What I see time after time from young media hopefuls are not the classic no-nos, like misspellings and typos, but what appears to be a fundamental lack of understanding of how to sell oneself to a prospective employer. While I certainly don’t speak for all media folk or even all of the editors at Slate, allow me to offer some guidance to current college students and recent grads.
Source: Cover letter writing advice: How to write a cover letter for an entry-level media job
Click the link for excellent tips on selling yourself in a cover letter.