2 Tiny Cover Letter Errors That Cause Big Trouble

2 Tiny Cover Letter Errors That Cause Big TroubleCover Letter Errors2 Tiny Cover Letter Errors That Cause Big TroubleLike job seekers, bloggers often reach out and network with each other. Just this week, The Blog received an inquiry from a potential guest blogger. Her message started with a nice compliment (Your blog is so helpful) and referred to one of our recent posts. So far, so good.Unfortunately, it soon became clear that this particular piece of flattery welches less-than-sincere, as the next line said I would love to have one of our bloggers write a guest post for sitename.Wait, what? Who you callin sitename?Clearly, the writer had meant to replace sitename with The Blog but forgot. That tiny mistake made it quite obvious that the writer was not, in fact, reaching out to us in particular, but was simply sending out a mass mailing of form letters to a variety of blogs, hoping someone would take the bait. In this case it was kind of amusing and no big deal. But it would have b een a very big deal in a job search. If that one, tiny mistake had been made in a titelblatt letter, it could have spoiled a promising job opportunity. fruchtwein employers these days have more qualified applicants than they can handle, so even a small mistake is reason enough to eliminate you. Its about attention to detail. Youd be amazed how often job seekers make this kind of blunder in their cover letters. And while were on the subject, here are a couple others1. Wrong kind of greeting.Ideally, you should address your cover letter by name to the hiring manager for the specific job. However, if you have no way of finding out the name, use a greeting thats professional and gender-neutral. That may seem obvious, but some people really do still think its proper to start a cover letter with Dear Sir, or Gentlemen. (Hint Its not, and hasnt been for at least 30 years)Acceptable options includeDear Hiring ManagerGood Afternoon,(Or, if youre using a memo format...)TO Hiring Manager for M arketing Associate Position, Job Reference 167542. Wrong company name or job title.If youre sending a cover letter and resume to Smith Company, the employer surely wont be impressed if your letter says youre excited about the opportunity at Jones Corp. Or perhaps youre applying for a job as a Customer Service Specialist, but your cover letter says Customer Support Representative, because that was the job title at the last place you applied.Some employers might not even notice a small mistake. And some might have a higher tolerance for errors and let you get away with a typo or two. But most expect nothing less than a 100% error-free cover letter and resumeespecially if your job duties will involve written communications. One of your most important resources in the job search is someone you can trust to proofread your career documents. Its even more important to get some assistance if you have learning differences that affect your spelling, or if English is not your first language.Do whatever it takes to ensure that every detail is spot-on so the employer can focus on whats truly importantyour qualifications and fit for the job.