Some letters are dirty and untidily written, with finger-marks all over them and ink blots or even coffee stains.
Others arrive on lined or flowered or sometime scented paper, none of which is likely to make a good impression on the average business-like boss.
This apparently inability of many people to make that initial impact with an employer by sending him an application which will stand out from the rest and persuade him you're the right one for the job prompted an enterprising young man, called Mark Ashworth, a recruitment consultant himself, to start writing job applications for other people for a fee, as a sideline.
He told me he got an idea in America where it's already big business, and in the last few months alone he's writing over 250 c.v.s.
He feels that 80 percent of job applications received by personal managers are inadequate in some way.
Many people simply can't cope with grammar and spelling and don't know what to put in or leave out.
Sometimes people condense their work experience so much that a future employer doesn't know enough about them.
Then, on the other hand, some people go too far the other way.
To give you an example, one c.v I once received in my recruiting role was getting on for 30 pages long.
Mark has an initial interview with all his clients in which he tries to make them think about their motivation and why they've done certain things in the past.
He can often exploit these experiences in the c.v. he writes for them, and show that they have been valuable preparation for the job now sought.
He also believes that well-prepared job history and a good letter of application are absolutely essential.
Among the most important aspects of applications are spelling, correct grammar, content and layout.
A new boss will probably also be impressed with a good reference or a letter of commendation written by a former employer.