10 Cover Letter Mistakes to Avoid

10 Cover Letter Mistakes to Avoid10 Cover Letter Mistakes to AvoidWhether its put your best first forward, you only get one chance to make a great first impression, or some other popular saying, theres solid wisdom in the idea that the introduction often sets the tone for future interactions and success. This is even mora so when it comes to the job hiring process.An eye-catching, informative and professional titelseite letter sets the stage for a further review of your resume and can often make the difference between a callback and getting overlooked for the role. To underscore the importance of a perfect titel letter, weve put together a handy list of ten cover letter mistakes to avoid,No Cover LetterWhile some positions admittedly only call for submission of a resume, there is typically nothing to prohibit the inclusion of a brief summary of your relevant skills and experience to go along with your cv. Even less forgivable is the situation where a cover letter is optional or even requested and you fail to provide one. Cover letters are an excellent opportunity to make a sales pitch for your candidacy. Failing to include the document in the first place will quickly see your candidacy downgraded.Impersonal GreetingCover letters should be addressed to the individual assigned to the review of your application. In most cases, the job listing will include a name or title of who the candidate will be reporting to. This person will often be the first reviewer or final decision maker and its always best to address to them specifically. Avoid generic to whom it may concern salutations or dear sir/madam formats as they can make your cover letter appear unprofessional or stuffy from the get-go. As a final point on salutations, be sure to keep your titles gender neutral to best avoid any inadvertent offensiveness.Generic Cover LetterSure, there may be plenty of cover letter templates available to choose from, but that doesnt mean you should be following format and conten t to the T. Template cover letters start to blend together when a hiring manager is reviewing dozens or hundreds of submissions. Sticking to a tight format also undermines the whole concept of allowing the prospective employer to get to know your individual personality better. There are several basic sets of information a cover letter should include (well get to some of those later). Include that information, but try to do so in a format that fits naturally with your writing style and the position you may be applying for.Lengthy Cover LetterA cover letter and resume arent like your high school dissertations on Shakespearean influence in modern literature extra words wont earn you bonus points. With rare exceptions, a cover letter and resume should be no more than one page each in length. The one-page criteria isnt an invitation to shrink margins or reduce the font size to microscopic, either. Two to three short paragraphs should be plenty to lay out your goals, major career mileston es, and reasons for applying for this particular job.Summarizing Your ResumeAnother big mistake that plenty of cover letter writers make is formatting the missive to be a simple summary of your job resume. Rather than a watered down or narrative version of your work history and skills, the cover letter should focus more on the specific position, your long-term career plans and other information that may be difficult to convey in a resumes more stylized format. Be sure to talk about how you believe youd provide value to the company (more on that in just a moment).Its All About YouEver been on that awkward first date where the other person at the table seems unable to pick a topic that doesnt revolve around how awesome of a catch he/she is? Focusing solely on your own qualities or characteristics in the cover letter is the career equivalent of this car crash of a social interaction.While offering an elaboration on your key traits and strengths as an employee is an important aspect of the cover letter, the details should all be crafted to the job youre interviewing for and focused on how you would contribute to the team, company, and industry. Review and re-review the job description for the relevant and desired traits. Using ansicht facts, use your cover letter to illustrate parallels from your past experiences.Getting Too PersonalAt risk of stretching the awkward first date analogy out, no one wants to hear about aunt Carols bunion issues over appetizers and cocktails. Skip the personal details such as political party affiliations, weekend exercise routines, marital status and more. Not only are these questions irrelevant, they may create awkward HR scenarios for your hiring manager which could lead to your resume getting passed over altogether.Missing Contact InformationRemember the old if a tree falls in an empty forest query? This important cover letter mistake to avoid involves leaving out the relevant details necessary for following up on your submission. A well-formatted cover letter should have a header section that similar or identical to that of your CV and includes email, phone, and optional geographical/mailing info. If you play hard to get with your contact info, youre likely to get skipped over altogether.Grammatical ErrorsIt seems as if the top piece of resume advice preached across career sights large and small involves ensuring your information forwarded to potential employers is accurate and free of any glaring errors. Were certainly not ones to stop a good thing in its tracks. Leaving in obvious grammatical or spelling errors in your cover letter in todays modern day and age is nearly unforgivable. Spell check and grammar tools abound and if thats not enough, there are always too good, old-fashioned friends and colleagues to give your cover letter a fresh pair of eyes. Proofread any communications to potential employers before punching that send button and save yourself the inevitable rejection that will follow otherwise .Inability to Follow DirectionsLast, but certainly not least, on our list of mistakes to avoid on your cover letter is a candidates inability to read the employment application for specific requirements or directions that may be provided by future employers. While overlooking minor details such as word length or questions to be answered may be perceived as not such a big deal by applicants, to hiring managers this is a huge red flag that you dont have the chops needed for follow through and attention to detail. Read the entire job description and resume submission guidelines to ensure you dont undercut your candidacy at the outset.Cover letters are valuable tools when used in the hands of savvy candidates. Follow our guidelines for avoiding obvious mistakes and youll be a step or more beyond the competition when it comes to scoring that callback or, better yet, the position of your dreams.

Job Interview Clothes That Kill (Your Chances)

Job Interview Clothes That Kill (Your Chances)Job Interview Clothes That Kill (Your Chances)The right job interview clothes wont seal the deal, but the wrong outfit can sink your chances. Fair or not, first impressions are largely based on appearances, and dressing inappropriately may be the most detrimental mistake job candidates make in interviews. If nothing else, employers expect job seekers to dress professionally.Whats considered the wrong outfit?Robert Half has asked managers that very question. The following examples represent some of the most bizarre job interview attire mistakes weve collected from our surveys of employers over the years A Star Trek T-shirt.A job candidate showed up for an interview in a new suit - with the price tags still hanging from the sleeve.Pajamas with slippers.A catsuit.A Hawaiian shirt and jeans.A candidate came to his interview wearing sunglasses and licking a lollipop. He commented to the hiring manager, This is my style. You can take it or lea ve it.An applicant wore the uniform from his former employer.You may think that all you have to worry about is tripping up over tough job interview questions. But clothes matter, too, and because you never get a second chance to make a first impression, here are five general job interview attire guidelines to consider1. Dress to impressPlay it safe (and smart) by wearing business-appropriate attire. While dress codes have become more relaxed in some accounting firms in recent years, a job interview isnt the appropriate venue to display your eclectic or laid-back sense of style. Even if you think the office has a more casual environment, err on the side of caution and dress a step above what you think is expected. A polished appearance provides instant credibility and tells the interviewer youre a serious candidate.2. Aim for classy and comfortableYes, you want to look the part. But you also want to come across as relaxed as possible. If you purchase new interview attire, wear it a f ew times to break it in before your meeting. When youre uncomfortable, its difficult to exude confidence and concentrate on the questions youre being asked.As soon as youve figured out what NOT to wear, head over to our Accounting and Finance Professionals Career Center. 3. Everything in moderationIts not just about the clothes you don the perfume or cologne you wear also matters. You dont want the most memorable thing about you to be the scent you leave lingering in the office. As such, go light on the fragrances. The same guidelines apply to accessories. While these aspects of your wardrobe can allow you to express your personality, be judicious in your choices. Less is usually more.4. Iron out the detailsEven the nicest, most professional outfit can look sloppy and unattractive when wrinkled. Dont rush the day of your interview. Make sure your clothes are free of wrinkles, stains and lint the night before.5. Bring a backup outfitIf it can go wrong, it will go wrong. As Murphys La w dictates, if youre going to spill an iced latte in your lap, youre probably going to do it on interview day. Guard against bad luck by bringing another outfit with you if at all possible.Its worth noting that dressing to impress isnt just important in interviews - its critical once youre on the job, too. In a Robert Half survey, 80 percent of the executives said clothing choices affect an employees chances of earning a promotion. How should you dress for a video interview? Check out our tips for acing this kind of meeting with a hiring manager.

Ottmar Mergenthaler

Ottmar Mergenthaler Ottmar Mergenthaler Ottmar Mergenthaler Ottmar Mergenthaler (1854 1899) simply and literally kept the newspaper business running for close to a century.His linotype welches an improvement on the Gutenberg Press and helped make moveable type obsolete. Previously, publishing welches done with manual composition through typesetting by hand, one letter at a time. Mergenthalers was such a celebrated invention that Thomas Edison himself called it the eighth wonder of the world.In explaining the machine, Doug Wilson, director of zeilensetzmaschine, The Movie, says, Its similar to a giant typewriter that makes principal type from a pot of molten lead. Now it could print a whole line of type in one motion, cutting down significantly on printing time.Before it, no city had a daily newspaper more than eight pages and most towns didnt have one at all because of how hard it was to print, says Wilson. Imagine our world of Twitter and previously you had week-old news. Mergentha ler changed all that.Ottmar Mergenthalers invention changed the newspaper industry forever.Born in the German town of Hachtel, he moved to Baltimore, MD, in 1872 and started working with his uncle making patented models. James Clephane, who has been credited with helping the development of the typewriter, was a court stenographer trying to figure out a way to reproduce his notes faster. He approached Mergenthaler with an invention from Charles Moore that wasnt getting it done and asked to improve upon it. He worked 10 to 15 years to get it right and went through many different iterations, Wilson says. He was constantly trying to perfect it. Eventually it was cranked out first for the New York Herald Tribune. Now the public was about to be informed in a way they never were before, Wilson says.Wilson explains that the machine didnt make him rich, both because he wasnt a businessman but also because of the greed of others. After he created it, a group of newspaper bigwigs similar to Wi lliam Randolph Hearst bought control of the company and forced Mergenthaler out, Wilson says. The group wanted to control it because no one else had it. Hold on to it and what chance did the competition stand? What happened was they bankrupted the company and then eventually the other investors revolted against it. When they bought back the company, they were able to bring Mergenthaler back, too.Today Wilson says theres a small group of fans devoted to the linotype but that it lost favor in the media in the 1950s and 1960s when photographic typesetting and offset lithography came into play. But he believes Mergenthalers legacy will always be secure.He in many ways was the victim of dying young and making a machine that wasnt used in every household, he says. Everyone who read benefited from it but just didnt know who did it. Theres no question that his ingeniousness put him in the conversation with the great inventors like Edison and Ford. Again, think of how important quick news is to us today. You can say it all started with Mergenthaler.Eric Butterman is an independent writer.Imagine our world of Twitter and previously you had week-old news. Mergenthaler changed all that.Doug Wilson, director of Linotype The Movie