A cover letter is your best-bet of making a recruiter interested in your profile.You need to craft it carefully. As you only have one page to sell yourself, you need to do it right. I know writing a cover letter is such an overwhelming experience. You really don't know what you should add and what to avoid. So, here I'm going to explain the Do's and Don'ts of Cover letters.

Next time, you will craft a cover letter and you will have a clear idea of what you shouldn't add to make your application letter shine. 

Focus on Your Skills

Your cover letter must provide complete details of your skills. Employers are interested in hiring skillful employees. If you have some skills that make you stand out in the crowd then your cover letter is certainly the best way to convey a message about them.

Add Value

You need to tell the employer how your  skills and experience will add value to the company. Understand company objectives and try to explain how your skills will contribute. If you don't add any value, why would an employer should hire you? So, please be strategic when composing a cover letter.

Use Simple Language

You may read novels and planning to add some fantasy or fancy language. Please avoid it, no matter what. Try to use some simple language so that you won't have to face some trouble. A recruiter is a busy person, if you use jargon and unfamiliar words. They will only create confusion. He won't google or check the dictionary for a word. Thereby, you should write your cover letter in plain English and without usage of some technical terms. 

Complete Research

If you want to make a strong first impression, you should research all about your employer. This way you will get some vital details that help you write better. Getting to know your company and employer helps you understand interest.

Do Address Properly

Before you write a cover letter, try to know who is going to read it. To Whom it May concern, doesn't sound like a good salutation. So, you better know who the receiver is and write his proper name. It won't be hard for you to get this detail as social media is there to help you.

Stay Honest

You may like to brag about yourself and make some claims but please be honest. If you can do a job then write about it. However, if you are unable to do what you said you can then it's a waste of time and employers will never like that about you.

Get A Review 

Before you send your cover letter please ask your colleagues or friends to give it a good read. A second opinion would help you pinpoint some mistakes and another person's angle lets you refine your cover letter in a better way.

Add Keywords

Read job ads, highlight keywords like skills and experience and then use them in your cover letter. The purpose of adding keywords in your cover letter is to give an impression of relevancy. In other words, you will tell the employer that you have all skills and talent that an employer is interested in.

Use Action Verbs

When writing about your achievements and experience, use action verbs. I did that, I achieved this, etc. These action verbs let employers understand how you handle your job well. 

Don't Repeat

Please don't repeat your CV in your cover letter. Many people make this mistake but you shouldn't. Your cover letter is a way to sell yourself and your skills. Therefore, you need to write a good story to convince the employer that you are the right person for a given job.

Don't Ignore Grammar

Please proofread your cover letter. You forget to give it a good read and send it as it is. Later you find many grammar issues, it's when you regret a lot. If you ignore grammar and employer notice is that all your efforts for writing the letter goes down the drain. You hardly need three to five minutes to read a letter, so even when you are in a hurry don’t send a letter until you proofread it.

Don't Miss Call to Action

The first paragraph of the cover letter is all about your introduction and the second is focused on skills and achievement. Once you complete a letter, try to close it with a call to action phrase. Like feel free to contact me or I will be looking forward to your quick response. These phrases make employers contact you. Don't you want an interview call?

Know: How to End a Cover Letter

Don't be Negative

Maybe employers require an applicant to have four year experience and you have two years only. In that case, please don't say anything negative about yourself. Keep the tone of your cover letter positive.No one likes to hire a cry baby or critic for a job. So, prevent this when creating a cover letter.

Don't Forget to Sign Letter

Once you complete your cover letter, please sign it. This is quite important. Some people just put the name, you shouldn't do it. A signature at the end sounds professional, so please go for it.

Learn: How to end a Cover Letter

Don't Make it Lengthy

Nothing is more frustrating for a recruiter than reading a lengthy cover letter. You should know about the length of the cover letter, which is almost 500 words or one page. Please refrain from boring stories or irrelevant details. You need to keep it concise and to-the-point. Always remember that recruiters are busy, they won’t spend the whole day only checking your application. Therefore, stick to only main and meaningful points.

Wrap Up

A cover letter is your best chance of selling yourself. You can brag as much as you want but next time you craft a letter please keep these do’s and don'ts of a cover letter in mind. My intention of highlighting these points is to help you create an application letter that gets instant attention from the recruiter. Besides,I want you to avoid CV mistakes and create a job-winning cover letter.