Is a cover letter really necessary these days?
As a career advice expert, I get this question a lot. And the answer is simple.
Yes.
Here’s why. While a study by Jobvite found that 63 percent of employers don’t consider the cover letter to be an important factor when evaluating job candidates, the remaining 38 percent do. Since you have no way of knowing which type of employer will review your application, the best thing to do is cover all bases and include a cover letter with each job application.
However, a cover letter will only help your candidacy when it’s done right.
Your cover letter may be the first time a hiring manager is introduced to you as a job candidate. Don’t damage your candidacy by beginning your cover letter with a boring opener. Make the right first impression with employers by avoiding these common cover letter opener mistakes.
Let’s start by looking at some of the worst ways to address a cover letter. These five cover letter salutations made it into my list of the top five worst “addressed.” (see what I did there?) Here they are, starting with the least damaging.
Top Five Worst Cover Letter Starters
5. “Dear Hiring Manager” or “Dear Recruiter”
This is the least offensive cover letter introduction if you’re unable to figure out who is the hiring manager or recruiter in charge of filling the open job position. If the company associated with the job post is listed as ‘confidential,’ one of these salutations will work. No need to dig deeper online for more information. If a company decides to stay anonymous, they usually don’t appreciate it when a candidate goes out of their way to bypass the online application process and seek out the hiring manager directly.
However, if the company or the recruiting agency is revealed within the job listing, it’s in your best interest to do a little online sleuthing to determine who’s most likely to be the hiring manager or the recruiter responsible for filling this role.
Better yet, if you know someone who works at the company, reach out to these valuable networking contacts to see if they can share the name of the hiring manager or corporate recruiter filling the position. This is also a great opportunity to set up an informational interview with your connection to learn more about the organization’s selection process and find out if your contact is willing to pass a copy of your job application along to the right person at the company.
Bottom line: Only use a cover letter salutation like this one if it proves impossible to figure out the hiring manager’s name.
4. “Dear HR Professional” or “Greetings, HR Professional”
First of all, this cover letter opener may not be accurate. The person who initially reads your cover letter might not work in the organization’s HR department, or they may go by a different title such as ‘recruiter’ or ‘sourcing manager.’ These days, many companies have a People Team that includes both human resource professionals and recruiters. Don’t assume your job application is being handed over to someone who identifies him or herself as an HR professional.
3. “Hiya” or “Hey”
While I’m not completely opposed to addressing a cover letter with a “Hi” or “Hello” and the person’s name, assuming you’ve done your homework on the company’s culture and believe this type of salutation would be well-received, but “Hey” and “Hiya” are just too informal, no matter how laid-back the company appears to be.
Remember, you haven’t landed a phone screen interview, let alone a job offer, yet. This is your opportunity to demonstrate your professionalism as well as your personality. Don’t make the mistake of coming off as unprofessional.
2. “Dear Sir or Madam”
This resume opener falls on the opposite end of the spectrum, but can be just as damaging to your job application. While you may think you’re getting brownie points for covering both genders in your salutation, you lose points for being so formal.
If you’re applying for a job at a startup, this overly formal language would render you a company culture misfit.
1. “To Whom It May Concern”
The grand prize for the worst way to address a cover letter goes to, “To Whom It May Concern.” If “Dear Sir or Madam” seems incredibly formal, “To Whom It May Concern” takes that formality to a whole new level. Not only does this cover letter salutation come off as incredibly stuffy, but it sends recruiters the signal that you don’t care enough about the job position to figure out who is the appropriate point of contact.
You want your cover letter to sound professional and conversational; this cover letter opener fails on both points.
Now that we’ve talked about all the ways you shouldn’t address cover letter, let’s talk about the cover letter mistakes you should avoid when creating your cover letter opening statement. Below are five sentences that are sure to make the recruiter either cringe or yawn.
Top Five Worst Ways to Begin a Cover Letter
5. “My name is…”
If the hiring manager is one of the reported 38% who is inclined to look over your cover letter, the first sentence of your cover letter is your chance to make a good first impression. There’s no guarantee the person will read anything past that first line, so it’s in your best interest to make it a good one and use it to draw them in.
Don’t waste this opportunity by re-stating your name—a piece of information, I dare say, you can safely assume they’ve already figured out.
4. “I am writing to express my interest…”
This type of cover letter introduction usually won’t send your job application to the trash pile, but it won’t help you to stand out from the loads of other applications, either. Since the purpose of a cover letter is to express your interest in the position, there’s no need to tell the reader that you’re writing to express such interest. Instead, use the space to show the reader that you’re genuinely interested and enthusiastic about this specific job position, and that you’re not just sending in another boring cover letter template.
3. “Please find my enclosed resume…”
The employer already has a copy of your resume in front of them, so why would you rehash all of the same information in your cover letter? Your cover letter gives you a chance to show more of your personality and add color to your work history and qualifications in ways that can’t be expressed through your resume.
Think of your cover letter as a place to add something valuable to your job application, not to be repetitive.
2. “Ever since I was little I’ve wanted to work for your company…”
While your enthusiasm for the brand is admirable, a cover letter opener like this one may backfire. Usually when a candidate talks about how much they “love” a company or consider it to be their “dream job”, they tend to focus on how working there would benefit them, rather than emphasizing how their skills and job experience would benefit the company.
An employer wants to hear about the unique abilities you would bring to the team and how you could help the company grow. Focus on what you have to offer, rather than what the job opportunity has to offer you.
1. “I may not be the best candidate, but…”
This is, by far, the worst line you could use to begin your cover letter. While there is some merit in modesty, a cover letter is no place to put yourself down! If you aren’t confident in your job skills and qualifications from the get-go, why in the world should the hiring manager put their faith in your abilities?
What to remember when starting your cover letter
There are a number of ways you can go about writing a compelling cover letter opening sentence that’s sure to catch the reader’s attention. For instance, you may want to take Danny Rubin’s storytelling approach. Using this approach, you would open your cover letter with a line that places readers into a memorable story from your past experience. The story you choose to share in your cover letter should not only grab the reader’s attention, but also demonstrate your abilities for the role you want.
If this approach seems a little intimidating, try starting your cover letter with a relevant quote, by noting recent company news, or by congratulating the company on a recent achievement. These options will still set your cover letter apart from others, while proving to the reader that you’ve done your homework on the employer.
Use the beginning of your cover letter to hook the reader and deliver your elevator pitch. Be professional, but aim for a conversational tone.
A good rule of thumb when writing a cover letter is to consider how you would react if you were the one to receive it. If the way you started your cover letter seems boring to you, chances are the person reading your cover letter will feel the same way.
Need more help with your job applications? TopResume has you covered! Click on the following link to submit your resume for a free review.
About the author: This article was written by Amanda Augustine, TopResume’s career advice expert. TopResume is the largest resume-writing service in the world.
