10 Common Cover Letter Mistakes to Avoid

When a person starts searching for a job, the first thing that he does is write a resume But there is something that is more important than a resume. It is the cover letter. Managers who inspect resumes look at the cover letters first and only then decide on what to do. A cover letter plays a very important role and hence writing an impeccably good cover letter is extremely important.

Certain job seekers do not understand the importance of cover letters. They think of it as some kind of last minute job. Lot of people don’t even include a cover letter as they think that there resumes will speak for them.

The following are some keys to writing a good cover letter.

• When starting off, don’t generalize by using “To Sir/ Madam “but instead try to find the contact names.

• When starting your paragraph, see that the first line is written in a very appealing way.

• Do not make it very small or very long. The body of the cover letter should contain at least two paragraphs if you are sending it as an e-mail and it should contain at least three to five paragraphs if you’e sending it as a fax or through mail.

• Do not be generic! Don’t try to send the same kind of cover letters to all the companies to which you are applying. Take some time to do some ground work so that you can get an idea about the employers. Based on your research send them the cover letters. Writing cover letters appealing to different individuals is always eye catching. If you can make this effort then you are already ahead of half of your competition.

• In your resume try to note down relevant background details. Along with those particulars also try to furnish your accomplishments, awards, areas of training or any certifications.

• Highlight your talents in the resume. It is important to give the employer a very strong reason to hire you. Instead of being blunt about your talents give them examples and be natural in providing your information.

• Do not try to be witty or humorous because it will sometimes backfire and will not show you as a person serious enough for the job.

• Do not try to focus too much on yourself. When you talk about your qualifications do not much about what value you’ll add to the company i.e., do not focus on the “I” part a lot.

• Write your contact information on both the cover letter and resume as it is possible for the employer to misplace both. Hence be sure that you mention your e-mail id, contact number and contact address on both the cover letter and resume.

• Avoid typographical errors, grammatical errors or any misspellings. When writing your cover letter you are expected to present it in a very professional way as you yourself are a professional. So there is a need to ensure that there are no errors when you write down your cover letter.

The cover letter is one which will give the employer a comprehensive idea as to who you are and what you can do for the company that is hiring you. So make sure that you follow the above steps and write an amazing cover letter. In that way you are sure to win a job in your dream company.