Ok so you have learned to write your CV and you have inserted all of those grades and achievements in there, but your cover letter is just as important as the CV itself. If you fail to entice the person reading your letter of application then all of your good work and all of that time spent on learning how to write your CV will be straight out the window.
Pointless
The cover letter is fraught with many dangers, but one of the most pressing risks is the risk of adding in pointless information. Telling the person who is reading your application that you can bench press 400 pounds may be impressive but it’s ultimately pointless. Telling the person who is reading your cover letter your GPA for a specific semester is, surprisingly to many people, also pointless.
Stay on target with everything you say and only mention things which are relevant to the company you are applying to. Sometimes when learning how to write your CV you may be told to write your hobbies and interests on the CV itself to show that you are a well-rounded individual, but never go into specifics unless it’s relevant to the position you are applying for.
Bragging
Avoid sounding arrogant by bragging in your cover letter. 99% of the time the person who is going to be reading your application will have much more experience than you and will most likely also be in a higher position. Having some snotty-nosed upstart telling them about how great they are will only lead to your application being thrown in the bin. In a cover letter, modesty is a virtue.
Avoid Other Companies
If an individual is applying to multiple companies with the same application then a common tactic is to include mentioning multiple companies in a casual way so the same cover letter can be sent to multiple people. This is a critical mistake in any job application because it shows you are applying to competitors too, and even though most companies would already assume this you shouldn’t make it obvious.
This practice looks sloppy, lazy, and is an untargeted attempt at getting a job; which leads us to our next important point.
Targeting
The most important part of any cover letter is to target it appropriately. As already mentioned, never mention other companies within your letter. Increase your targeting by making it clear that you are knowledgeable about the company’s operations; and if it’s a large company then making it clear that you are aware of their presence in the media is always a big plus.
Writing a targeted cover letter is the most important area because it demonstrates your dedication to a job as employers know how long it takes to craft an elegant and forceful cover letter. It also makes it clear that you will pay exceptional detail to any job you are given and how aware of your surroundings you are.
Slow Down
What any employer will tell you is that one of the biggest reasons why an applicant is rejected is on the basis of length. It may be tempting to go overboard with your cover letter as you have so much to talk about but don’t. All it does is open you up to mistakes and will inevitably cause the person reading your application to lose interest in you.
Leave some mystery about you, and never tell an employer everything or you may struggle to find something to talk about when it comes to your interview. Ideally your cover letter should not be any longer than a page; and this includes everything outside of the body of your letter too.
