Facebook Twitter Instagram
    Twitter LinkedIn Facebook
    Career Experts
    • Home
    • Job Searching
      1. Job Searching Tips
      2. Job Application Tips
      3. Best Interview Tips
      Featured
      19th December 20240

      Where To Look and How to Get the Job You Want With a Lasting Career

      Recent
      19th December 2024

      Where To Look and How to Get the Job You Want With a Lasting Career

      6th August 2024

      8 Tips for Landing a Job Straight Out of School

      22nd July 2024

      Global Job Market Trends That Will Stay With Us in 2025

    • Career Progression
      1. Work Skills
      2. Work Motivation
      3. Changing Jobs
      4. Salary Information
      5. Balancing Work and Life
      Featured
      27th May 20250

      How Long Does It Take to Become a Tiler in the UK?

      Recent
      27th May 2025

      How Long Does It Take to Become a Tiler in the UK?

      19th May 2025

      How AI And Automation Are Changing Sales Conversion Strategies

      19th May 2025

      How To Build A Strong Medical Foundation For USMLE Step 1

    • Management and Leadership
      1. Best Leadership Skills
      2. Managing People at Work
      3. Industry Trends
      Featured
      3rd April 20250

      Inclusive Workplace: Transportation Innovation

      Recent
      3rd April 2025

      Inclusive Workplace: Transportation Innovation

      28th February 2025

      The Future of Employee Benefits: What Businesses Need to Know

      25th February 2025

      How To Reduce The Chance Of Injuries Occurring At Work

    • Graduate Careers
      1. Choosing Your Career
      2. Find a Job
      3. Graduate Salaries
      Featured
      6th February 20250

      Unusual but High-Paying Careers You’ve Never Considered

      Recent
      6th February 2025

      Unusual but High-Paying Careers You’ve Never Considered

      5th November 2024

      5 Exciting Jobs That Let You Work with Wood

      13th August 2024

      Discover the Excitement: Top Reasons to Pursue a Career in Tourism

    • Post CV
    Career Experts
    You are at:Home»Job Searching»Job Application Tips»9 Cover Letter Writing Mistakes That Might be Ruining Your Career
    cover letter writing mistakes

    9 Cover Letter Writing Mistakes That Might be Ruining Your Career

    1
    By CareerExperts on 28th November 2017 Job Application Tips, Job Searching

    A lot of people searching for jobs make the huge mistake of not attaching a cover letter with the job application and CV. For some employers, not having a cover letter means the CV won’t even be viewed.

    A cover letter is essential for finding the job of your dreams. Especially nowadays when companies get dozens of CV’s that will be similar to yours – the cover letter is that thing that can really make the difference. It’s where you can demonstrate your enthusiasm, passion or personality that will make them choose you over the other 10 candidates.

    If having the perfect cover letter is your goal, then take a look at these 9 things that you must definitely avoid if you want to be successful and not ruin your career.

    1. An Unprofessional Look

    Writing a cover letter just for the sake of having it is probably worse than applying without one. Think of the cover letter as a business card that summarises the information in your CV. If it’s sloppy, the font is unprofessional, or you go with unusual colours, everything can go wrong. Pay attention to all those little details.

    2. The Use of the Wrong Format

    It isn’t called a letter just because it sounds cool. This is an actual letter, so you should make it look like one. All those ancient details that you may have never heard of before, the addressee, date and a return address should all be included. Also, don’t forget to specify the addressee and also the name of the manager of Human Resources, if you have it.

    3. Overdoing It

    Even though some cool graphical effects, a logo or even a motto might sound like a good idea for your cover letter, keep in mind it should be simple, elegant and follow the format of a letter. You have your CV if you want to get more creative, keep the letter professional.

    4. Not Proofreading It Before Sending

    After spending time composing the perfect cover letter, you might easily overlook spelling and grammatical errors. Unfortunately, this is often the case for any type of writing because you get so caught-up in the composition process that you miss certain things. This is why it is absolutely vital that you carefully proofread your cover letter.

    You can also run your letter through one of the dedicated apps for proofreading. In case you’re not sure what website or app to use, here’s a list of suggested apps:

    • Grammarly – a specialised website and tool that will analyse all aspects regarding the grammar of your text and also identify typos and other mistakes.
    • Hemingway App is used by a lot of writers for strengthening their work and also to look for mistakes that could fly under the radar for the human eye.
    • Ginger – another great tool that can really improve your writing in holistic ways

    5. Back up Your Skills

    Of course, you will include your skills and the things that make you the best for that specific job in the cover letter. However, don’t even think about adding a skill or ability without providing an example from your past experiences that will back it up. It’s only natural that employers won’t just take your word for the skills, qualification or competences written in the cover letter.

    6. Adding Extra Words

    When you have your completed cover letter, you may worry that it feels too short. However, if you are 100% sure you included the most important aspects, lose the thought of adding extra words and phrases just to make it look like you have a lot to say about yourself. The person reading the letter won’t have time to read an essay and may prefer to scan over the key points. Just stick to what you think will get you an interview.

    7. Reusing the Same Letter Over and Over Again

    44% of hiring managers will immediately dismiss a cover letter that looks too much like the CV or seems copy-pasted. If you’re too lazy to compose a different cover letter for each job you apply to, or at least for each domain you’re interested in, perhaps you should just skip the cover letter altogether.

    Using a general cover letter that applies to any job will leave a bad impression on your potential employer. It will likely make them think you just don’t care enough to compose a different one.

    8. Be Clear

    When we’re talking about an online application, you need to double check and make extra sure that everything has your correct full name, and all the info regarding you is correct. Like previous job titles, responsibilities from your former workplace and everything you mention.

    You should also explain any pause between jobs and anything else that might make the employer think twice when it comes to your application.

    9. Focusing on Yourself Too Much

    Yes, a cover letter is mostly about you; what makes you a great fit for that specific jobs and the skills and abilities that will help you deliver the best results while at it. But even so, try not to obsess over the things you have done in the past, no matter how extraordinary or rewarding they were.

    Instead, build your cover letter around showing the new potential employer what you are capable of that will benefit them. Of course, past experience is also a big plus when it comes to a new job but living in the past hasn’t helped anyone.

    Bringing it all together

    These 9 points should guide you on how to write a cover letter. Of course, there’s no clear recipe for success when it comes to cover letters, however, if you stay clear of the “Don’t” parts you should be fine. What are the tips and tricks you use for cover letters?

    AUTHOR BIO: Lori Wade is the content writer and a career specialist for college students. She is a content marketer, sharing experience on writing, education, and self-development in her publications, for example, https://eliteessaywriters.com/blog/how-to-write-a-cover-letter/. Connect with her on Facebook and follow her on Twitter.

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email

    Related Posts

    Where To Look and How to Get the Job You Want With a Lasting Career

    8 Tips for Landing a Job Straight Out of School

    Global Job Market Trends That Will Stay With Us in 2025

    1 Comment

    1. sravya on 21st November 2019 5:43 am

      INK FOR ALL’s dictionary is somewhat dumber than Grammarly’s. But, it continuously adds words in the background to help make the INK AI smarter. Ink for All analyzes your content to ranking sites on the web to assist your work in ranking better, and the more you use it, the smarter it gets. Grammarly isn’t able to help your content rank… it doesn’t matter the amount you throw at it.

      Reply

    Leave A Reply Cancel Reply

    Recent Posts
    • How Long Does It Take to Become a Tiler in the UK?
    • How AI And Automation Are Changing Sales Conversion Strategies
    • How To Build A Strong Medical Foundation For USMLE Step 1
    • Finding a Job in Finance – Where to Begin?
    • Inclusive Workplace: Transportation Innovation
    • Popular
    • Recent
    21st February 2017

    What are the Best Graduate Job Sites?

    7th February 2017

    Job Hunting? 3 Ways You Can Make Jobs Come to You!

    11th September 2015

    5 Successful Phone Interview Tips

    27th May 2025

    How Long Does It Take to Become a Tiler in the UK?

    19th May 2025

    How AI And Automation Are Changing Sales Conversion Strategies

    19th May 2025

    How To Build A Strong Medical Foundation For USMLE Step 1

    About

    CareerExperts exists to propel and support professionals on their path for career success.

    We use our wealth of expertise and experience to help other success-seekers achieve their career goals.

    Newsletter

    Popular Posts
    21st February 2017

    What are the Best Graduate Job Sites?

    7th February 2017

    Job Hunting? 3 Ways You Can Make Jobs Come to You!

    11th September 2015

    5 Successful Phone Interview Tips

    Copyright © 2017 CareerExperts
    • About
    • Contact
    • Subscribe
    • Privacy Policy

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.