Some of the Major Mistakes when Writing a Cover Letter

Writing a cover letter requires careful planning to increase your chances of getting your desired position in a company.

You have to know exactly how to write its major components including its header, introduction, body and closing.

You should also avoid the major mistakes committed by other applicants when writing their cover letters.

These mistakes include the following:

1. Creating a weak start. The opening of your letter should be written in an impressive manner to ensure that it immediately captures the attention of your prospective employer.

This means that it instead of following the usual opening sentence saying “I am applying for the _______ position”, you should consider rephrasing it into something that is already capable of stating your professional and educational background. Make sure that your experience and your educational background perfectly match the position that you are applying for.

This is a major help if you want your cover letter to stand out and encourage the hiring employer to continue reading it.

2. Not writing the most ideal length for a covering letter.

This means that you should write a letter which is not too short to make an employer think that you are not serious about getting the position or too long to bore him.

If you are planning to submit an e-mail cover letter, then you should make it a part of the body of your e-mail message and limit it to only two paragraphs.

Cover letters sent through fax or direct mail should be between 3 to 5 paragraphs.

3. Sending the same letter to different companies. Avoid making generic cover letters if you are planning to apply for different positions in different companies as this may only ruin your chance of getting hired. Conduct a research about a specific company, as this will make it easier for you to customize your letter in a way that can help you get ahead despite the fierce competition. You can show a prospective employer that you are really interested in the position if you spend time learning more about his company.

4. Using clichés such as having the ability to multitask, excellent written communications skills, excellent verbal communications skills and thinking out of the box. The content of your covering letter should never be filled with overused words and ideas so you can continue impressing the hiring employer. Make an effort to come up with creative ideas when writing your letter. This is a major help in showing your creativity and your broad vocabulary.

5. Including your salary requirements and previous salary information in your cover letter. Keep in mind that this is not the best place for you to discuss about things related to your salary. If an employer asks for information about your previous salary or your remuneration requirements, then make sure that you present this in another document.6. Omitting contact details. Although it is true that resume and cover letter usually come together, there is still a great chance that the two will become separated so you have to make sure that your contact details are listed in these two documents. This will give your potential employer a way to contact you in the absence of your resume.

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