What are the Biggest Cover Letter Mistakes

When it comes to creating a cover letter that not only introduces an applicant to a prospective employer, but is also effective in getting the employer’s attention and possibly an interview; it can be quite a complicated prospect-especially if you have never written one, or written one correctly. Do you know how to draft an effective cover letter? Even you have been writing cover letters for years in your career history, you may be still committing some of the most common mistakes that applicants make. Yes…even if you are quite possibly, the most qualified person for a position-you may be turned away if you conduct one of the biggest mistakes in cover letter writing. Yes…just like that. Take a look at the biggest mistakes people make when writing their cover letters-mistakes large enough to cost them the opportunity of a job position.

Grammar
Though it should be a given that anyone sending off an application for a job, conduct a thorough grammar check for spelling, punctuation, wording, and general grammar mistakes; most of us do not. Unfortunately, many candidates consider their cover letters only containing a possible couple mistakes and/or do not think mistakes weigh heavily on their candidacy for a position. Wrong! All it takes is one misspelled word to throw an employer off the scent of your application, and move onto another. No matter the profession, an employer wants someone who shows enthusiasm, hard work, and professionalism. Even one word misspelled or wrongly applied can give the opposite message.

Target
Another huge mistake that many applicants unknowingly make is that they do not target their cover letter to the job and company that they are applying to. Instead, they use a formulaic cover letter that they have used in a bazillion applications, and just cut and paste the job position and the employer where appropriate. There are two serious issues that arise out of this approach: first, that the employer can see this cut and paste method from a mile away; and second, there is no matching of the appropriate skill set and experience to what they posted as wanting or requiring for their company.

Contact Information
Vital to any employer being able to contact you is having your contact information. Often, this is an aspect that people forget-or forget to update. Though you may think that it is enough to put your contact information on the header of your resume-often, the two documents will get separated. This said, though you would think that it would be simple enough to connect the name on your cover letter with that of a resume, it isn’t. It takes too much time, especially if there are countless applications for the employer to pour through. So, make sure to include the same header or updated and current information as regards how to contact you-and also, include a few different means of contact-as each employer may prefer one way or another.

Goals
Though you may think that the goals of your life and career are too heavy of a subject to include in the cover letter address, it isn’t. Make sure that you can sum up your short and long term goals as regards your career, and focus it not so much on yourself, as on the company and position to which you are applying. This way, an employer can see how you see yourself, and how your vision for your career fits in line with their vision for their company.

Personal Address
Lastly, make sure that your cover letter is not just a formulaic letter-as noted previously. Instead, target it to the position and company; but also, make it personal enough so that a prospective employer can see you are not just an autobot looking to send out targeted cover letters to every position that has a certain grouping of keywords. Give a little background on your career history, and perhaps, ties some of your general values of hard work, perseverance, and professionalism into your experience and skill set. This way, you can connect with the hiring manager, and still be on a very professional level.