8 Cover Letter Mistakes to Avoid (and What to Do Instead)
Last updated: June 2, 2026
You can write a perfectly good cover letter and still lose the job to a single careless mistake. Recruiters read hundreds of these, and the same avoidable errors show up again and again. Run your letter through this list before you hit send, and you will already be ahead of most applicants.
1. Sending the same letter to everyone
The most common mistake is also the most damaging. If your letter could be sent to any company just by swapping the name, it reads as generic and the reader can tell. Tailor each one to the specific role, even if it only means changing a few sentences.
2. Just repeating your resume
Your cover letter should add to your resume, not list it again in paragraph form. Use it to tell the story behind one or two achievements and to explain why they matter for this job. If the reader can skip your letter and lose nothing, it is not doing its job.
3. Opening with a flat, generic line
A weak first sentence gives the reader permission to stop reading. Lead with something specific instead.
Instead of this
“I am writing to express my interest in the open position at your company.”
Write this
“When I saw you were hiring a support lead, I thought of the 40 percent drop in response time I drove at my last help desk.”
4. Addressing it to no one
“To Whom It May Concern” feels cold and dated. Spend a moment looking for the hiring manager's name on the posting, the company site, or LinkedIn. If you genuinely cannot find it, “Dear Hiring Manager” is a clean, modern fallback.
5. Making it all about you
It is natural to focus on what you want from the job, but the employer is really asking what you can do for them. Frame your strengths around the value you will bring to their team, not just what the role will do for your career.
Pro tip
6. Typos, wrong names, and leftover placeholders
Nothing undoes a strong letter faster than addressing it to the wrong company, or leaving a stray “[Your Name]” in the text. These signal carelessness. Always proofread, double check the company name, and read the letter out loud once to catch awkward phrasing your eyes skip over.
7. Writing a wall of text
Recruiters skim before they read. A dense, full-page block of text is intimidating and easy to set aside. Keep it to three or four short paragraphs, each making one clear point, with breathing room between them.
Bonus: forgetting to ask for the next step
Many letters simply trail off. Close with a confident, polite call to action that invites a conversation. It leaves a strong final impression and makes you easy to move forward.
Key takeaways
- ✓Tailor every letter to the specific role.
- ✓Add to your resume, do not repeat it.
- ✓Open strong and address a real person.
- ✓Focus on the employer's needs, not only yours.
- ✓Proofread for typos, names, and placeholders.
- ✓Keep it short and end with a clear next step.
Skip the blank page
Paste a job description and get a tailored cover letter in seconds. Free, no sign up.
Try the free generator