It's just as important to know how NOT to write a cover letter as it is to know how to do it right. Avoid the pitfalls of cover letter writing with these essential cover letter tips.
Cover letter writing is a learned skill, but to some extent it – like most writing – is also somewhat of an art.
And there are many places you can go wrong along the way, if you're not careful.
One of the most common resume cover letter errors is not taking it seriously enough.
So many people just dash off some half-cocked, cliché-ridden paragraph or two that does absolutely nothing to set you apart from the hundreds of other applicants for the same job...
Sadly, many job seekers truly don't "get it" when it comes to knowing how to write a cover letter that will actually do the job that a cover letter is supposed to do... which is to secure you a job interview.
To Whom It May Concern:
Enclosed please find my resume in response to your advertisement for a customer service representative. Thanks in advance for your kind attention.
Sincerely,
Jane JobSeeker
Send a cover letter like that one and you can be sure that your resume will get NO attention!
It sounds like every other canned letter coming in to the office, and remember... there are hundreds just like it!
But, the good news is there are some simple, concrete action steps I teach you about how to write a cover letter that will virtually ensure that your resume IS noticed.
There are a lot of pages in the Resume Cover Letter Help Center here on this site. I strongly encourage you to take the time to read all of them.
By the time you're done, you'll not only know everything there is to know about how NOT to write a cover letter... you'll also know a heckuva lot more about how to write a cover letter right! Go on... you can do it!
By the Way: If you're struggling with writing your cover letter, I highly recommend you check out this online resume builder website, where you'll not only find templates for both resumes and cover letters, but also an easy-to-use interface that enables you to create and submit them... both online and offline. There's a super cool free trial too.