chances are they want someone who's just as serious at getting the job done. In this case, it sounds like the company you're applying for would appreciate someone who is skilled and would not be opposed to some semi-casual language and excitement about the job.

As said in the comments, if you're going to say you have an awesome skillset, you better prove it. Starting the email off by saying you have an awesome skillset sets expectations high, and you should be able to meet them.

Go ahead and say you have an awesome skillset, then prove it.