What NOT to Do: The Generic Cover Letter Trap

Let’s be honest—most cover letters sound like they were written by ChatGPT on a bad day. They’re full of empty phrases like:

“I’m writing to express my interest in the position recently posted…”
“I believe my experience could help your company achieve its goals.”
“I welcome the opportunity to discuss how I might contribute…”

I’ve reviewed hundreds of these as both a job seeker and a mentor to early-career biostatisticians—and here’s the truth: they don’t work.

Generic cover letters feel like noise. They don’t tell the hiring manager anything meaningful about your skills, your fit, or your interest in their specific role. In biostatistics, where precision and clarity matter, your cover letter needs to reflect those same values.

Why Generic = Missed Opportunity

In a competitive field like biostatistics, hiring teams aren’t just looking for competence—they’re scanning for signs of alignment:

• Do you understand their research focus or therapeutic area?

• Do your statistical strengths match their data needs?

• Are you invested enough to write something just for them?

If your letter sounds like it could’ve been sent to any company, you’ve just missed your best shot to stand out.

From Bland to Brilliant: Make Every Line Count

Let’s upgrade those vague statements:

❌ “I believe my experience could help your company achieve its goals.”
✅ “My experience modeling time-to-event outcomes in oncology trials could directly support your work in Phase II immunotherapy studies.”

❌ “I welcome the opportunity to discuss how I might contribute.”
✅ “I’d love to bring my expertise in R and CDISC-compliant data pipelines to your growing data science team.”

It’s the same amount of space—but now you’re specific, relevant, and memorable.

💡 Action Step: Cut the Generic Fluff
Pull up one of your recent cover letters. Highlight any generic lines—those vague, “could-be-for-any-job” phrases. Aim to replace at least two generic sentences with job-specific statements that show you understand the company and the role.