5 Common Graduate Cover Letter Mistakes

5 Most Common Graduate

Cover Letter Mistakes

2 | 5 Most Common Graduate Cover Letter Mistakes

Table of ContentsThe Purpose of a Cover Letter

Graduates and their Cover Letters

5 Common Cover Letter Mistakes

Final Thoughts

Tell Us What You Think

04

04

05

12

14

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Cover letters are a unique part of the application process. Most of the cover is spent recapping things that the

employer probably already knew, and the entire document must conform to a certain style that has existed in the

corporate world for decades.

Yet cover letters are also one of the most important parts of the application process. They are your only chance to

actually speak to your potential employee directly, and although they may not say very much, what they say may be

the difference between you getting a call back for an interview and being left behind.

Introduction

3 | 5 Most Common Graduate Cover Letter Mistakes © everydayinterviewtips.com


The Purpose of a Cover LetterCover letters are designed to complement the resume. Rather than simply mention the same items found in your

resume, the cover letter is designed to make those items come to life or address any additional benefits to hiring you.

Resumes discuss what you have done in the past. They go over where you have worked and where you received your

education. Cover letters allow you to discuss the present. They allow you the opportunity to share what qualifies you

for the position with the employer. They are your way of making sure that the employer looks at your resume to see

how you fit into the role, rather than looking at the resume as though it is a bunch of facts on a piece of paper. There are

employers who will immediately reject all resumes without cover letters. Always send a cover letter with your

resume as a sign of respect and a chance for you to introduce yourself on paper.

Graduates and their Cover LettersRecent graduates tend to have the most problems with their cover letters. This is mostly due to inexperience with

cover letter writing. Writing a great cover letter is a skill. If you do not know how to write the cover letter correctly, you

will harm your chances of getting the job. In this guide, we will go over many of the common mistakes that recent

graduates make when they write up their cover letters, and hopefully by avoiding these mistakes you will put yourself

in the best position for landing the position.


5 Common Cover Letter Mistakes

The most common mistake graduates make is not formatting their cover letters

correctly. Cover letters have a strict format. They are expected to follow a specific

style. They are expected to look a certain way and have information in specific

places.

Cover letters are probably too strict, but until they are changed, you should expect

to write your cover letter using the same old boring format in the same manner as

everyone else. Hiring managers read cover letters and look to see if you were able

to follow the rules, because your ability to follow the rules is going to be a part of

your future career.

It is widely believed that cover letters should be wordy documents that go on and on

about how great you are for the company. This is not the case. Cover letters should

be short and to the point, and should be no longer than one page. There are two

reasons for this:

Hiring managers have limited time in general, so reading long cover

letters is not one of their favorite tasks.

If your cover letter is too long, you should question whether it is in

the right format or written correctly.

The cover letter is a

standard format

summary; it is not War

and Peace. 1 Improper Cover Letter Format


How the Cover Letter Breaks Down

Cover letters start with a basic format. First you must put down contact information, dates, etc., followed by the actual

letter and end with a closing farewell. Below is how your cover letter should be written:

Your Contact Information

Date

Employer Contact Information

Greeting

Body of the Letter

– The first thing you should do is put your name and address on the top of the

cover letter.

– Make sure if you are reusing the same cover letter that you remember to change the date.

– It is traditional to put the employer’s name and address on the cover

letter, even if you are emailing it in.

– If you know the person that is receiving the letter, you should write “Dear Mr(s). Name.” If you

do not, you can start with “Dear Hiring Manager” or “To Whom it May Concern.”

– The body of the letter is broken down into three paragraphs. Each paragraph serves

its own purpose and is expected to be written exactly in this style containing this same information.

First Paragraph – All you include in your first paragraph is the position you are applying for, where

you found the job listing, the name of someone within the company that recommend you apply (if

any), and a very brief sentence about what they will see about your candidacy (“I am confident that

my work experience, education and goals make me the perfect fit for your company.”).

A one page cover letter may not give you enough room to truly describe or sell yourself on paper. However, do it right

and your chance of getting a call for the interview will increase. You can then sell yourself at the interview. At this

point your goal is to get a call for the interview.


Sign Off – “Sincerely,” or “Respectfully,” are good endings to the letter. Underneath you should hand type

your name and hand sign the letter if you are sending it in by email.

Only the second paragraph of the cover letter provides you with an opportunity to show why you are perfect for the

role. There is not a lot of room to truly explain how you fit. Still, one paragraph is all you need. Keep it brief and to the

point, and you will have no problems getting the employer to read your resume.

Stick to the Format

Cover letters are admittedly limiting, but following the correct style is your way of showing hiring managers that you

know how to follow the rules. While a long cover letter may give you the best opportunity to share all of your thoughts,

hiring managers are short on time and want to know that you know how to present yourself correctly. Following the

format ensures that you meet both of those goals.

Second Paragraph

Third Paragraph

– The second paragraph is where you start to explain why you are a great

candidate. You should address how your qualifications meet the needs of the open position, using

specific examples, expertise, skills, accomplishments, etc. DO NOT RAMBLE. It is here that many

graduates start to become overly wordy. Try to keep this between 3 and 5 sentences.

– Concluding your letter should be short and to the point. Quickly (within one

sentence) recap why you are perfect for the position and mention how they can contact you and

when you are available for an interview. It is best to be fairly open with your schedule.


The Graduate Cover Letter Mistake – Average College Jobs

As you write your cover letter, you are no doubt going to try to make your work experience sound as though you are

absolutely qualified for the position. However, when you were in college there is a good chance that your jobs were

pretty average. That’s fine; most college students have to take any job to pay for tuition. Unfortunately, no matter how

proud you are of them, many college jobs simply do not impress modern day corporate employers.

Example: “I have a great deal of leadership experience as Manager of Lavatory Services at Al’s Chicken and Ranch

Emporium.”

Your leadership experience may actually benefit you at this job, but the hiring manager is going to take one look at that

sentence and throw your resume in the “no” pile. These jobs are not going to help you find employment. Focus instead

on the aspects of your history (work and education) that will impress modern corporations.

Another common mistake among graduates is mentioning experience that may have been a useful, but doesn’t

sound useful at first glance. An important thing to remember is that no matter how great your cover letter is. it is only

going to be briefly glanced over, and the hiring managers that read it will have already looked at dozens of other cover

letters.

That is why it is important that everything you place in your cover letter sounds like a great experience. All of the jobs

you reference should make yourself sound like a better candidate to everyone that reads your cover letter.

2 When Good Experience Sounds Like Bad Experience


“You can never be over

dressed or over

educated”

Oscar Wilde

3 Devaluing Education

The previous section leads directly into this section. Some recruiters believe you

should try to show how your work experience makes you perfect for the role.

Graduates tend to take this to the extreme, focusing only on work experience and

not enough on education.

Because you are a recent college graduate, you are not expected to have an

interesting or unique work history. In fact, some employers do not expect you to

have a work history at all.

What you have is a recent education, and that education can provide value to a

company:

Companies value youth and they value education. When your work history is sparse

and you are unable to come up with real, useful work experiences that are

okay,focus instead on your education. Mention what you learned in your advanced

You have been recently trained in some of the modern theories in

the field, and can provide new perspectives.

You have been recently learning and you are more open to

challenges and more information to analyze.

You have been unaltered by the corporate world and unlikely to

come into the workplace with a bad attitude.


4 Acting Coy, Shy, or Apologetic

classes, the research you participated in, and your internships. Mention anything

that shows employers you have been trained and are ready for the role. Employers

will not dismiss graduates that do not have any adequate work experience. They

may even prefer them.

Graduates often feel intimidated when they first apply for jobs. They look at their

work history and they look at the job requirements and they think to themselves “I

need this job, but I don’t know if I am qualified for it.”

That doubt can lead to cover letters that are filled with apologies or the

downplaying of their accomplishments. It is common to see graduates write cover

letters that contain such sentences as “I know I don’t have much experience working

in….” You should refrain from these types of sentences. These sentences make you

sound timid or frightened, and they help give the impression that you are not

qualified for a position that you may very well be qualified for.

Always talk about yourself like you are the best applicant in the world. You are

perfect at everything and your experience and abilities will help you become the

model employee that will someday lead the company into success.

“All you need is

ignorance and

confidence and

success is sure”

Mark Twain


5 No Personality

Bad example: Good example:

This is a tough one. How do you put personality in your cover letter? You only have roughly one paragraph to describe

why you are right for the role, and you are supposed to remain professional throughout the letter. How do you put

personality in your cover letter while still conforming to the set style?

It’s not easy. The key is to simply make a cover letter that does not sound like it was written by a robot. You need your

cover letter to sound like a real person with great personality and experiences vying for a real position. Here are

examples:

Notice the difference. One simply lists things in a boring manner. The other actually engages the reader and shows

the employer that you did not simply cut and paste that cover letter from online samples. Showing personality in your

cover letter is tough, but you want to try your best to sound as though you are a real person.

I would be a successful nurse because I am good with

people. I have a lot of volunteer experience that has helped

me learn about how hospitals work. I have worked with

surgical care, psychiatric care, obstetric care and long term

care. I believe that my experience working with elderly

patients has trained me to be ready for a career as an

assistant nurse.

In order to be successful in nursing, you must be equipped

with strong interpersonal skills, a desire to ensure all patients

are comfortable, knowledge in medical techniques and

practice, and an energy to easily undertake the hours of hard

work that are required to care for patients. I have been well

educated in basic care techniques, hospital safety, obstetric

care, long term care, surgical care and psychiatric care. I am

confident that these experiences have prepared me to work

as an assistant nurse at Hospital XYZ.


Final Thoughts

Cover letters are an important part of your application to employers. They are the first and only chance you have to

speak to the hiring manager directly and introduce yourself. They also compliment your resume and make it more

than just a list of facts and work history.

Yet cover letters require a lot of work. Graduates with very little cover letter experience may find it difficult to write a

cover letter correctly. However, since you’ve already spent a lot of time on your resume, spend equal amount of time

to make sure your resume does not end up in the reject pile.

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It is important that you remember to avoid these common mistakes that occur with graduate cover letters:

Writing the cover letter in the wrong format.

Mentioning work history that may not be impressive to employers.

Assuming your education does not make you a great candidate.

Apologizing or otherwise downplaying your accomplishments.

Making your letter sound like a robot just wrote it.

Avoiding these common mistakes will increase your chance to land the job. Cover letters may seem like they are not

important, but if you do them correctly they may be the most important tool for getting called in for an interview.

Remember that there are employers who will immediately reject all resumes without cover letters. Since you have

put in the effort to do your resume properly, and apply for the position, you might as well give your cover letter the

extra care and attention. You cover letter is competing with other applicants’ cover letters, and not acknowledging

how important cover letters are will put both your cover letter and resume in the reject pile.

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