[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"doc-seo-256193-105":3,"detail-sidebar-cat-1-en-105":81,"doc-detail-256193-en":126},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"ok",{"site_id":7,"language":8,"slug":9,"title":10,"keywords":11,"description":12,"schema_data":13,"social_meta":74,"head_meta":76,"extra_data":78,"updated_unix":80},105,"en","5-common-cover-letter-mistakes","5-Common-Cover-Letter-Mistakes","","This document outlines five common mistakes applicants make in cover letters, providing guidance on how to avoid them. It emphasizes moving beyond simply repeating resume information and instead focusing on tailoring the content to the specific job application. Key advice includes being specific and providing concrete examples of skills and achievements relevant to the role rather than making vague claims. The document also stresses the importance of demonstrating what the applicant can do for the employer, rather than focusing on what the job offers them. It advises against including trivial details and instead encourages a focus on significant findings or outcomes. Finally, it highlights the necessity of directly addressing the requirements and preferred qualifications listed in the job posting, ensuring the cover letter's thesis is directly informed by those details. The goal is to help applicants craft more effective and impactful cover letters that increase their chances of securing an interview and demonstrating their suitability for the position.",{"@graph":14,"@context":73},[15,34,56],{"@type":16,"itemListElement":17},"BreadcrumbList",[18,23,27,31],{"item":19,"name":20,"@type":21,"position":22},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",1,{"item":24,"name":25,"@type":21,"position":26},"https://docshare.wps.com/template/","Template",2,{"item":28,"name":29,"@type":21,"position":30},"https://docshare.wps.com/template/letters/","Letters",3,{"item":32,"name":10,"@type":21,"position":33},"https://docshare.wps.com/template/5-common-cover-letter-mistakes/256193/",4,{"url":32,"name":10,"@type":35,"image":36,"author":41,"headline":10,"publisher":44,"fileFormat":47,"inLanguage":8,"description":12,"dateModified":48,"datePublished":49,"encodingFormat":47,"isAccessibleForFree":50,"interactionStatistic":51},"DigitalDocument",{"url":37,"@type":38,"width":39,"height":40},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/5-common-cover-letter-mistakes/256193.png","ImageObject",442,249,{"name":42,"@type":43},"Caleb Sterling","Person",{"url":19,"name":45,"@type":46},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-10-18","2026-09-13",true,{"@type":52,"interactionType":53,"userInteractionCount":55},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":54},"ViewAction",15,{"@type":57,"mainEntity":58},"FAQPage",[59,65,69],{"name":60,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":62},"What is a common mistake when writing a cover letter regarding your resume?","Question",{"text":63,"@type":64},"A common mistake is to simply repeat information from your resume. Instead, a cover letter should get straight to the point about why you are applying and why you are a good candidate, assuming the reader has already seen your resume.","Answer",{"name":66,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":67},"How can a cover letter be made less generic and more effective?",{"text":68,"@type":64},"To avoid being generic, instead of stating \"My skills and experience make me a great fit for this role,\" provide specific examples. For instance, mention your experience analyzing large data sets, your track record with interdisciplinary teams, and specific technical skills like MATLAB.",{"name":70,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":71},"What should a cover letter focus on regarding the job opportunity?",{"text":72,"@type":64},"A cover letter should focus on what you can do for the employer, not solely on what the job can do for you. For example, instead of saying \"This role is the perfect next step to build my skills for a successful manufacturing career,\" explain how your experience, such as evaluating biomaterials for 3D printing, will benefit the company in that role.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":32,"og:type":75,"og:title":10,"og:site_name":45,"og:description":12},"article",{"robots":77,"canonical":32},"index,follow",{"doc_id":79,"site_id":7},256193,1790231620,{"code":4,"msg":82,"data":83},"success",[84,89,94,99,103,108,113,117,122],{"id":85,"doc_module":22,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":86,"show_sort_weight":87,"slug":88},11,"Presentations",90,"presentations",{"id":90,"doc_module":22,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":91,"show_sort_weight":92,"slug":93},12,"Resumes",80,"resumes",{"id":95,"doc_module":22,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":96,"show_sort_weight":97,"slug":98},14,"Invoices",70,"invoices",{"id":55,"doc_module":22,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":100,"show_sort_weight":101,"slug":102},"Posters",60,"posters",{"id":104,"doc_module":22,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":105,"show_sort_weight":106,"slug":107},16,"Social Media",50,"social-media",{"id":109,"doc_module":22,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":110,"show_sort_weight":111,"slug":112},17,"Forms",40,"forms",{"id":114,"doc_module":22,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":29,"show_sort_weight":115,"slug":116},18,30,"letters",{"id":118,"doc_module":22,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":119,"show_sort_weight":120,"slug":121},21,"Paper Templates",5,"papers-templates",{"id":123,"doc_module":22,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":124,"show_sort_weight":4,"slug":125},158,"General","general-158",{"code":4,"msg":82,"data":127},{"doc_id":79,"user_id":128,"nickname":42,"user_avatar":129,"doc_module":22,"category_id":114,"category_name":29,"doc_title":10,"doc_description":12,"doc_content":130,"file_id":131,"file_url":132,"file_type":133,"file_size":134,"view_count":55,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":22,"is_downloadable":22,"audit_status":22,"page_count":22,"language":135,"language_code":8,"site_id":7,"html_lang":8,"table_of_contents":136,"faqs":137,"seo_title":138,"seo_description":12,"update_tm":139,"read_time":4},962084925290,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_085a072bc5b1113ac321206ff7593b45","5 Common Cover Letter Mistakes  \n1) REPEATS YOUR RESUME  \nSounds like:  \n“I recently graduated from BU with a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering.”  \nInstead Try:  \nThey already know this from your resume, get right to the point about why you’re applying and why you’rea good candidate.  \n2) GENERIC & VAGUE  \nSounds like:  \n“My skills and experience make me a great fit for this role”  \nInstead Try:  \n“My experience analyzing large data sets, track record of working successfully with interdisciplinary teams, and MATLAB skills make me a great fit for this role.”  \n3) FOCUSES ON WHAT A JOB DOES FOR YOU, NOT WHAT YOU CAN DO FOR THEM  \nSounds like:  \n“This role is the perfect next step to build my skills for a successful manufacturing career”  \nInstead Try:  \n“My experience evaluating new biomaterial inks for 3D printing will allow me to successfully and efficiently create and test new biomaterials in this role.”  \n4) TOO IN THE WEEDS WITH UNIMPORTANT DETAILS  \nSounds like:  \n“I became particularly close with one of the lab mice, who I named Pierre. Each day Pierre would meet meat the Northeast corner of his cage for his dose of 1.82 mg/kg of antibiotic delivered through Pierre’s favorite fruit: green grapes.”  \nInstead Try:  \n“After dosing the lab mice daily over the course of 3 months and collecting the trial data, we found that uptake of the antibiotic increased 10 fold when delivered orally.”  \n5) DOESN’T RESPOND TO THE JOB POSTING  \nSounds like:  \nTalks about skills and experiences that aren’t listed on the job posting or relevant to the role.  \nInstead Try:  \nForm your thesis based on the required and preferred skills named in the job description that you are most experienced with.  \nADDITIONAL RESOURCES  \nCover Letter Basics","cbCain7NihvBkzIS","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCain7NihvBkzIS","pdf",125169,"English","# 5 Common Cover Letter Mistakes\n# Additional Resources","[{\"question\":\"What is a common mistake when writing a cover letter regarding your resume?\",\"answer\":\"A common mistake is to simply repeat information from your resume. Instead, a cover letter should get straight to the point about why you are applying and why you are a good candidate, assuming the reader has already seen your resume.\"},{\"question\":\"How can a cover letter be made less generic and more effective?\",\"answer\":\"To avoid being generic, instead of stating \\\"My skills and experience make me a great fit for this role,\\\" provide specific examples. For instance, mention your experience analyzing large data sets, your track record with interdisciplinary teams, and specific technical skills like MATLAB.\"},{\"question\":\"What should a cover letter focus on regarding the job opportunity?\",\"answer\":\"A cover letter should focus on what you can do for the employer, not solely on what the job can do for you. For example, instead of saying \\\"This role is the perfect next step to build my skills for a successful manufacturing career,\\\" explain how your experience, such as evaluating biomaterials for 3D printing, will benefit the company in that role.\"}]","5-Common-Cover-Letter-Mistakes | PDF",1789299464]