4 ways youre killing your cover letter

4 ways youre killing your cover letter4 ways youre killing your cover letterWeve all messed up a cover letter by using specific words and phrases- heres what else has most likely happened to you, and why you shouldnt even think about going down these paths.You started off all wrongMelissa Kirsch, author and Editor-in-Chief of Lifehacker, writes about common cover letter mistakes on the site, including using an archaic or sexist greeting (e.g., Dear Sir).After explaining this point, she goes on to write what you should do instead To Whom It May Concern works To the hiring team at Company Name is good. If you can find out the anthroponym of the HR representative or hiring manager, all the better - Dear Ms. Kirsch and the hiring staff at Lifehacker shows you did your homework.You used a bunch of complicated wordsThis could cause more harm than good.Jada A. Graves, the Careers product manager at U.S. News, features commentary on this idea from author Louise Kursmark on the site.Be cris p and clear, and use short words and sentencesYou dont actually impress people by using $5 words. Especially if you misuse them, she told the publication.and didnt bother to check your spellingDont move too fast- you might regret it later.Alison Doyle, an author, career expert and founder and CEO of CareerToolBelt.com, writes in The Balance about the mistake of sending in a cover letter with these errors.Submitting a letter with grammar and/or spelling errors is a sure way to get screened out, she wrote. Use spelling and grammar checking tools to identify some issues, but never trust that they have caught all your errors. Place a finger on every word, read your letter out loud and have friends and advisors review your communications before forwarding them to employers.You used it as a second resumeLily Zhang, Manager of Graduate Student Professional Development at the MIT Media Lab, writes about issues shes seen in cover letters in The Muse. One of them is rehashing your resume.Thi s is what she recommends Focus on one or two (OK three, max) examples of your work that highlight what you can bring to the position, and try to help your reader picture you doing the work by really diving deep and detailing your impact, she writes. You want the hiring manger to be able to imagine plucking you out of the work youre describing on the page and placing you into his or her team seamlessly.