Having reviewed thousands of resumes, I thought you might enjoy a post that features examples of common cover letter mistakes that job applicants often make.
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To whom it may concern:
I saw your ad for the sales position and I’m interested. Please find attached my resume, which shows that I have a lot of experience you can use. IMHO, this is the perfect job for me as it is close to where I llive!!!
And the salary is exactly what I’ve been looking for!!!
Please review my resume and call me soon to schedule an interview. I am so eager to meet you. Hope to CU soon!!!
Sincerely,
First Name & Last Name
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- ❌Basic common cover letter mistakes –
➡️Avoid “To whom it may concern”. Research a name. Alternatively, you can use “Dear Hiring Manager”.
➡️Texting lingo isn’t appropriate. Plain English is best and check grammar mistakes.
➡️Avoid so many exclamation points!!!
➡️Don’t just ask them to look at my resume and see my experience. Tell them why you are the best candidate for the job and what you can do for them.
➡️Put your phone number on the letter itself so they can see it right away. They may pick up the phone if you consider their needs.
➡️Be enthusiastic but do put in efforts to present yourself more professionally.
2. ❌Biggest common cover letter mistakes –
➡️ The biggest mistake here is talking about all the reasons the job is right for you. In your cover letter, you should emphasize why YOU are a good fit for THEM. While you can mention how this fits your needs, you want to show the employer that you’re focused on them and not just yourself. They see that as an indication of your self-centered attitude. Great employees look out for the company as well as themselves, of course.
3. ❌Other common cover letter mistakes
Don’t just list a history of everything you have done. Remember to connect the dots for the employer with relevant past work performance. Clearly list 4 or 5 skills and accomplishments that directly point to the job you are applying for.
For example, if you’re applying to a Business Analyst role:
Highlight when you analyzed things? Prepared reports? Done diagrams or presentations? When you worked on process improvement, what exactly did you make happen? You should use the job description to help isolate those key things you have done or skills you already have that the next employer is looking for.
And if you don’t have enough direct skills that match the new job, you should do your very best to use things you already have that you can show are transferable. Your cover letter is a great place to help your next employer see the connection from you to them, especially if it isn’t obvious.
4. ❌ Obvious common cover letter mistakes
Avoid writing a personal story that offers a compelling glimpse into who you are as a person. Remember personal stories are to be kept either while interviewing if need be or when writing a statement of purpose (SOP) while applying to a university. However, when recruiters want to hire someone, they don’t need to know your life story. It’s just a matter of knowing why you’re the right candidate for the position they have open right now.
Maybe include a sentence or two on the topic if you’d like to share some of your personal story with the resume screener, but the rest of your cover letter should be about any skills you’ve acquired and used over the years that match the job description of the position you want now, even if they are not directly related. Also include any accomplishments that directly relate to why you would be an excellent fit. A recruiter has 100s if not more resumes to review, so keep your cover letter as short as possible. Stick to a few well-written paragraphs at most, with enough personality and job-related attributes thrown in to make them want to call you.
5. ❌Other common cover letter mistakes-
➡️Being overly formal or overly informal
➡️Using a generic cover letter without personalising it or customising it
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