4 Deadly Mistakes to Avoid at All Costs on Your Cover Letter

Those mistakes could cost your resume to never be read!

If you don't want your cover letter to win a direct trip to the trash bin even before your resume is even read, there are 4 crucial things your cover letter should never do.

1. Slow Start

There's no time or room for warming up in a cover letter! Do not waste your
precious space with useless paragraphs, start off with a bang and be straight forward!

Keep in mind that your cover letter has one purpose and one only, and that's to get you an interview by conveying the following message to its reader: "I'm the right person for your job, I have unique skills and experience that will help your company immediately; i hope you are as excited about this as i am now."

Each and every word on your cover letter should reflect this statement.

2. Don't talk about your goals

Another popular mistake is to use common statements like "I seek a position where my skills will be utilized and recognized with further advancement."
This kind of statement only expresses your personal needs and desires, not what you can do for the company. It only shows what you want but not what you can provide.

You haven't even yet qualified for the job and yet you are already making demands?

3. Don't ever mention salary

Whenever salary is requested, the sole purpose is not evaluate your income,
but rather to screen out candidates who are obviously too expensive for the job, or on the opposite side, possibly not experienced enough to qualify for a better salary.

You surely do not want to give your potential employer a chance to screen you out even before you got an opportunity to meet in an interview!

What if you are requested to provide your expected salary for the position?

Simple, just write at the end of your cover letter: "My salary requirements are negotiable."

4. Never mention why you left a previous job

Your cover letter should only contain things that enhance your value, leave out any negative statement such as the reason why you are now looking for a job (meaning don't mention why and under which circumstances you left your previous job).

If you really feel compelled to explain yourself, don't do it on your cover
letter, but rather make sure that you prepare appropriate answers for the
questions your prospective employer may have to ask you about your employment history during the job interview.

Remember, your cover letter is your one chance to convince that you are the right person for the job.