Resume Cover Letter Mistake #1: Sending your job resume without a resume cover letter. Not all employers give much value to resume cover letters but since you don’t know whether the employer you’re writing to reads and values resume cover letters or not, it’s better to include a resume cover letter.

Resume Cover Letter Mistake #2: Failing to address the resume cover letter to the specific name of the recipient. Addressing the resume cover letter to “Dear Personnel Director/HR Director,” “To Whom It May Concern,” and the likes instead of a named individual give employers that you as a job searcher is not concerned enough to find out the name of the person with the hiring power.

Usually, you can just call the company and ask who the hiring manager is for a given position. Try to do all that is in your power to get the name of the employer.

Resume Cover Letter Mistake #3: Telling the employer what the company can do for you instead of what you can do for the company. This resume cover letter mistake is particularly common among new college graduates and other inexperienced job-seekers. Employers look for job searchers who can be an asset to their company so this is what you should include in your job resume cover letter. Tell the employer how you can meet his or her needs and contribute to the company.

Resume Cover Letter Mistake #4: Leaving the ball in the employer’s court. Too many job resume cover letters end with a line like this: “I look forward to hearing from you.” Proactive job resume cover letters, in which the job-searcher requests an interview and promises to follow up with a phone call, are far more effective. Don’t be vague about your desire to be interviewed. Come right out and ask for an interview. Then, take your specific action a step farther and tell the recipient that you will contact him or her in a specified period of time to arrange an interview appointment.

Here’s a sample closing paragraph requesting specific action and describing the writer’s planned follow-up to put in your job resume cover letter:

I would like to be considered for a sales position in which someone of my background could make a contribution. I will contact you soon to arrange for an interview. Should you require any additional information, I can be contacted at the phone numbers listed above.

Resume Cover Letter Mistake #5: Being boring and formulaic. Don’t waste your job resume cover letter’s first paragraph by writing a boring introduction. Use the first paragraph of job resume cover letter to grab the employer’s attention. Tell the employer why you are writing and summarize the reasons you are qualified for the position, expanding on your qualifications in later paragraphs. The point is to write a job resume cover letter that will make the employer want to get to know you better.

Resume Cover Letter Mistake #6: Allowing typos, misspellings, or incorrect grammar/punctuation into your job resume cover letter. Your job resume cover letter reflects your ability to write and communicate so be sure your document is letter-perfect before sending it out. Proofread your job resume cover letter. Put it down and proof it again a few hours later with a fresh eye. Then enlist a friend to review it for errors.

Resume Cover Letter Mistake #7: Rehashing your job resume. You can use your job resume cover letter to highlight the aspects of your job resume that are relevant to the position, but you’re wasting precious space — and the potential employer’s time — if you simply repeat your job resume.

Resume Cover Letter Mistake #8: Failing to specifically tailor your resume cover letter to the job you’re applying for. If you’re answering an ad or online job posting, the specifics of your job resume cover letter should be tied as closely as possible to the actual wording of the ad you’re responding to.

A particularly effective way to deploy the specifics of a want ad to your advantage is to use a two-column resume cover letter format in which you quote in the left-hand column specific qualifications that come right from the employer’s want ad and in the right-hand column, your attributes that meet those qualifications. The two-column job resume cover letter format is extremely effective when you possess all the qualifications for a job, but it can even sell you when you are lacking one or more qualification. The format so clearly demonstrates that you are qualified in so many areas that the employer may overlook the areas in which you lack the exact qualifications.

Resume Cover Letter Mistake #9: Rambling on too long and telling the story of your life/career. Keep your job resume cover letter as brief as possible. Never more than one page. Keeping to four or five paragraphs of no more than three sentences each is a good guideline to take note of with resume cover letters. Using bullet points in the job resume cover letter is a good way to break up blocks of text and interest the reader. Some job searchers tend to use their job resume cover letters to provide a narrative of their life or career. That’s not what the job resume cover letter is all about; it’s a marketing tool that should focus on the qualifications that will sell you to the employer. Your job resume cover letter should answer the question that the employer will be asking while reading the words you’ve written: “Why should I hire this person?” Answer with your Unique Selling Proposition. Use simple language and uncomplicated sentence structure. Ruthlessly eliminate all unnecessary words.

Resume Cover Letter Mistake #10: Using wimpy language. Avoid such phrases as “I feel” and “I believe.” Your statements will be much stronger without them. It’s best to either leave off the qualifier or use a stronger qualifier, such as “I am confident,” I am convinced,” or “I am positive.”