What's Wrong with Most Cover Letters?
As a career counselor, I can't tell you how many tens of thousands of cover letters I've read, reviewed, and edited in over 30 years in the field. There's certainly a lot of good advice out there on how to write a cover letter, but here's what I think is wrong with most of the actual cover letters I've seen: 1. Ineffective salutation. What I typically see are salutations such as, "Dear Sir or Madam," or "To Whom It May Concern," or (worst of all) "Dear Hiring Manager." Do you know of ANY company that has a position called "Hiring Manager"? Maybe there are one or two (usually the size of Microsoft), but there can't possibly be many. If you don't know the name or title, it's hard to go wrong if you just say, "Dear Manager." Obviously, the best thing is to use the person's name, IF you know it: "Dear Ms. Smith." Include their job title if appropriate: "Dear Principal Jones." Or, if...