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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 Career Coach ~ Resume
Writer Read more job-search tips
and resume samples at: Email: Deb@AlphaAdvantage.com | |