Why Your Cover Letter Gets Rejected (5 MISTAKES TO AVOID)
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 6 มิ.ย. 2024
- 📑 Cover letter template and prompts can be found here ➡️ www.jeffsu.org/5-cover-letter...
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
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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 - • LinkedIn Tips & Tricks
Austin’s Cover Letter article - cultivatedculture.com/cover-l...
Ali Abdaal’s resume video - • I Read 2,216 Resumes. ...
Cover Letter deal-break article - www.topresume.com/career-advi...
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I'm Jeff, a tech professional trying to figure life out. What I do end up figuring out, I share!
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#coverletter #jobsearch #resume
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Did you make any of my (embarrassing) mistakes? 😅
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
You are AWESOME 🤩@JeffSu
@@pinalpatel9374 THANK YOU!!
@@JeffSu ❤
I’m going to have an amazing cover letter!!
I believe so too!!!@@starlight4130
My cover letter has always been an mp3 of me singing why I'm perfect for the job.
You must be DROWNING in offers 😏
@@JeffSu😂🏊
Then y r u under this video?? U do not belong here!
The advice you give is always on point and the effort you put into these videos is something else! I find them so captivating and pleasing to the eye.
Thank you so much for the kind words my friend 😁
this must be the best TH-cam video I have seen. Made 6 mins feel like 6 seconds and very informative while doing so. Thank you mate.
Woohooo glad to hear it!!
Pure value! Driving to work, had to pull over and watch this the second I got the notification. Good start to the day, thanks Jeff!
Glad to hear you're driving safe!!!
Eye-opening tips! The tips on quantifying impact and crafting an engaging hook were pure gold. Thanks for simplifying the cover letter process :D
No problem 😁
One of the most impactful videos I’ve ever seen to this topic thank you very much!
No problem my friend 😁
This video hits the nail on the head! I wish I had watched this when I was transitioning from teaching. It's easy to make these mistakes, but being aware of them can save a lot of time and frustration. Well done!
Thank you 😁
Jeff you rock - and you know your subject. I love to write and I'm not looking for a job. But I still audit your "classes" and every time I feel smarter afterwards. Big Fan, thank you!
Wow that's so kind of you! Thank you my friend 😁
3:06 I know how obvious this is in hindsight but once I think of my life as a captivating TH-cam video, everything becomes more fun, convincing and more. It's all about the presentation.
Thanks for this golden pro-tip!
Oh that's an awesome tip!!! Thanks for sharing!!
Really useful and practical examples, Jeff. I have definitely made a lot of these mistakes myself, so this is a game-changer for sure!😅
I wish I knew these sooner for sure my friend 😁
*This is one of most excellent TH-cam channel I have ever seen. I mean he answers every comments. Just wow* !¡
How can I review my resume and cover letter to you?!!!
Because I like to engage with my viewers! Unfortunately I don't provide consultation services though
@@JeffSu no problem
Wild! The TH-cam algorithm is on fire today 😅I was rewriting my cover letter when this video popped up. Great tips as always - thanks Jeff!
Woohoooo! Props to TH-cam!
I hope you found this helpful!
This video is so helpful! Thank you Jeff Su.
No problem!
Awesome! Really helpful tips! Thank you, Jeff! 😊
No problem 😁
God, the more I watch this kind of videos, the more anxiety I have.
wait why 😂
I am kinda old school. I don't have a LinkedIn account and I am not a fan of networking with strangers. But I note that so many tips are about Linkedin networking as if I will never find a decent job without a Linkedin account. That is a bit frustrating. @@JeffSu
Are you still anxious? If so, why?
This is the second video of yours I have watched, and I had to subscribe. This is such high-quality and succinct content!
Haha thanks! What was the first video?
Unfortunately not :(
This is so amazing and to the point , definitely using them.
Glad to hear it! 😁
Cool Jeff! Thank you for the pro tips. Wish me luck!
Best of luck!!
Jeff, please make a video on ATS-friendly resumes. Your videos always help us untangle all the confusions.
I never recommend optimizing resumes for ATS. You should network first to get someone to vouch for you 😁
Your videos are leagues above the other "Job search support". Thank you!
And that's what I love to hear!! 😁
Thank you for the video, I was struggling and this one just saved me++
Glad this helped!
Ohh, I am loving your videos, they are awesome
yay!
When I get a notification from Jeff, I click immediately!!!
Woohooo thanks 😁
Thank you jeff
You're very welcome!! 😁
Jeff replied every comment on this video. Impressive!
Of course I did 😁
Really helpful,was about to make same mistakes when applying for your job podt on upwork.Thanks
No problem! Good luck! 😁
Jeff I am following you for a long time your videos are always to the point precise. In your videos your efforts are 110% I would like to request you if you could please make a video on cover letter for a masters student recently graduated wants to rejoin the work force.
Thanks for the kind words! The same concept applies! The point is to focus on the company and role you're applying for, not so much on yourself (i.e. doesn't matter if you're a masters student, undergrad, or working professional)
Tipp #1 is AWESOME!
Just finished watching the video: it’s really good input. The prompts for chatgpt are also really helpful. Most of the time I know WHAT I want to say but don’t know HOW to say it 😂😂😂
Tips 2-5 feel sad now 😂
Glad you enjoyed the prompts as well!
@@JeffSu 😂😂😂 2-5 are good too
@@Sannaland 😂😂
Hi Jeff, thank you for your amazing video, my cover letter looks more professional than it was before. I wonder if you could help me with the "hook” for a billing clerk position in a construction company? Thank you a million!
Wow thanks for the chat gpt promts! Love it
No problem 😁
@JeffSu, Hey mate. why do you have "Do not hallucinate." in your prompt at 2:16? For my curiosity, thanks!
Because ChatGPT sometimes hallucinates 😂
Thank gou! ❤️
You're very welcome 😁
Hi there! Your video was extremely helpful. Could you make a video sharing tips that you can specialize more in high school (for internships, club leadership opportunities, etc? Thanks!
Check out my videos aimed at people with 0 experience
Thanks!
Thank YOU so much for your support 😁
Great advice! Thank you, Jeff! I have a comment, please. You mentioned to address it to the manager of the role we are applying. From what I know, the recruiters are first screening through the cover letters and the CVs and then shortlisting them for further interviews/assessments. What do you think about addressing the cover letter to the recruiter?
You can if you find their name! But hiring manager will always be the best bet!
@@JeffSu Thank you, Jeff!
@@MariaCristina901 Anytime!
Very very interesting advice. I do have a question about quantifying impact though. I have no real experience and have only been able to carry out “virtual simulations” which is sort of like a virtual work experience course. There are no real people to give feedback on these courses so I can’t seem to find a way to quantify any of my impact. I also dont really know if I made much of an impact since most of what I did was learn new information. Is this type of work quantifiable at all?
What did ChatGPT give you?
Awesome ! Love it ❤
Hope can be help in getting interview !
Best of luck! Let me know how it goes!
Hi @Jeff, your content are always amazing. However, is it possible to guide on 1 resume and 1 cover letter to apply for a job rather than tailoring all the resume and cover letter? Is that even recommended ?
You should always tailor your resume and cover letter for each position 😁
@jeffsu do we mention the quantified metric we already write in resume or should we mention different achievement?
Depends on the role you're applying for
Hey Jeff, really love your work and have been following and keeping my update with all your videos since your resumé video.
Even though I corporated all these tips point to point I have found myself in situations where I was not selected for the job because a guy with 5-10 years of experience than me has applied to the fresher job and the company takes them in because its a “High Value” candidate for a freshers package.
Even though I strongly believe a plain resume and cover letter format limited to one page must be a standard, However here in the Middle east, the candidates purely get selected based on their experience years.
I have seen horrible resumes of people who get recruited. Most lack even the basic communication skills.
Their resumes have
1. All their personal data in the end of resume, they even include father names, wife name, dob, and a picture which takes about 25% of the page.
2. Their resume is always more than 2 pages not because they include too much information it’s because poor formatting and lots of blank spaces.
3. Its always the same summary or objective. Lots of jargon, buzz words and repetitive words.
4. Poor punctuation and layout.
When I see these resumes get recruited vs my resume in which I made sure to follow every right procedure just because I am a “fresher” applying for a “fresher” job vs a 5-10 year experienced guy. It is really disheartening and not much confidence inspiring.
What would your opinion be on these issues?
I'm super sorry to hear this, and thanks for articulating your situation so clearly. I think it's a cultural difference (I'm more familiar with Western application methods), so I'm not sure I can be of help to you :(
@@JeffSu hey Jeff quick update.
I just wanted to see if I made my resume again as per your advice and see if it works for applying jobs in Cannada, United States etc and to my surprise I have been getting positive replies from recruiters asking for an interview haha.
Even though I do not get selected later since I don’t live there, it was refreshing for me to get such a response since it had been months just sending cold emails with no response at all.
Thank you again for your precious content and knowledge.
@@l_Darkwulf_l nice!!!!
Thanks for the tips, though I spent the last 20 mins trying to find which people are in charge of a graduate scheme with no luck. A couple senior people appeared on LinkedIn, but I'm not sure if they have anything to do with the graduate scheme so I am hesitant to include them in the cover letter.
What's the worst that can happen?
Awwww, but I don't WANNA do a cover letter and connect with human beings! It's not fair...
Fine. I guess...
Great stuff as always! Looking forward to seeing what results come from the video out there in the cold world
😂 hate the game not the player Matthew
@@JeffSu my friend, I am merely a brain and a heart floating in a vat somewhere in another reality at this point. I am too old to be human haha
Excellent ! Can we get get a video on how to write recommendation letter to secure a seat in university for bachelors or masters or to get a job etc?
Looking foward for your reply and video😁
Ah I don't have experience in that area, sorry about that!
@@JeffSu
Thays alright .Thank you for the reply 🙂
Valuable.
Glad to hear it!!
To be honest, I've always avoided including cover letters in my applications 😂 I was always scared of ruining my chances with a poorly written one
Lol 3:07 was clever 😂 but point taken about not being too self centered
Haha no worries Andrea, definitely not a hard requirement!
And re:the joke, 😉 it was hard to insert something witty into this serious video, but glad I managed something
Hi Jeff, thanks for the video. I am developing a few tools for a recruitment bureau and I use these methods to automate CV/resume writing target towards specific job postings. Prompt engineering is definitely not my strong side. Just curious - would you do consulting in helping me automating this process? Thank you
What kind of automation are you talking about?
@@JeffSu rewriting cv towards s specific job posting. Automated using tools like langchain etc
That's great
Thank you!
If we’re already including our best accomplishment stats in our resume, should we be repeating any in the cover letter? Or should we try to “save” one or two for the cover letter? Thanks for the vid :)
No need to "Save" any for the cover letter, rather you should expand on your best one in the cover letter 😁
@@JeffSu gotcha, thank you! 😊
how do you quantify if you have no previous work experience, as someone just out of college. I will use GPT but wanted your advice
Schoolwork + extracurriculars 😁
I'm terrified to address it to a person if I don't know for sure they would be the one reading the cover letter, but I'll give it a try.
Best of luck and let me know how it goes!
@@JeffSu will do!
That last mistake wasnt a mistake, that was a clever ploy ;)
Hahaha thanks 😁
Noce video ❤
Thank you 😁
Hi Jeff, my name is Fuad from Indonesia. I'm curious. As a community Manager, how the best way to create a portfolio for my position? I mean like the graphic designer, editor or any creative position could show their work such as their design, movie, article, etc. But how should I create a portfolio of my position? I'd appreciate it if you could help me. Thanks Jeff
Why do you think you need a portfolio?
Quick question so every cover letter you make most of the time needs to be unique to that application/company?
Yes of course 😁
So brilliant. It's been disappointingly ugly out here. Okay. The question. You had a letter series that I cannot find. Can you post that link again. Thank you
Sorry which letter series?
Did you not put together a sequence of emails one would send in succession for a job search campaign or am I mistaken
@@curtisgilbert5301 cold email outreach? That’s my LinkedIn playlist 😁
Okay.... Cool...So I need to go to LinkedIn or ??
@@curtisgilbert5301 no, my TH-cam playlist called LinkedIn tips and tricks!
What if I´m applying for a position in a hotel of a huge chain where it is not clear who will read my letter?
See if you can find the closest person on LinkedIn!
If you're applying for a civil service/government role where the staff hierarchy can be really wide, would it make sense to address your cover letter to the Director of Human Resources for the department I'm applying for? - which can be easily found online. Or, better to look on LinkedIn? I found a person who looks like they work for HR in that particular govt dept, but it's possible their name might not be known by the rest of the company?
thanks for the very interesting videos! It's a bit of a struggle to find a unique hook for a pretty bureaucratic type of work but I'm trying to be creative 😂
Director of HR works, and yes look for their profile on the website AND on linkedin
That hook is great and all, but I didn't attend 5 career fairs and speak with 20 professionals about a role at XYZ small/mid-size company.
But you can find their employees on LinkedIn and engage with them 😁
Hi, new subbie here! Had a few questions and I would appreciate your thoughts on them if possible. Some companies don't disclose the hiring managers on purpose because they want to avoid potential bias during the application process. Is it still right to go through all those tricks to find the potential hiring manager? Wouldn't that reduce your chances of getting hired if that is the case? thx
In my opinion it shows you're proactive 😁
@@JeffSu Okay well, I'm going to give it a shot🤞🏽
can I use the same first paragraph that you show us ? , or what other things do you recommend to change ? , my main problem is to catch the attention of the recruiter, which is the main goal of this part of the cover letter 😂
You can, but you want to customize it for your own use cases 😁
"probably not a reliable friend" jeez that's a hardline negative thing to say.
It would be if it weren't a joke
I subscribed.
Woohooo welcome!!
So this is the Amanda HR has been going crazy about
Yup you found her
Hey Jeff! How can I start my letter if I can't guess or address the person. I am applying for an airlines technic department and I managed to find multiple people in HR potentially can view my application but I have zero idea whom it specifically can be. Can you give me an advice or any other potentional solution? 🙏
Did you search on LinkedIn?
@@JeffSu Yes, I did actually not only LinkedIn. Once I gave the same company a letter with an actual persons name(Supervisor of Technical Apprenticeship). Then my application was rejected and I reached out for feedback and additional consideration but their feedback mail didn't actually felt like the application reached to the supervisor(the name I addressed). Now I am preparing a brand new cover letter considering your valuable advices but the application process has ended. Do you think I should make a contact with the supervisors?
Thanks for the video! Unfortunately, in Portugal (from my experience) it is not very common to use cover letters.
Btw, wouldn't it be better to talk about Bard instead of ChatGPT? Just so your managers don't fire you or something... 😏🤣
Interesting! Is that a Portugal-specific or European thing?
We're all about fair competition 😁
@@JeffSu Just a Portugal thing.
From my experience here, the most important things are: work experiences, age and the conversations we have in the interviews.
And that's why it's important to watch your videos.
@@LuisjmGil Gotcha
Given that the normal practice is not to use Cover Letters, and interviewees are picked from the metrics you mentioned. I wonder if it would be advantageous to include a cover letter? because no one else is doing it, and maybe the hiring manager gets curious and opens it you could have an awesome advantage over the competition.
If it were me in portugal I would definitely try it.
Do this but the person is transitioning from completely different field / just graduated from college :)
I might do a video on that in the future 😁
I am looking at internships how can I be sure I am address the right person?
Did you watch the video? 😅
Yes; however, I don't feel confident. I decided to do as you say and address it to someone who seems to be in the chain of command. This way they can tell I did do research.
Can anybody please please please clearify to me how to properly adress the letter to the correct person. I mean in his example there were 52 potential Managers.....!!! What if you adress it to the wrong one????
The wrong one is still better than "To Whom It May Concern" and the 52 managers will roll up to 1 partner anyways
@@JeffSu❤
Writing "dear hiring manager" is something I have to default to unfortunately. No matter what I try, there's no results of any names of managers in the job im looking for. Shouldn't really matter because it's a casual job, but it sucks. Thanks for the tips though.
No problem and best of luck!
how to write a postdoc cover letter
I hope that the cover letter template is free
You don't have to hope, you can just check by clicking the link in the description to the PDF version
Can you assist me with my cover letter please? I am struggling with my resume
They're different things though
You say, if you can replace the company name with a competitor's name, and the first paragraph still makes sense, it's not a good paragraph. Yet, that's actually the case for the first paragraph in the cover letter of Amanda. So, this is not a good example?
How? In the Amanda example she wouldn't have talked to 20 professionals in the other companies
@@JeffSu Ok, I see.
Hello Jeff
Hello 😁
I love your channel but there is no way I would ask 5 people to read every cover letter I write. I would have no more friends. : )
😂
Does anyone actually read cover letters? I have talked to recruiters who have said they dont read any of them unless it comes down to a very very close comparison
I would say most hiring and recruiters don't read cover letters but if I can get a 1% edge on another strong candidate...why not :)
Tbh if you really don't know who to address it to I personally don't see a problem saying "To Whom It May Concern". I think saying this is not as bad as the example given in the first part of the video.
Thanks for sharing your perspective! It's not "a problem" per se but you would be losing out to candidates who find the name of the recruiter or hiring manager! 😁
True very true when you put it like that your right. I never thought of it like. Thank you for making me see this aspect in a new light. 😀
@@lfung2213 No problem!!!
@@JeffSu Just one quick question to ask, if its not too much trouble, its not to do with the cover letter but rather the CV or LinkedIn profile.
If you have done like a CPD/training course that, lets say, is relevant to highlight for the job application, which section of the CV would you say you should put that in? Education? Experience? I am unsure.
BRUH. We can't all access detailed statistics about how the business performed during our time there. Like "Oh yeah sure, you need to know the increase in customer retention % ? NO PROBLEM let me just call my old boss." 🙄WTF
An estimate is better than no number at all 😁
So just bullshit the numbers
You gotta back it up in the interview though 😂@@james-wx6jh
your vids contradict each other. this one you say dont add your address on the how to create cover letter you say to add the address. so which one is it?
Follow instructions for this updated video 😁
The hook prompt from chatgpt just doesn't work, and chatgpt spills out either a garbage intro or an entire Cover Letter within 100 words .........
Ah I'm sorry to hear that. What input are you giving it?
you said it was free...why is it $9?
The PDF version is free 😁
Then u better keep machines in your job. where is the appreciation of being one's self. Appreciate real talent not words and gimmicks. Any companies needs talented and honest employee for long run.. what he says is just to grab a job.
I don't think the advice in this video is in conflict with showcasing our individual talents 😁
So I'm not God's gift to humanity? I was lied to?😢
Yes unfortunately
Using chat gpt shows you are not willing to engage in the depth of thought and research needed to make connections between the employer, the position, and your "hook". As an employer it tells me you are lazy and not interested in my company.
You should never rely on ChatGPT outputs alone 😁
As a non English speaker please speak slowly to can understand more I 🙏 hope you can translate your videos into several languages
Thanks for the feedback!
LOL5 people to proof every cover letter!?! Good luck in continuously finding people to review your letters.
Just a suggestion! One extra pair of eyes is better than none 😁
can you talk a bit slow?
Thanks for the feedback!
How many words the cover letter should have 300?
As short as possible to convey your key messages across 😁
@@JeffSu
Saw your spoiler in the AMA 😀
What if I already made mistake #1 and about to make that again? 🥲Context: the deadline is approaching and I got almost no time to find out who's the hiring manager. In certain job postings, they have a vague department name. For some industries, people don't seem to even have a LinkedIn profile (let say government sector), would "Dear Hiring Manager" is still acceptable? Thank you!
Still not recommended 😂. At this point the CEO's name is better than a generic opening
Just call them and ask the receptionist who is in charge of hiring for that position.
This is precisely why the advice for "mistake #1" is just completely overblown and unnecessary. You're scrambling to find a name with the deadline approaching when you can just give a generic salutation and move on with your job hunt. Just use "Dear Hiring Manager" and move on. No you do not need to go desperately hunting for the hiring managers name or the name of your potential direct report. If that hiring manager or employer has gone through the trouble of hiding their name for privacy reasons, then they don't expect to see their name in the cover letter. If the hiring manager wants to be addressed in the letter, then they won't make it impossible to find their name, and if they did expect you to hunt for their name You. Don't. Want. To. Work. For. That. Narcissistic. Person. And your cover letter is more often going to be read by an applicant tracking system before it's read by a human, so that should be your focus. Give the ATS some meat to chew on with all the keywords necessary according to the job description.
The logic behind the advice of adding their name is it will increase the visibility of your cover letter to the hiring manager. So like of the 500 applications, 100 cover letters, and the 10 or so with a name, the ones with their name stand out as "odd" so they look at them more often. So it's a probability thing, not a hard formal rule. It increases the odds of it being viewed and considered more thoroughly. It's the same story with education and school names even though the curriculum is precisely the same. But not having the managers name doesn't make you a bad candidate nor does it mean you will immediately be ignored. And if you have an impossible time finding the name, then it's super likely that everyone else is having the same hard time UNLESS they know the hiring manager or someone at the company personally, ala Nepotism. Now sure in some circumstances it shows that you made some effort, but if you can't find anything and the company you are applying to has thousands of employees and you aren't sure of the 300 sales managers you could be applying to which is the right one, then just use a generic salutation. It's not a hard rule that you absolutely have to follow otherwise you are a terrible applicant and don't deserve any job where you can't find the name of the hiring manager. Like are you kidding me? You're absolutely worth it, but you have to balance the time spent trying to find the name for one job when you could be applying to more jobs in that same amount of time. In other words, you have to balance the odds of getting a job at one place with a perfect golden cover letter vs the odds of getting a job from 1 of 10 places where you wrote "Dear Hiring Manager". So sure spend a couple minutes searching, if you can't find anything move on. You do not have to grovel at the feet of these hiring managers just to survive, you're time is worth more than that.
Call them? How many companies actually have an open line for hundreds of candidates to contact the HR department? They have OTHER things they need to do. Use the CEO's name? How is that any different from using a generic name, especially when that CEO has no idea who the company is hiring for. At the end of the day remember that the hiring process is super subjective and opinionated. You will constantly hear conflicting opinions DIRECTLY FROM HIRING EXPERTS. One recruiter expects a cover letter, the next despises them. One expects Times new roman, the next expects a fancy format. You just need a job to pay the bills and put food on the table, so your best bet is to cast as many lines as possible, not spend time making the absolute perfect lure. If it's your dream job at your dream company, that's a different story but that's also so rare. And you're better off networking at events than applying to a posting anyways.