10 Cover Letter Do’s and Don’ts

Some people think that the cover letter is a relic of the past and there is no need to create it now. At the same time, statistics say the opposite: 77% of recruiters prefer those candidates who sent not only a resume but also a cover letter.

The Relevance of the Cover Letter

A cover letter, along with a resume, is an element that must be worked on to find a job. You can not only introduce yourself and highlight your strengths, but also motivate the hiring manager or recruiter to invite you for an interview. For this to happen, you need to highlight the reasons why you are better for this position than other candidates.

Therefore, for a cover letter to be effective, it must be written flawlessly and avoid even minor mistakes. The ResumeEdge team has prepared a list of what to do and what not to do in a cover letter.

Related: Is It Necessary To Write A Cover Letter?

TOP 10 Cover Letter Do’s and Don’ts

✔️ Do: Be concise

The cover letter is not a complete biography. Also, it should not duplicate or contradict your resume. The task of this document is to highlight information that hiring managers and recruiters would be interested in, thus grab their attention and make a favorable impression upon you.

❌ Don’t: Send everyone the same cover letter

The cover letter should be written for a single position and a specific company. This means that in each case, you need to focus on various aspects of your education, character traits, and skills.

This is obvious when a job seeker uses the same cover letter for each application, and this is always a dangerous signal. In most cases, this means that they do not know anything about the company and send applications en masse in the hope that at least one of them will bring good luck.

✔️ Do: Take an interest in the company

Before sending a letter to an employer, every job-hunter should try to find out as much as possible about the company. The candidate should visit the organization’s website to find out more about it, to know its principles and values, and its corporate culture. It would also be a good idea to check out its profiles in social media, especially the organization’s page on LinkedIn. In their cover letter, it is advisable for a job seeker to briefly describe what attracted them to the company and show that they share its values.

❌ Don’t: Send your cover letter without checking it for errors

If there are many mistakes in the cover letter, it creates the impression of an absent-minded employee or someone who simply does not know the correct language and principles of communication. Therefore, many candidates are automatically rejected due to poor grammar or spelling errors. Check the letter as many times as necessary to make sure it is correct.

✔️ Do: Format

There should be a heading, opening paragraph, several body paragraphs, and a closing paragraph. Since there is a lot of information, it is worth structuring, aligning, and, of course, using the same font. A neat shape, a good font, a consistent style – all this shows the effort put in by the candidate.

❌ Don’t: Criticize your former employer

Criticizing a company you used to work for is not the best way to present yourself. Even if your previous boss was not pleasant, keep that judgment to yourself and just bring up relationship difficulties during the interview to explain your departure from your previous job.

✔️ Do: Personalize your cover letter

The cover letter should allow you to distinguish yourself from other candidates. Therefore, personalizing your cover letter for each position can make a huge difference to your potential employer.

It takes experience to make a cover letter more attractive and show your personality. Professional writers from ResumeEdge know the powerful ways to make an outstanding cover letter, so feel free to contact us for help.

❌ Don’t: Lie

Lying about your experience, writing about non-existent degrees, or claiming about the participation in projects you have nothing to do with is a bad idea. The temptation to embellish reality is understandable, but all this can be easily verified, from imaginary skills to large-scale professional qualities.

✔️ Do: Include keywords

Many companies use the Applicant Tracking System to select candidates for vacant positions. If the software or hiring manager doesn’t find any of the keywords in your resume or cover letter, your application might get dumped. By embedding keywords in your cover letter, you also will immediately demonstrate that you meet the requirements for a position.

❌Don’t: Indicate education only

The essence of a cover letter is just to tell how your skills and experience will be useful to the future employer. This means that it will not be enough to simply list your diplomas and courses taken. Give reasons for how you can solve the company’s problems, show your enthusiasm, and that you will be a positive addition to the team.

Think of cover letters as your first conversation with a hiring manager or a recruiter. You should be friendly, but also confident. This is a difficult balance, but it is possible to achieve it.

If writing a new cover letter for every job application seems like a chore, you can find help on our service. ResumeEdge writers always know what not to write in a cover letter, which will help you get noticed by the company and get the job of your dream.

Related: Cover Letter for an Internal Position or Promotion