Don’t Ruin Your Cover Letter with These Mistakes

1120

Job hunting is never an easy task especially now during COVID times where the job market has become more competitive. A more competitive market means there’s no room for error here. When applying for jobs, most job recruiters require you to send in a cover letter together with your resume. Because job recruiters go through an overwhelming amount of job applications, a simple mistake might cause you to lose a chance securing a job interview. Written below are some of the mistakes you might be making with your cover letter.

Your Cover Letter Is Not Your Resume

Your cover letter and your resume are two completely different things, which is why a job recruiter asks for both. Therefore, don’t treat your cover letter like a resume. A resume is where you display your skills, accomplishments, and job experience. A cover letter, on the other hand, is where you sell yourself. Here you talk about why you’re applying, your connection with the company, and the position you’re applying for. Explain how their values and mission affect you. Make sure your cover letter grabs the recruiter’s attention enough to land you a job interview.

To Whom It May Concern

The worst way to botch your chance at a job interview is to start your greetings with “To Whom It May Concern.” This is generic, impersonal, and lazy. Usually, the name of the company’s hiring manager can be found on the job posting, the company’s website, or on their LinkedIn page. If you have a hard time finding the name of the company’s hiring manager, go for “Dear hiring team.” Using that instead of the generic phrase just makes the application a bit more personal.

Bragging Too Much

I know I said you should sell yourself in the cover letter, but there is a thin line between bragging and selling yourself. Don’t take up space in your cover letter with empty statements and no quantifications for it. Like I said, here you have to prove to job recruiters how you connect with the company you’re applying to. What is it about the company’s mission and vision that you personally connect with? What can you bring to the table that will benefit the company and their culture?

Cover letters are important when applying for jobs. Hence, it’s important you avoid making these mistakes so that you have higher chances of securing a job interview. Who knows? You may even land your dream job, too.