more things not to say in your cover letter -- ASK A MANAGER |
more things not to say in your cover letter
by ASK A MANAGER on APRIL 5, 2012
In our continuing Things Not to Say series, here are more things not to say in your cover letter:
• “I strongly believe your search can end today.”
Um, wow. You haven’t even talked to anyone yet to learn about the position. This kind of hyperbole doesn’t just make you look arrogant; it also makes you look naive.
• “I meet the requirements for the position.”
The opposite of the one above! The problem with this is that hundreds of candidates are going to meet the requirements. You want to explain why you’re an excellent candidate, not an adequate one.
• “The position is tailor-made for a person with my qualifications.”
If you’re going to make extravagant statements like this, you need to be really, really sure that you’re an especially strong candidate. (In this case, the person was not and it appeared to be part of a form letter that the candidate sends out with every application, not customized for this particular job. This is exactly the kind of thing that by definition doesn’t belong in a form letter.)
• Writing two paragraphs about salary (one about your salary history and bonus structure at your past jobs, and one about how salary isn’t the most important factor to you).
This is weird.
|
|