The Cover Letter Mistakes category provides a list of articles that outline the most common mistakes made when creating a cover letter.
One of the best ways to improve your cover letter is to make sure you aren’t making major mistakes. These articles discuss these mistakes to help you fix your cover letter.
Is Your Cover Letter Fluff or Substance?
A good cover letter is a critical element to any résumé submission. I have heard some ‘so called’ career experts say a cover letter isn’t needed any longer because it doesn’t get scanned into applicant tracking systems, but having been a senior level Human Resources professional, and after discussing with numerous recruiters and hiring managers; I can tell you that cover letters are essential.
Three Reasons Why Your Cover Letter Is Not Worth The Paper It’s Printed On
Contrary to what you might think, a cover letter is important. It is part of your career search materials. Are you telling me that when applying for a position, you are just going to send in your resume? The cover letter is your introduction. You wouldn’t go up to someone and just start talking without introducing yourself, would you? This is the same thing. You need a cover letter when applying for work. Now, I haven’t taken a poll or done any formal research regarding who reads cover letters and who doesn’t read them. When I was in a hiring position, I always read them. And, it worked out well; many times I identified and hired people that I wouldn’t have just considered from the resume. Many people provided information in the cover that they couldn’t include on the resume. So here are some things to consider regarding why your cover letter is not working for you:
Explaining Short-Term Jobs in Your Cover Letter and Resume
With the economy still recovering from a tough year, many people may have been laid off once or even twice within a relatively short period of time. While this was once viewed as taboo, employers have become more sensitive to this type of circumstance.
But even if employers are understanding, it’s a good idea to acknowledge multiple short-term jobs carefully. So to help you better explain your circumstances in both your cover letter and resume, here are a few tips to consider:
This blog's author, Debra Wheatman of Careers Done Write, provides executive career services including resume and cover letter preparation, job search / interviewing strategies and professional branding including how to effectively use LinkedIn, Twitter and other social media in your career.
Visit CareersDoneWrite.com to learn more about how we can put your career in gear with interview catching resumes and professionally written career documents.