Avoid the Top Three Cover Letter Mistakes!
by Deborah Walker, CCCMC, Puget Sound Chapter
As a career coach and professional resume writer, I’m often asked
“How important are cover letters to my job search?” My answer
is, “It depends on how long you want to search for your next job.”
If you are in no hurry to get interviews, then don’t worry about
your cover letter.
The fact is I’ve never met a job searcher who wants to have a painfully
slow job search. The whole point of sending out resumes is to get multiple
interviews as quickly as possible. But many job seekers still unwittingly
sabotage their efforts by using substandard cover letters. Instead of
helping you, your cover letter may actually be hurting your job search.
For fast job search results, make sure to avoid these top three cover
letter mistakes:
- Not understanding the hiring motives of your audience
- Repeating rather than introducing your resume
- Overuse of the word “I”
1. Not understanding the hiring motives of your audience
There are three basic audiences that a job seeker sends his/her resume
to: executive decision-makers, resume screeners, and third-party recruiters.
Each of these groups has its own hiring motives.
- Executive decision-makers are looking for candidates who will have
a significant impact on bottom-line initiatives, such as time saved,
income generated, revenue built, etc. Resume screeners are searching
for candidates who directly match the lists of qualifications in the
job description.
- Third-party recruiters are looking for selling points to help position
you as a top candidate.
Knowing these hiring motives will help you craft your cover letter specifically
to catch the attention of your particular hiring audience. By appealing
directly to the reader, you are creating an immediate bond that will make
you a stronger candidate.
2. Repeating rather than introducing your resume
Repeating the exact same things you wrote in your resume is one of the
most common cover letter mistakes. No one wants to read the same thing
twice. By the time most people have finished writing their resume, they
feel that they have run out of ideas and just cut and paste to create
a cover letter.
Instead, the cover letter should be what sells the reader on your skills.
Like the jacket-cover introduction to a good book, the cover letter should
give the reader a taste of the great things to come and encourage them
to read more.
If you are don’t have any idea what your top skills are and how
they will help the company, neither will your reader. Take the time to
craft the right words and statements to make your skills shine.
3. Overuse of the word “I”
A cover letter that begins nearly every sentence with “I” is
as boring as a conversation with someone who only talks about himself.
That kind of person one avoids at all costs. Is that the way you want
your reader to see you?
Focusing all the attention on yourself may seem like a good way to sell
your skills. But it can also reflect lack of interest in the company,
in the job, and in making a real contribution to that workplace. There’s
a good balance to be drawn between selling yourself and selling what you
can do for the company.
Creating variety in the sentences of your cover letter is an easy way
to show your interest without being self-centered. By shifting the emphasis
to the recipient/company—and away from yourself—you can prove
that your main interest is not just in winning the job but also in doing
it effectively. Try to rewrite sentences that start with “I,”
“me,” or “my,” to start with “You,” or “Your.”
Show how you can make a difference for them.
A cover letter that is poorly written may cause your resume to be ignored.
But a well-crafted cover letter will invite and encourage the reader to
take a closer look at your resume. You’ll make a positive first impression
before your resume is even opened.
Rather than making your cover letter an afterthought, take the time to
really consider the type of presentation your cover letter will make.
If your resume isn’t winning you job interviews, consider hiring
a professional resume writer to help. It’s true what they say: You
never get a second chance to make a good first impression.
This article originally appeared in the November-December
2005 issue of Sound-Off!, the newsletter of the STC-Puget Sound Chapter.
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