Cover Letter Mistakes That Lose You the Interview
A cover letter can help or actively hurt an application — and most of the damage comes from a handful of repeat mistakes.
Restating the resume
If your cover letter just repeats what's already on your resume in paragraph form, it adds nothing. Use it instead to explain motivation, context, or a specific connection to the role that the resume format doesn't allow space for.
Generic templates that don't mention the company
Recruiters can spot a copy-paste cover letter instantly. Not naming the company, the role, or anything specific about why you're applying signals low effort, regardless of how strong the resume behind it is.
Being too long
A cover letter longer than half a page usually loses the reader before the point lands. Three tight paragraphs — why you, why this role, why now — is enough.
Focusing only on what you want
A cover letter centered entirely on your own career goals rather than what you bring to the role reads as self-focused. Reframe around the value you'd add, not just what the job would do for you.
Skipping proofreading
Typos and grammar errors in a cover letter are read as carelessness, disproportionately more than the same errors in a resume. A careful, quick read-through — or a second pair of eyes — catches most of it.