10 Common Mistakes to Avoid in Cover Letters

Given here are top ten common mistakes that job aspirants make while drafting the cover letters. Avoid them to make it a great and perfect cover letter.

Exaggerations and Lies

The most common mistake that people make is exaggerating their qualifications, experience, skill sets etc. They often make false statements or state some achievements that they actually might not have attained. But remember, General Manager Human Resources and companies are too smart for such people. It takes few minutes for them to judge your capabilities if you are exaggerating or lying to them. When caught, it shows you under bad light and you may even be blacklisted.

Underestimating and Underselling Yourself

If exaggerations are wrong so are the underestimations.Resume writing Experts say that no candidate should use statements like 'I'm probably not the best candidate...' or, 'You probably have many more qualified candidates lined up’. This shows that you are not confident about your own candidature.

Writing the Wrong Company Name

It’s a blunder if you are not able to even write the name of the company properly. There are some job aspirants who do not read or write the organization’s name correctly. Chaz Pitts-Kyser, founder and author, Careeranista says, "Nothing will get your cover letter thrown in the recycling bin faster than giving the wrong company name.”

Imperfect Proofreading

Imperfect proofreading or even worse no proofreading at all will mar your cover letter. The most common mistake is typos and grammatical errors. So make sure you make your cover letter being read by someone else like your friend, family member or colleague, once you have drafted it; finally read and cross-check it by yourself.

Adopting Mistaken Approach

An expert, Caroline McClure, says that instead of stating “I believe I would be a good fit for this job…” job aspirants must write something as, 'I offer the following qualifications for your consideration.' Later they must list all their relevant qualifications and experience appropriate for the position applied for.  

Too Self Centered

If the job aspirants make their cover letter too self centered then they are rejected by the organization in an instance. Companies and Human Resource managers may feel that they you are too fanatical about yourself. Instead the focus should be on your candidature’s relevance and importance, how you can be resourceful for the company in attaining its target.

Demeaning Ex- Employers

Tracey Russell, an industry expert, says "Saying anything negative in your cover letter will not help your chances of landing a job.” The cover letters with negative statements are instantly rejected by the managers. You should never bad mouth about you ex-bosses, ex-organizations. Demeaning them would land you in trouble and you may lose an exciting career opportunity.

 Lying About Salary

This mistake, we guess, a lot of job aspirants do while they write cover letters. First of all there is no requirement of stating your current salary or your expected salary in the cover letter. And if you write it, do not lie to the prospective organization. “No prospective employer wants to hire someone who is only about the money!" says Lisa Benson, a staffing director.

Usage of Clichés

Clichéd language doesn’t always work. Your achievements should be viable and quantifiable. Avoid merely writing ‘proactive’, ‘team player’, ‘hardworking’, ‘dedicated’ etc. You need to give an evidence of your achievements.

Revealing The Objective

If you are writing an objective in your cover letter, be very careful about it. It is good to avoid it altogether. If the objective written in cover letter doesn’t assimilate with the organization’s objective, the manager wouldn’t read the cover letter at all. You will lose the job opportunity instantly.