6 Things Your Cover Letter Should
Never Say (But Probably Does)
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June 16, 2014
By Max Lytvyn
4 Comments
Very few job opportunities do not require a cover letter. Cover letters are a must-have in
the application process because they give you an opportunity to showcase your skills
beyond the traditional resume.
Each part of your cover letter reveals something important to potential employers —
whether you want the job or not. And unfortunately for some job seekers, not all of the
revelations are positive.
Take a look at some examples of real-life cover letter sentences that don’t quite make the
cut in the competitive hiring landscape.
1. “My skills and experience are an excellent fit
for this position.”
At the beginning of every cover letter, state the position you’re applying to. Then describe
exactly how your skills and experience are a good fit.
Employers are not interested in applicants who will jump at just any job. They want
applicants who have their eyes on the open position and who have relevant experience.
By generically stating you’d be a great fit for the position, you admit to hiring managers
that you haven’t taken the time to find the specific job title, review the qualifications or think
about how your specific skill set meshes with the role.
To avoid this perception, be specific.
Your initial statement should sound something like this: “With ten years of experience in
the stock market, I am seeking a position as a day trader with ABC Investments.” This
shows you actually care about the particular position and took the time to research the job
title and customize your cover letter.
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Source: IEEE Career Alert [ieee-career-alert@ieee.org] 19/0614
6 Things Your Cover Letter Should
Never Say (But Probably Does)
2. “I have been looking for an opportunity to
work in this industry.”
Employers want to hire someone who cares about their company, not someone who finds
all companies in a particular industry interchangeable.
Don’t wait for the interview to show you’ve done your homework. For example, when
applying for a store manager position at Jamba Juice, a statement like, “I have a dedicated
work ethic and years of experience as a chef,” doesn’t work. Jamba Juice is known for
hiring upbeat, energetic employees. The business specializes in smoothies — not French
cuisine.
Instead think about how your past experience applies specifically to Jamba Juice.
If you write a cover letter specific to an industry and not a particular company, you’re
wasting an opportunity to show your passion for this specific company — something hiring
managers look for.
3. “Thank you for taking the time to read my
resume.”
Studies show that people who ask for raises are more likely to get them. The same
concept is true in your job application. Ending a cover letter with a request for an interview
will lead to more job offers.
Weak closing messages like, “Thank you for your time,” or “I hope to talk with you soon,”
give the hiring manager a choice: To call you back, or not to call you back. Asking for an
interview creates the impetus for the hiring manager to at least call back in response to
your application.
Address your cover letter to a specific person.
r human resource manager before you
send it off. If the company website does not list the hiring manager’s name, call the
business directly. You’ll show a heightened level of interest and indicate you’re serious
about this job.
Look up the n am e of th e hiring man ag er o
4. “I am an experienced, goal-oriented team
player.”
Hiring managers read cover letters all day long. They are used to reading the same words
and phrases in each letter. If you write a cover letter with the generic format, you express
you’re a generic candidate who didn’t put much thought into how your experience or goal
orientation fits in with the role.
Resumes and cover letters should show personal qualities, not tell about them.
(Click here to tweet this thought.)
Instead, think about writing statements like this: “I served as the COO of Plant
Pharmaceuticals for ten years. During that time, I managed a team of 50 people and set
aggressive revenue goals. Last year, our executive team wanted to increase departmental
revenue by three percent, but I was able to bring in an additional six percent by introducing
an innovative social media strategy that drove over 100,000 new sales.”
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Source: IEEE Career Alert [ieee-career-alert@ieee.org] 19/0614
6 Things Your Cover Letter Should
Never Say (But Probably Does)
The last statement shows all of the same generic qualities, but backs them up with actual
facts.
5. “I’m everything that you’re looking for… and
more!”
Job postings often include keywords that show what the company wants in an employee.
These keywords represent skill sets that are important because they can be used in your
cover letter.
Incorporated these keywords into your cover letter so that hiring managers — and more
importantly, applicant tracking systems — will better understand that you have the
necessary talents and pay attention to each detail.
If a job posting requests an employee who is punctual and willing to learn new skills, you
should incorporate these two attributes in your cover letter. This instantly shows that you
understand the needs of the position.
6. “I look forward to you’re response.”
It sounds crazy, but spelling and punctuation are common cover letter problems. In a
recent study by Grammarly, we learned there are five errors on a typical cover letter or
resume. The top mistakes include verb tense, hyphen use, formatting and careless
spelling mistakes (words that are spelled correctly but used in the wrong context).
Before sending your resume or cover letter, always spell check and proofread your
document first. Better yet, have a grammar-minded friend do it for you. Misspellings, typos
and errors show you lack attention to detail.
A cover letter is one of the first pieces of information a hiring manager receives about you.
Many hiring managers use your cover letter to read between the lines and figure out what
type of person you are. This piece of paper will determine if you get an interview or not.
Do what do you want your cover letter to portray? That you’re careless, generic and
arrogant? Or that you’re meticulous, dedicated and passionate? Although the interview will
ultimately determine if you are hired, your cover letter is your secret password to make it to
the interview.
Max Lytvyn, co-founder and head of product strategy for Grammarly, drives the future
direction and technical integration of Grammarly’s product portfolio. Connect with Max, the
Grammarly team and more than one million Grammarly Facebook fans at
www.facebook.com/grammarly.
Brazen powers real-time, online events for leading organizations around the world. Our
lifestyle and career blog, Brazen Life, offers fun and edgy ideas for ambitious
professionals navigating the changing world of work.
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Source: IEEE Career Alert [ieee-career-alert@ieee.org] 19/0614