Strike the floor jogging
January 6, 2009 7:22 PM   Subscribe

I loathe the phrase "[I will] hit the ground running." What can I say in a cover letter that conveys that point without any of the cliche?
posted by Franklin76 to Society & Culture (17 answers total) 14 users marked this as a favorite
 
Ready from day one.
posted by box at 7:26 PM on January 6, 2009


"I'll be ready to perform as soon as I arrive."
posted by Netzapper at 7:27 PM on January 6, 2009


"I am confident that I will be able to exceed your expectations from my very first day on the job."
posted by mudpuppie at 7:31 PM on January 6, 2009


"I have the experience and knowledge to make an immediate positive impact in this position" and then describe how your experience fits the company and/or job requirements.
posted by txvtchick at 7:39 PM on January 6, 2009


I relish X
posted by parmanparman at 7:40 PM on January 6, 2009


"I possess the skills and experience necessary to commence active and valuable contribution to the team from the moment of my engagement."
posted by turgid dahlia at 7:47 PM on January 6, 2009


"I will excel immediately. " Omit needless words!
posted by PercussivePaul at 8:17 PM on January 6, 2009


I'll second txvtchick. After reading the first few resumes, the cliches all start to blend together. The resumes where someone tells me why their skills might be useful are more likely to stand out.
posted by nalyd at 8:30 PM on January 6, 2009 [1 favorite]


"I will be proactive in the area of immediate action-orientated actions"
posted by cyphill at 8:38 PM on January 6, 2009 [2 favorites]


I agree with txctchick on the sentiment but skip the entire phrase of "I have the experience and knowledge to make an immediate positive impact in this position" and instead say something like "I can immediately help you to/with (bullet points of X, Y, Z)" and back it up with evidence on how you are qualified to do that. The key is to make your cover letter/resume skimmable and geared towards what you can concretely do. Most letters/resumes I've seen are written in a bizarre "bizspeak" dialect that makes it difficult and frustrating to decipher what the person is trying to say.
posted by sfkiddo at 8:53 PM on January 6, 2009 [2 favorites]


box nailed it in the first comment:

"I will be ready from day one."
posted by wsg at 10:46 PM on January 6, 2009


I don't think we can tell you what to replace a cliche with without knowing what you are really trying to say. You will work hard, even on your first day? You already have the knowledge needed to do the job? Tell us what you're trying to say and we can help word it.
posted by salvia at 10:51 PM on January 6, 2009


Colloquially:
Kick down the door, guns blazing
Arrive with my cock out ready to rock out (if I saw that on your cover letter, I'd hire you)
Arrive with forward batteries deployed and at the ready
Show up wearing matching git-r-dun hat & gloves

But this really another vote for skipping the cliches and saying what, specifically, you can do for people, in your cover letter. Hook it up with some info about what position you're applying for and what you do, and we can finetune from there.
posted by saysthis at 3:45 AM on January 7, 2009 [1 favorite]


Arrive with my cock out ready to rock out t (if I saw that on your cover letter, I'd decline to even interview you)

I would say something like, Because I understand the specific needs of the reverse widget production industry, and have direct experience in widget production line processes, I will be able to perform as soon as I arrive.
posted by theora55 at 8:51 AM on January 7, 2009


"I'll be ready to perform as soon as I arrive." - sounds like you just overheard Patti Lupone talking on her cellphone.



"I will be proactive in the area of immediate action-orientated actions"

"I possess the skills and experience necessary to commence active and valuable contribution to the team from the moment of my engagement."


- I'm sure these are sarcastic responses.


"I will excel immediately. " - I see a deer-in-the-headlights look on the person who writes this.



sfkiddo has the correct answer. It should be highlighted asap- before people take the other answers seriously.
posted by Zambrano at 12:02 PM on January 7, 2009


For once, amazingly, I agree with Zambrano. sfkiddo's got it.
posted by tangerine at 1:46 PM on January 8, 2009


I believe my skill set and experience will mesh seamlessly, efficiently and productively with your organization.
posted by Muirwylde at 7:26 PM on January 8, 2009


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