By Joanna Boydak, LiveCareer
While some employers don't bother reading cover letters, most do. The cover letter
is a valuable job search tool that can make the difference in the length of your
job search and the quality of the job you land. Job seekers that send in half-hearted
or downright terrible cover letters not only risk forming a bad impression, they
will most likely be taken out of consideration for the job.
Mistake #1: No cover letter at all
When it comes to your job search, there are rules
that you should always follow. Anytime you send your resume, a cover letter should
accompany it, regardless of if the job ad mentions it or not. Often times, job seekers
are not sure what to include in a cover letter, so they wrongly decide to not include
one at all. The truth is, most hiring managers will automatically disqualify a candidate
if they do not include a cover letter with their resume. It's your opportunity to
make a connection with the hiring manager, highlight why you're the best fit and
provide a smooth transition into your resume.
Mistake #2: Sending your letter as an attachment
Would you be inclined to open email
attachments from a stranger? Making the hiring manager take an extra step to download
your cover letter runs the risk of having neither your letter nor resume opened.
Eliminate any obstacle between you and the hiring manager by pasting your cover
letter in to the body of the email. Once the hiring manager is done reading it and
has an idea of what you can bring to the table, they will feel comfortable (and
enticed) to download your attached resume.
Mistake #3: Not tailoring your letter to the position
Creating one general cover
letter that you send to all jobs makes it impossible to show why you are a perfect
match for the position. You might get away with sending the same resume to every
employer (although you shouldn't risk it), but there is no way that you will get
away with it for your cover letter. In fact, a cover letter that doesn't specifically
address the needs of the company that it's sent to is essentially useless.
Mistake #4: Making it too personal
Getting into personal details of your past is
a waste of the hiring manager's time. Since your cover letter should only be about
2-4 paragraphs, using this precious space to discuss unrelated information is only
going to hurt you. Your cover letter should provide a brief synopsis of your background
and directly point out why you are qualified for the job and how the company will
benefit from what you have to offer. That's it.
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