When you are applying for a job role, there is no doubt that a great cover letter can help you to stand out from the crowd and land the position that you are looking for. At the same time, there are also plenty of common mistakes that you need to avoid making. Hiring managers will look at these regularly and will be able to spot them from a distance. So, let’s check out the common mistakes of cover letters.
Not Tailoring it to the Job Role
Whenever you look at cover letter samples that show you what you should and should not be doing, you are going to find that they are highly tailored to the job role in question. Hiring managers are going to be able to spot a generic cover letter from a distance, and there is no doubt that you need to put in the necessary time and effort into what you are doing. So, go back over the job description and the section listing the duties, to show that you can meet each one of these successfully.
Rehashing the Same Info as Your Resume
At the same time as putting a lot of effort into your resume is a positive step to take, this does not mean that you should simply be rehashing the same info directly into the cover letter. This is your opportunity to put in new information that is going to set you apart from the crowd and you do not want to be too generic here. So, use this as an opportunity to showcase why you want this job and the reasons that you are going to be able to do it better than all of the other applicants that are out there.
Leaving in Typos and Grammar Mistakes
While you may think that typos and grammatical mistakes are small things that can easily be overlooked, if you leave them in your cover letter, this simply shows a lack of attention to detail that is going to act as a big black cross in the column of whether or not you will be getting the job. Therefore, you should make sure to go over the cover letter with a fine-toothed comb to cut these out. Otherwise, you are not going to look your very best to a potential employer, and you may even look like you do not care about the job at all.
Not Including Evidence
While everybody can write nice flowery words about how great they happen to be, a lot of them cannot put forth evidence to back this up. So, make sure that you are used to including some facts and figures that help you to stand out from the crowd.
All these mistakes are better off being avoided, which will help you to land the job that you are looking to get your hands on straight away. Although it seems like a chore, you’ll be giving yourself a much better chance of securing the job you want.