I sent out 30 resumes with a generic cover letter before a hiring manager in Austin asked me one question that made me rethink all of it

Faith Chen · 2026-10-01T04:15:04.847254+00:00

I got a call back around 6 months ago from a manager in Austin who asked me point blank why I wanted to work at her company. I froze because I had been copying the same cover letter for 30 applications and just swapping the company name at the top. She said mine read like a template, and she was right, I never once mentioned anything about the actual team or role. After that I started writing a short, real note about why each place caught my eye, and my callback rate went from almost nothing to about 4 out of 10. Has anyone else had a moment where a stranger's blunt question made them realize they were doing a job search completely wrong?

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I sent out 30 resumes with a generic cover letter before a hiring manager in Austin asked me one question that made me rethink all of it | Career Advice - Guest Forum