Eight Cover Letter Mistakes to Avoid

In most cases, the cover letter is last thing to be on the mind of jobseekers. This is a big mistake. Jobseekers should never underestimate the power of a well crafted cover letter. With employers receiving hundreds of job applications in a single day, a well targeted cover letter can prove to be your powerful tool to stand out from the crowd. Today, many employers look at the cover as a ‘mini resume'. This clearly signifies how important a cover letter has become in this fiercely competitive job market. It is your cover letter that informs the employer how genuinely interested you are in the advertised job position.

 

Another important fact in this regard is that you have only 30 seconds to make an impression of the employer with your cover letter. These 30 seconds can either make or break your chances of getting hired. That's why, it is very essential to ensure you do not make cover letter mistakes. It is the cover letter that sparks the employer's interest to go through your resume.

 

Given below are eight common mistakes that you need to avoid while writing a cover letter to impress your potential employer.

 

1. Eliminating the Cover Letter Entirely
This is the biggest mistake that most of the applicants make. Never skip a cover letter entirely out of your job application process. A well crafted cover letter has the power to make a best impression on the employer and spark their interest. Yes, you can leave out a cover letter if the application process requests you not to include one along with your resume.

 

2. Opening with a Generic Salutation
Another mistake that most of the applicants make is that begin with an offensive salutation. ‘Dear Sir' and ‘Dear Madam' are never going to stand you out from the crowd. So, how do you beat out the competition? Do some research and find out whom you should address the cover letter to. Addressing the cover letter to the manager or the employer with their name personalizes your cover letter, setting you apart from other candidates.

 

3. Ignoring Grammatical Mistakes
So, you are done writing the cover letter, right? But, have you checked it for grammar and spelling errors. Remember, a cover letter also reflects your written communication skills. Check the letter four to five times to identify any type of language errors. Finally, before you send it to your potential employer, you can ask one of your friends for reviewing the same.

 

4. Failing to Mention the Job Title or Job Reference
This is yet another mistake that many of the jobseekers make while writing a cover letter. If you want your job application to be processed, don't forget to mention the job title for which you are applying. Even if it is through a reference, mention their name in the cover letter.

 

5. Addressing the Wrong Person
Before you send in your cover letter, make sure you are mailing it to the right recipient. Check the company or the employer's address once again in the job advertisement. Many times, even well written cover letters see the face of rejection because they were addressed to the wrong recipient.

 

6. Writing in a Casual Style
This is one of the most common mistakes made by job applicants. Writing your cover letter in a very casual or familiar style might also send it in the rejection pile. If you want to craft a masterpiece, you need to have a careful look at the tone and the language style you are using in the letter. At the same time, writing in a formal style does mean you need to be very stiff with the language.

 

7. Attaching an Inappropriate (informal) Photo
No, doubt you look quite good in that part snap. However, a party photo is not something you can attach to the cover letter. It is a potential mistake to attach a photo which is casual or informal. Always attach a photo which looks professional.

 

8. Using an Unprofessional Email ID
When it comes to writing a cover letter, don't ever use an email address which looks unprofessional. Email addresses like sexxxylicious_76@aol.com or big_bee@yahoo.com are completely a no-no to be included in a cover letter. If you don't have a professional email address, create one for yourself to use it for the job application process.