10 Typical Cover Letter Mistakes To Avoid
With the following tips provided by professional writers from Write My Paper Hub, you will stay on the safe side and avoid typical cover letter mistakes. Follow them and enjoy writing!
Excessive Formality / Inadequate Formality
The tone of your appeal to the employer should depend on many factors, including the status of the company, its reputation, aesthetic preferences and the approximate average age of its employees. If you write a letter for a fashion startup in which people work just older than you, then an overly formal tone will make your application boring and mundane. If, on the contrary, you get a job in a conservative institution with a long history, familiarity can reveal bad manners and the incompatibility of your style with the reputation of the company.
Using Standard Cover Letter Templates
On the Internet you will find many ready-made texts for cover letters. However, remember that the personnel departments of any company have read such samples hundreds of times. One of the most common cover letter mistakes is using boiler plate templates. Using similar letters of ‘instant cooking’, you only show the employer that you were too lazy to write even a small text. There is nothing wrong with relying on the sample form that experts recommend following, but you must fill it with original content.
Boasting too Much
One of the main difficulties of motivational writing is to show oneself from the best side, but at the same time not to appear to the HR manager as a narcissistic bouncer. The solution to this problem is quite simple: rely on the facts. If you are well versed in HTML, do not write in the letter that you are the king of web design, describe your specific skills and specific work achievements that these skills helped you achieve. Less loud epithets and more facts – if you, of course, do not get a job as an epic poet.
Talking Only About Yourself
Let’s be honest – the company you want to get a job in is likely to have at least a few dozen candidates for the same position, who will also tell you in their letters of motivation how good they are. However, the company really wants to know what you can do for it. Compare your skills with the job requirements that will be given in the job announcement, and the general goals and ideals of the company. Think about how your skills will work for the benefit of the company and devote most of the letter to this topic.
Bad design/Bad style
When hiring employees, companies usually look at dozens, or even hundreds, of resumes and cover letters for each position. The easiest way to filter your letter from this stream is to make mistakes in style or design. If the HR manager sees that you were so superficial about the device for work that you didn’t even bother to read your motivation letter and make it easy to read, then it will quickly send your documents to the trash. For visual design, rely on examples from the Internet: it makes no sense to stand out in this regard, the manager just wants to be able to get acquainted with all the data that you provide quickly.
Too Complex Style
It is a mistake to write in a complex and ornate style using abstruse words and phrases. The content of your letter may suffer from the fact that you use words and phrases that you have found in the dictionary specifically about this and whose meaning you do not fully understand.
Including Insignificant Information.
If it seems to you that you have begun to delve into unnecessary details, take a break, and then take up the letter with renewed vigor and a fresh head.
Telling Lies
Exaggerating and coming up with non-existent facts. At the interview, you may be asked in detail about an unlikely achievement.
Not Using Proper Proofreaders
Don’t trust entirely the function “Spell Check” of your computer. Print the letter and read it carefully several times, trying to detect errors or typos. Use online proofreaders, preferably paid ones.
Procrastination
Don’t postpone writing a cover letter until the last minute. The selection committee will immediately notice that the letter was written on the run. In addition, you risk missing out on some important information.
How to Avoid Cover Letter Mistakes – Summary
- If getting this job offer means a lot – address a professional cover letter writing service. You will receive a high-quality letter based on your requirements. And will be able to adjust it to the variety of applications.
- Sketch a draft (or better yet, several draft options), where for yourself, outline all the main points.
- Make sure that you are absolutely satisfied with your final draft version before writing the final version of the motivation letter.
- Allow reading your letter to people whose opinion you trust. Make sure the text of your letter is clear to readers.
- Make sure that your letter doesn’t have spelling or grammar mistakes.
- Be enthusiastic! By showing interest in the chosen offer, you increase your chances of getting a job.
- Get off the Internet and turn off the TV. Focus entirely on writing, because now you are creating your future with your own hands. Try your best!