5 Ways Your Cover Letter Says, ‘I Don’t Want This Job’

Posted by in Career Advice


Cover letters can be a great way to get employers to notice you. Of course you always want to send one but what are some ways that your cover letter can actually hurt your chances of getting interviews? 1) You use ‘Dear Sir or Madame’ as your salutation. It can be a lot of work to find out the name of the hiring manager or the person that your resume is being sent to. However, if you do, it will put you in the good graces of the hiring manager…at least to start off with. 2) The reader is left with the question of what job you are actually applying for in their organization. You need to state the title of the job somewhere on your cover letter. It can be as a title or in the first paragraph. Hiring managers don’t want to guess which job you want. If they do, then you’ll likely get passed up for interviews. This is another way you can personalize your cover letter. If you use the exact title for which they are hiring, then they’ll know that you took the time to tailor it just for them. 3) Your cover letter addresses none of the job requirements. One way to really impress an employer is by their specific needs they listed in the job posting. This is where you can completely personalize your cover letter. Check out your achievements from your resume and see what is applicable to their needs. Pull a few and reword them a bit to add them as a bullet list on your cover letter. 4) You end it with a passive call to action. You want to make the Hiring Manager do the least amount of work as possible in order for you to get an interview. One of the ways you can ease their burden is by calling them to follow-up. State that you will call them in a certain amount of time – say one week or on a specific date – and be sure to do it. Don’t worry about coming across as too aggressive. It’s acting proactively which employers think highly of and you can expect them to take note. Of course they may call you even before you get a chance to give them a ring, but that’s a good thing. 5) No contact information. I know you’re saying ‘Give me a break!’ It seems like that’s common sense, right? Not necessarily. Sometimes when job seekers create their own resume package, they only put their contact info on their resume, not their cover letter. But what happens if the two get separated and your resume accidentally gets tossed? Your desire to get an interview just got tossed along with it. Paying attention to detail will go far when you’re job hunting. Don’t be in such a rush that you forgo some of these pointers. Take your time to do it right and you’ll find yourself getting many more employers wanting to meet you.
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  • Melissa Kennedy
    Melissa Kennedy
    Thanks for all of the really great comments. Writing a cover letter doesn't send your resume right into the trash, however a poorly worded resume or one that includes the mentioned mistakes can make you look bad and cause a hiring manger to pass over your resume.
  • perth adam
    perth adam
    yes this is easier to said than done to get to the hiring manager, especially with a blind ad.
  • Lynn
    Lynn
    As a manager who interviews before sending the candidate's information to HR I don't agree with the "follow up with a phone call" advice.  Unless a person has been interviewed by a company representative a follow-up call after a cover letter is pretentious and annoying to a busy manager.  It might get the candidate eliminated from consideration.
  • Michael
    Michael
    I'm addressing this to any human resources or personnel people who might be reading this.  If you receive a cover letter and resume from someone who has "done their homework", but for some reason just isn't right to even be interviewed, please at least acknowledge that you received the resume, and if possible, offer a few words of encouragement.  There is nothing more disheartening than to spend the time to compose a proper application, and then not receive the least bit recognition for one's time and effort.
  • John Nordstrom
    John Nordstrom
    Each of the points in the article is common sense and each is easy to comply with except the first.  Finding the name of the hiring manager is in most cases impossible.  This is especially true if the position is listed on a job board.  What the article needs is a procedure to find the name of the hiring manager.
  • Kerry
    Kerry
    Again, another good article.  Very informative.  I appreciate the advice.  Keep up the great work.  I look forward to reading more of these.
  • Nick
    Nick
    But it is easier said than done to get the hiring manager's name, especially with a blind ad.  Any tricks?
  • Debbe Hershey
    Debbe Hershey
    It really makes a better impression to personalize a letter...I know how I resent an ad that begins with "Occupational therapist needed...". then in requirements below lists "valid PT license".
  • Jason T Chandler
    Jason T Chandler
    Thank you for the advise. I have always avoided cover letters totally as I knew they could lead your resume straight to the trash can!! This is great...
  • Sue
    Sue
    What an excellent article this is - you would be amazed how many people don't even get their resumes (CVs) read because the cover letter doesn't follow these good, common-sense rules.  A well written cover letter and a properly presented CV Layout make a great deal of difference... the difference between getting an interview for that job.. or not.

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