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Why Your Cover Letter Gets Rejected (5 MISTAKES TO AVOID)

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Why Your Cover Letter Gets Rejected (5 MISTAKES TO AVOID)

Jeff Su 18.07.2023 396 225 просмотров 10 553 лайков обн. 18.02.2026

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🎯 My free Job Search Toolkit: https://academy.jeffsu.org/job-search-toolkit?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=video&utm_campaign=138 📑 Cover letter template and prompts can be found here ➡️ https://www.jeffsu.org/5-cover-letter-mistakes-to-avoid/ In this video, we go over what makes a successful cover letter by exploring common mistakes and providing practical solutions. Using my own cover letter as an example, I reveal the five key mistakes I made back in the day that led to multiple rejections, and how you can avoid these pitfalls. Mistake 1️⃣: A generic or impersonal address can immediately signal a lack of research Mistake 2️⃣: Grammatical errors and typos can quickly tank your application Mistake 3️⃣: A weak introduction can cost you the reader's attention. Discover how to write a compelling hook by addressing a relatable pain point for the company and positioning yourself as a solution Mistake 4️⃣: Vague descriptions don't impress; quantify your achievements instead Mistake 5️⃣: Proper cover letter hygiene matters. Avoid oversharing personal information, using industry-specific jargon, and writing excessively long letters *THE NO BS PRODUCTIVITY NEWSLETTER* 📧 https://www.jeffsu.org/productivity-ping/ *TIMESTAMPS* 00:00 How NOT to Write a Cover Letter 00:19 Not Addressing to an Actual Person 01:29 Grammar Mistakes and Typos 02:36 Not Spending Enough Time on the Hook 04:25 Not Including Tangible Results 05:47 Being Unaware of Cover Letter Hygiene 06:28 Bonus Mistake 06:45 Why Networking is Important for Cover Letters *RESOURCES I MENTION IN THE VIDEO* Use LinkedIn to network effectively - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLo-kPya_Ww2zqOZVXMNQCJeTNAaan8GcW Austin’s Cover Letter article - https://cultivatedculture.com/cover-letter/ Ali Abdaal’s resume video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MqXjqOy-TA8&t=1398s Cover Letter deal-break article - https://www.topresume.com/career-advice/officehours-worst-resume-deal-breaker-mistakes *MY FAVORITE GEAR* 🎬 My YouTube Gear - https://www.jeffsu.org/yt-gear/ 🎒 Everyday Carry - https://www.jeffsu.org/my-edc/ *MY TOP 3 FAVORITE SOFTWARE* ❎ CleanShot X - https://geni.us/cleanshotx ✍️ Skillshare - https://geni.us/skillshare-jeff 📖 Readwise - https://readwise.io/jeffsu/ *BE MY FRIEND:* 📧 Subscribe to my Productivity newsletter - https://www.jeffsu.org/productivity-ping/ 📸 Instagram - https://instagram.com/j.sushie 🤝 LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jsu05/ *👨🏻‍💻 WHO AM I:* I'm Jeff, a tech professional trying to figure life out. What I do end up figuring out, I share! _PS: Some of the links in this description are affiliate links I get a kickback from and my opinions are my own and may not reflect that of my employer_ 😇 #coverletter #jobsearch #resume

Оглавление (8 сегментов)

0:00 How NOT to Write a Cover Letter 68 сл.
0:19 Not Addressing to an Actual Person 244 сл.
1:29 Grammar Mistakes and Typos 221 сл.
2:36 Not Spending Enough Time on the Hook 397 сл.
4:25 Not Including Tangible Results 275 сл.
5:47 Being Unaware of Cover Letter Hygiene 145 сл.
6:28 Bonus Mistake 66 сл.
6:45 Why Networking is Important for Cover Letters 31 сл.

How NOT to Write a Cover Letter

when it comes to writing a strong cover letter there's no better way to show you what not to do than go over a cup letter that got me rejected from almost every company back in the day in this video we'll cover the five critical mistakes I made and what you should do instead to maximize your chances of Landing that first round interview so let's get

Not Addressing to an Actual Person

started mistake number one not addressing a cover letter to an actual human being dear Deloitte recruiter right off the bat the reader will see this impersonal opening and know the candidate did not do any research but you might say Jeff most of the time we don't know who to address it to and you'd be right according to Austin belsack one of the best career coaches out there ideally you want to address the cover letter to the direct manager of the role and if that doesn't work find the most senior person on that team in my Deloitte example the reporting line Looks like senior consultant manager senior manager director partner managing partner so using the LinkedIn search bar I type in manager filter for people card company Deloitte digital location patient Hong Kong and here is a list of people I can address my cover letter to Pro tip I would take this advice a step further and click into these profiles to see if you have mutual connections who can produce us or mutual interest I can bring up in a cold message to learn more about the role check out my LinkedIn videos to learn how whether or not you took that extra step now no matter who reads your cover letter they'll know you did your research and trust me addressing it to the managing partner as try hard as that sounds is better than Deloitte recruiter

Grammar Mistakes and Typos

number two grammar mistakes and typos let's first start with the data Studies have literally shown eighty percent of hiring managers and recruiters find spelling errors to be deal breakers in fact it's the number one reason resumes and cover letters are rejected but maybe you're not trying to work for a stack-up corporation a couple of typos shouldn't matter right it's about your skills here's what Ali abdall has to say after reviewing 2 000 plus resumes when hiring for his team okay so a bunch of spelling and grammar issues there like this is really obvious stuff Ali a full-time YouTuber isn't someone we normally associate with being professional or businessy but even he knows that basic errors represent a larger problem the candidate is not detail-oriented and therefore a risky hire here's a Chachi PG prompt you can use to find and fix all the grammatical mistakes and typos in your cover letter and it will even tell you every single thing that has been changed in a before and after column I'll link this in the description Pro tip I always recommend asking five other people to read your cover letter as well and to make sure they're paying attention insert an obvious mistake towards the end if your friend doesn't say anything they're probably not a

Not Spending Enough Time on the Hook

reliable friend mistake number three not spending enough time on the hook here's a litmus test if you replace your target company with a competitor and the beginning paragraph still makes sense you do not have a good hook fifty percent of your time should be spent on an engaging hook because there's no point writing the rest of our cover letter if they don't read past your first paragraph the most common mistake people make including myself is being too self centered I'm writing to introduce myself I learned of this opportunity I believe I am well suited just imagine if I started off this video with before we get started please like And subscribe you'll be really helping my channel out and when you're down there please comment and follow me on Instagram see what I did there unless you're my mom who thinks I'm God's gift to humanity you couldn't care less so compare this self-centered opening with this one everyone tells me the entry level position in any of the big four firms is going to be the same however after attending five Career Fairs and speaking with over 20 professionals it has become clear to me ey stands out from the rest you're not probably feeling a little bit curious why is UI different so you feel like you have to keep reading and this hook works because the candidate highlights a relatable pain point for Big Four firms there's a perception that all entry level positions are the same to find a pain point for your situation use this prompt in Chachi BT based on this job description what is the biggest challenge someone in this position would face day to day give me the root cause of this issue and paste the job description now you have the complexity or pain point you can ask Chachi BT to generate ideas for engaging hooks I wrote read the entire prompt it'll be linked down below but basically you're asking Chachi BT to relate your current role and Industry to the role and Company you're applying for by the way neither Deloitte nor UI is sponsoring this video so KPMG PWC hit me up but it is supported by those of you who subscribe to my paid productivity newsletter on Google workspace tips Link in the description if you want to learn

Not Including Tangible Results

more mistake number four not including tangible results back to the body paragraph of my cover letter I highlighted things like my one year I'm an engagement experience in operational strategy and my ability to build and maintain client relationships the problem with all these vague statements is that I'm describing what I've done when I should be quantifying my impact but another way what was the result of my actions and can I attach a number to that result to prove to you every job in the world can have qualifiable impact I'll use this sentence that ends with my ability to build and maintain client relationships which can't possibly be measured right paste that into Chachi BT with this prompt I'm a job Seeker I don't know how my success is measured I'll describe what I do and your task is to give me suggestions where and how I can add quantifiable and measurable metrics for each of my vague descriptions chatbt gives a specific example of how I can quantify my actions using this as an example I could change my original sentence to something like our project received a 96 client satisfaction score as measured in a quality assurance survey compared to a company-wide benchmark of 85 I received recognition for being a day-to-day contact at the client site I could already see some of the comments will you be able to identify a perfectly accurate number each time no should you lie definitely not but trust me when I tell you hiring managers care more about the effort you took to find the numbers than the actual numerical values mistake

Being Unaware of Cover Letter Hygiene

number five being unaware of cover letter hygiene I learned this first one a bit late but never include your full street address in your cover letter because number one they're not going to send you mail number two there's a risk of discrimination if they know where you live second thing to be aware of avoid industry-specific acronyms and jargon I didn't really make this mistake here but I've seen cover letters from marketers that say as a pmm working on SAS CRM Solutions I have only full funnel customer Journey from KV ideation to execution I mean enough said third don't go over two pages even if you have a lot of work experience keep your cover letter short and to the point shows a reader you're able to prioritize the most impactful and relevant experiences for the role you're applying for bonus

Bonus Mistake

mistake number six creating your cover letter from scratch to reward those of you who watch until now I'll include a link down below to the good cover letter I went over today the pdf version will be for free so you can reference it when creating your own after that's done make sure to check out my LinkedIn videos on how to network effectively because

Why Networking is Important for Cover Letters

Studies have shown most cover letters are read only after a personal connection has been made with the reader see on the next video in the meantime have a great one

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