What to review before you submit your cover letter

Including a cover letter with your job application increases your chances of getting hired by a lot. However, simply attaching a cover letter you whipped up in ten minutes to your resume will not do the trick. You need to invest time in your cover letter and ensure that it is perfect before you send it out. Here are 7 things you should do before you send your cover letter to an employer:

1. Ensure that the contact information is correct

You need to verify whether you have included the right contact information in your cover letter. This applies to your contact information as well as the receiver’s. Ensure that your contact information is not mentioned in the header or footer of your cover letter. This is one of the most common cover letter mistakes that gets you rejected by employers because the ATS can’t recognize your contact information. Ensure that the email address is spelled accurately and that the phone number is not missing any digits. Also, check whether you have the employer’s address right.

2. Have you used the right greeting?

Never send out a cover letter without ensuring that you have spelled the hiring manager’s name correctly. If you already know the person, your address can be casual. If you are writing to a stranger, it is better to opt for a formal greeting.

3. Check whether you have attached the right cover letter

When you are on the job hunt, you write more than a dozen cover letters a month. Imagine the horror of sending the wrong cover letter to the wrong employer! Always check whether you have attached the right cover letter to your job application. You can avoid mistakes by renaming each draft of your cover letter and organizing them in separate folders.

4. Cross-reference your keywords

Once you have ensured all those, move to the body of your cover letter in search of the keywords. Read the job description one more time to spot any keywords you may have missed. Does your cover letter emphasize related experience and skills? Have you highlighted your biggest wins? Also, don’t forget to check your cover letter for ATS compliance. If you feel as if your cover letter does not step up to the mark, talk to a resume writer at Resume Mansion. Our resume writers are experts at crafting winning cover letters.

5. Save your cover letter in the right file format

The employer usually lists the file format of job applications they accept in the job posting. You need to save your cover letter in the same file format. If they haven’t specified a file type, you should go with a format that is easily parsed by the ATS. It is better to choose the .doc format over PDF because it performs better in the ATS.

6. See if your word count is too high

If the job posting specifies a word count for your cover letter, you need to stick to it. If the employer hasn’t specified a word limit, it is best to keep it short. Don’t let your cover letter go on to a second page. One-page cover letters always perform better.

7. Proofread your cover letter

You have made all the changes you want to your cover letter. Finally, it is time for proofreading. Don’t let the spell checker of your word processor do all the work. Manually checking your cover letter for spelling and grammar mistakes will help you do a better job. Don’t just stick to the words when you proofread your cover letter. Check for consistent formatting, ample white space, and uniform margins.