Are you still making these 6 cover letter mistakes?

Dear Sir/Madam…And other mistakes that make us sad :(

Photo by Andrea Piacquadio

We’ve harped on before about how you really (really) need to tailor your job applications (Resume, cover letter, response to selection criteria — whatever the employer is asking you to send in). Read literally any article you can Google on how to write a great application, and you’ll see this advice — and it applies especially to cover letters. Everyone knows it, so why do so few people do it? Or do it poorly?

Here’s the first red flag that tells us we’re about to read a poorly tailored application:

“Dear Sir/Madam,”

Oh dear. No. Just — no.

Here’s another one:

“To whom it may concern,”

(The writing of this post was paused for many minutes at this point as we went down a rabbit hole trying to identify the origins of these phrases…one flimsy source suggested the 1800s).

The following is what’s likely to come after such a salutation (we can’t bring ourselves to include typos, but there would be at least one):

“I am writing to apply for the job you advertised recently. The role sounds like a good fit for me as I am well organised and have a strong eye for detail. I have a Bachelor of [insert regurgitation of Resume here]. I hope you will consider me for this role at your company, and hope to hear [< — — that would be a typo] from you soon. Yours faithfully…”

Note here: job applications do take practice, and you (should) get better over time. If we saw a cover letter like this for an entry level role, where the candidate is probably young and shiny and keen and trying to do their best based on Mum or Dad’s job advice, we’d be kind. If we were looking at an experienced role though, we’d probably move on to the next application pretty quickly.

Why are people still sending out generic cover letters? In our experience:

• they are applying for a lot of roles and feel like they don’t have time to tailor each of their applications
• they don’t really understand what a cover letter is for, or how powerful it can be in getting you noticed and shortlisted (more on this in a moment)
• they don’t really want the job (maybe they are only tailoring the applications for their dream roles, and going through the motions for the rest)

So, (fixable) cover letter mistakes that make us sad include:

1. An overly formal and generic introduction
2. Spelling errors and / or florid formatting
3. It’s far too long
4. It’s basically just the Resume but with more words
5. It could be for any role at any company
6. It could be from any candidate

The last one is interesting, and ties back to our point about the objective of a cover letter. In our view, a big reason for a cover letter (and why you should include one with a job application wherever possible) is that it’s the first way you get to distinguish yourself from the competition.

Let’s say there’s a role with fairly clear and essential requirements. Let’s also say the role is a fairly common one (Office Manager, or Retail Store Assistant). What is likely to come in for this role are Resumes that are very very similar in terms of skill sets and work history. A hiring manager will need to start shortlisting somehow, and a high quality cover letter is a huge help here. No two (good) cover letters will be the same, and they help to form a picture of who you are as a person (no, this doesn’t mean they want to hear about your hobbies) and as a potential employee. Even at this early stage employers start to get a sense of who would and wouldn’t be a good fit, so invest the time to get your cover letter right.

It’s also worth pointing out that if you’re making a career change, your resume is unlikely to be as strong as the competition. Here, your cover letter will be your biggest asset and is your chance to explain why your past experience and transferable skills will help you excel in the role being advertised. If you are returning to work after a career break, the cover letter will reassure an employer that a) the break wasn’t due to jail time (haha) and b) you are excited about coming back to work and ready to hit the ground running.

If you’re frustrated after sending out a lot of applications with no response, take a second look at your cover letter (Aha! We tricked you! There shouldn’t be just one cover letter!) But yes, before you send in your next application, be brutal with your cover letter. Make sure you are telling the employer, clearly and succinctly, who you are, why you want the job, what you can do for them (< — -super important), and why you are a star.