Similar to a well written cover letter that would open up your chances to landing the coveted job, a poorly done cover letter could have a similar effect but in a disastrous fashion. Badly written cover letters could hurt your chances of being invited for the interview thus loosing the job opportunity.
A survey conducted among recruiters revealed that 76 percent of them would not consider a cover letter with typos, or at best they would toss the accompanying resume into the trash bin rather than consider it for the current opening. 61 percent of the recruiters acknowledged that they would show little concern for cover letters addressed to the wrong company or employer.
In light of this I would like to share with you in this article, five (5) common blunders associated with cover letter writing. Ensure the same do not appear in your job application.
Failure to Name The Particular Job You Are Applying For
More than often the employers or company may be in the process of filling more than one position simultaneously. After the leadoff introductory statement remember to state exactly which position you are applying for.
Do not make room for the recruiter to start guessing which position you have applied for since the simplest and time saving action for her/him will be to put aside your cover letter and concentrate on the “more serious and appealing candidates ”.
The ultimate goal of a cover letter is to create or rather make a personal connection with the reader. This only happens if you mention yourself and the company in positive and appropriate light. Key to this is ensuring that you tailor all your cover letters to each company you do apply to.
The danger to job candidates comes when one uses uniform cover letter to apply for a number of positions. With massive online applications, most candidates simply copy and paste the cover letter they used before into all other application details.
This breaks any sense of connection and makes the recruiter get a feeling that you could have applied to a wrong company. Make it a good career habit to always customise your cover letter for each job application.
Repeating Your Resume Into The Cover Letter
Failure to understand the components of a cover letter and distinguishing it from a resume is quite evident in many applications. In a bid to write a cover letter, many candidates simply regurgitate everything that is in the resume.
Remember that your cover letter should only offer insights into what your resume does not say. Use your cover letter to provide an in-depth explanation of some of your achievements in your previous job or ventures for instance and how those accomplishments could be profitable to the company you are applying to.
You could as well narrate in summary a story about a tough problem or a challenge you resolved and the experienced gained or imperative lessons learnt that would bring value to the prospective employer. Leave the rest of details to the resume.
Overly Concern or Mention of What The Company Can Do To You
The cover letter is supposed to showcase what you can offer to the company, it does sell you, your skills and experience to the employers. Candidates often make blunders when they mention that they are applying for the job either for money, travel or other things that would touch on their interests or hobbies.
Remember that this is not the time to make the company spin its head and focus on its expense account in light of your “what can you do for me”.
Keep your cover letter precise, let it remain as a proposal showcasing your ability & skill and not as an invoice requesting for payments. Do not portray yourself as money minded person more especially at a fast glance.
Failure to Balance Your Confidence and Humility
While you certainly want to prove you competence, be wary of arrogance creeping in and turning away the recruiter. Candidates quite often in a bid to showcase their talent end up making statements that portray egotism more than ability. Remember to show your enthusiasm and positive attitude but don’t overdo it.
As you chat and navigate the corners and bridges of your career path, remember that you only have this one item; The cover letter, to open the interview doors and finally land you a job. You cannot afford to do a shoddy job in its preparation.
Always give your cover letter the best touch.
Thank for reading article on “5 Cover Letter Mistakes You MUST Avoid”. If you want to give any suggestion, please do comment below.