Dear Hiring Manager,
We’re excited to apply for the position of _________. We are undergraduates at Stanford University and aim to complete a prospective Bachelor’s degree in [interdisciplinary major] by June ____.
Before you stop reading this, suspicious of our nondescript major, grant us the benefit of the doubt just this once. We know we don’t quite have the profile you’re looking for: not enough of a CS whiz to be your dream software engineer, but not quite enough of an artist or writer to draft beautiful marketing content either.
We promise, though, that you won’t regret giving us a chance. You see, we may not be well versed in Excel’s dark secrets or have an on-point analysis of the latest incendiary op-ed in the Times, but we do know how to juggle multiple skills at once, learn new ones on the fly, navigate environments that never seem made for us. You’ve forced us to adapt or disappear, so we’ve chosen the former. We’ve learned Python the week before the interview, Photoshop and Illustrator the first day on the job, learned to speak in business jargon and understand graphs in every shape or size. We may not be graphic designers, software engineers or economists through and through, but we’re enough of all of these things at once to do the job you need us to do, with a twist.
You could argue it’s a safer bet to hire someone who’s already specialized. Fair enough. But imagine the potential of someone who’s not! They can bring new ways of thinking, make innovative connections and present an opportunity for you to shape the way they approach your field.
Still, there’s only so much our goodwill can do if you immediately discard our resume. By being reticent to consider our applications and barely glancing at our cover letters, you’re missing out. After all, a software engineer who understands linguistics or a financial analyst who understands psychology is an asset.
If you’re still suspicious, take a leap of faith. Invite us for interviews, see what we’ve got — you might be surprised.
We are eager to share our skills and enthusiasm, and we look forward to hearing from you soon.
Sincerely,
Interdisciplinary undergraduates
Contact Axelle Marcantetti at axellem ‘at’ stanford.edu.