Avoid the
Top Three Cover Letter Mistakes!
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:
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.
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Deborah Walker,
CCMC
Resume Writer
~ Career Coach
To see resume
samples and read more job-search tips visit www.AlphaAdvantage.com
Email: Deb@AlphaAdvantage.com
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