Examples of Cover Letter Critical Errors

Do not think that you can make any of the following errors when writing your cover letter and still get the interview. The time and energy that you put into your cover letter will pay off - providing you have not allowed any of the following errors to creep into your writing. To help prevent these critical errors, consider downloading and using a cover letter template. Cover Letter Error #1: Using your cover letter to restate your resume. What sense is there in writing a coverletter that just restates your resume? There is none! Your letter introduces you. You may use a point of your resume in your coverletter that shows why you would be a good candidate, but that is all. A good template will help you avoid this error. Cover Letter Error #2: "Typos & Grammos" will kill your interview every time. Just as you know from your resume, a typo or a grammatical error cannot be present. The cover letter must have the same attention to detail and the same fine presentation as the resume. You wouldn't go to a resume poorly groomed, so why would you allow your cover letter or resume to appear "poorly groomed"? Make sure you have everything correct before you submit. Make sure you get a quality template so that you get the help you need. Cover Letter Error #3: It is obvious that your cover letter was "mass produced", in other words, you are sending the same cover letter to every potential employer. You don't want to do that. You want your letter to be a direct communication and letter of introduction from you to that potential employer. Take a few minutes and make a call. Find out who is doing the interviews at that company. Address your letter to the interviewer. Speak to him or her in your cover letter. Cover Letter Error #4: You have written a novel as a letter of introduction! No. No. No. One page, two or three paragraphs and no more. The interviewer is not going to read any more than that. He or she has maybe a hundred resumes and cover letters on his desk. Keep that in mind. Concise and to the point. Brief but professionally polite. Persuasive, but not over done. You'll find that if you stick to the template, it will help you in this area. Cover Letter Error #5: Not easy to read. No bullets, long paragraphs, small fonts, squished margins, etc. All of these are just going to overwhelm your potential interviewer and make him set your letter and resume aside for when he or she has "more time", which of course, we all know will not be any time soon! Use an acceptable font for business writing, such as Times New Roman 12. Use a margin setting of at least an inch top and bottom and both sides. Use bullets if you can to break up a paragraph. Limit your paragraph size and as already discussed, limit the number of paragraphs. Again, use a template to guide you. Cover Letter Error #6: Failing to explain why you are inquiring and for what position you are inquiring about? You'd be amazed at how many people don't explain that they are looking for a position in the secretarial department as a result of recently relocating and hearing that their company had such a position open. (Or whatever the "why" and "what" is). If you are applying at a large company and you don't state the simple facts, they will not know what you are applying for as they have many positions open perhaps, and they will not know why you chose them. Start with a good cover letter template to make sure you have all the right pieces in all the places. Then your cover letter will get you in front of an interviewer who has read your resume and wants to truly find out if you are the right person for the job.