“To whom it may concern” and other cover letter mistakes

We all know that we should tailor our applications to the individual jobs we apply for. This means not sending the same blanket CV and cover letter to every job posting.

As the cover letter is the first piece of information about you the recruiter will see, you need to give the right impression.

With many applications to sift through, it’s critical that yours stands out. A well written cover letter shows potential employers that you’ve taken the time to think about why you are particularly suited for the role.

Here are some common cover letter mistakes and what you can do about them:

Do not use ‘To Whom It May Concern’ 

The formal phrase 'To Whom It May Concern' is traditionally used in business correspondences when you don't know the recipient's name or you're not writing to one specific person.

But we now live in the age of the internet. With the ability to research at our fingertips, it is possible to find an actual person - either the person in the department who will be managing the role or the hiring manager if a name is not given in the job description. Failing that, address the letter to the department.

Basically address anyone other than ‘to whom it may concern’ and also swerve the awkward ‘sir/madam’ approach.

When you find the name, use their full name preceded by ‘Dear’. You could use ‘Hi’ or ‘Hello’, although the risk is that this can come across as too informal.

Be careful with titles Mr/Ms/Mrs as you don’t want to misgender anyone. However, if you know they are a "Dr." or "Professor” include that in your greeting as it will demonstrate a level of respect and that you’ve done your research. 

Do not use the wrong format

There is a standard format to a cover letter and it’s best not to deviate from this. There are many templates available on the Internet to help you. If you make your cover letter too artistic, colourful or don’t provide the required information it will put people off. Basically, make it as easy to read as possible.

Do not make it too wordy

Some job postings get hundreds of applications. Skimming through them is time consuming. Make yours stand out by not putting very much in it. That may sound counter intuitive but short paragraphs with concise, impactful sentences is best. As a general rule, aim to fill roughly three-quarters of an A4 page when writing a cover letter.

Not tailoring the letter to the position

As mentioned above, do not send the same cover letter to every job application. Include information relevant to the role and company. This information can be found in the job description itself as well as on the company’s website where you’ll find relevant information about their mission and vision statement.

Don’t be a cliché

I think outside the box. I go the extra mile. I’m an independent self-starter. I’m highly organised. I have excellent communication skills. I thrive in a fast-paced environment. I’m a quick learner.  All of these are overused phrases that employers will have seen hundreds of times before.   

If you are going to call yourself a ‘team player’ then be  specific and provide examples of how you work well as part of a team. 

You might well be a go-getter, problem solver, dynamic, proactive, motivated and responsible but employers are more interested in specific examples that demonstrate this rather than a list of general traits. When it comes to cover letters, think of it as show and not tell.

Failing to highlight the skills relevant to the job

The organisation you’re applying to is hiring to fill a void. You need to position your skills and achievements as being able to fill that void. Tailor your cover letter to highlight those relevant skills instead of giving a full synopsis of each position you’ve ever held.

No one likes a bragger

It’s a balance - you want to highlight why you are the ideal candidate for the position but you don’t want to come across as bragging. This will almost certainly put the recruiter off. 

The best why to go about this is to talk about your skills matter-of-factly, avoid hyperbole. For instance,

‘I have working HTML skills’ rather than “I’m a master at HTML coding”

Don’t forget to proofread

Proofread your cover letter very carefully before submitting. Errors in spelling or grammar, improper use of punctuation, inaccurate information and missing details could cause the employer to dismiss your application. Consider asking a friend or relative to proofread the letter as they may spot something that you haven’t.