bad cover letter examples pdf

Here Are 12 Of The Worst Cover Letters We've Ever Received

As the Managing Editor at Business Insider, I receive lots of cover letters every day. Some of them are really great, and tell me instantly that the applicant gets what we're trying to do here and why they are someone we might want to hire.

Others are awful. Bad enough that I've started collecting them in a Gmail folder called "Worst Cover Letters."

The offenses vary. Some people are way too long-winded and never get to the point. Others don't realize their emails are riddled with spelling errors. Some people call attention to their weaknesses in a letter that's supposed to summarize their strengths. Others can't (or at least don't) write in the language we would be hiring them to write in.

I don't mean to emphasize the negative. The next post will feature some of the best cover letters I've ever received. (Not surprisingly, most of those people now work at BI.) But still, in the name of demonstrating what NOT to do...

This one's too short. It's also rude ("Hello"? How about a name?). You should always assume we're still offering the position, write a quick note, and attach your resume.

This person tells us what they're incapable of. (For example, why point out that you're "average" at Excel?)

This cover letter has a lot of issues. For one, it's way too long. For another, it's filled with bloated self-importance. ("Burgeon"? Are you kidding me?)

Here's the second half of this guy's rant. It never ends!

This one's too negative: "The only reason I'm applying"; "I don't read much of the magazine"; "I know I am not tailor made for the job."

This person wants a job where she can only work "non-working" hours? What?

This is a second email in a correspondence. The applicant tells us he is "just looking for a paid job in journalism" when he should be telling us why he's the one for THIS job.

Spelling errors are an immediate red flag. Especially in a sentence like, "I don't have any expereince related to Journalism background."

A position is never a good fit BECAUSE you are 24 years old.

Why would we care that your friend's grandfather loves your writing? And don't get us started on the lowercase "i"s.

Here's one where the candidate complains about the lack of response from other jobs she's applied for. Yikes!

This one doesn't even mention a position, or Business Insider at all, for that matter!

Is this English?

For more job hunting mistakes check out

20 ways to screw up a job interview >

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Resume and Cover Letter
10 of the Worst Cover Letter...

10 of the Worst Cover Letter Mistakes to Avoid

8 min read · Updated on March 10, 2022

Make sure your cover letter helps your candidacy by avoiding these all-too-common mistakes.

Once you've updated your professional resume , it's time to prepare your job applications for submission to hiring managers. This usually involves making some small tweaks to your resume and creating a cover letter to accompany your application.

But aren't cover letters a thing of the past?

Yes and no. While 74 percent of recruiters don't find the cover letter to be an important factor when evaluating candidates, the remaining percentage do. And since you have no way of knowing which type of recruiter will receive your application, it's best to cover your bases and include a cover letter with every job application. As an added bonus, a reported 53 percent of employers admit they prefer candidates to send a cover letter when applying for a job.

However, not just any cover letter will do. If you're going to take the time to craft this document, make sure it helps, not hurts, your candidacy, by following cover letter dos and don'ts. Below are 10 common and costly mistakes to avoid when writing your next cover letter .

Cover Letter Mistake #1: Lack of research

Thanks to the Internet, there's little excuse to not personalize your cover letters. Whenever possible, research the name of the hiring manager or recruiter (if it's not listed on the actual job post) and the company who's filling the position, and use this information to customize your opening document. If you skip this step, you're sending the message to the reader that you don't really care enough about the position to do your homework. In a world where employers are inundated with applications, any excuse to eliminate candidates along the application process will do. Don't let this cover letter mistake give them a reason to cut you from the pile.

There are some exceptions to this rule. If you're responding to an anonymous job posting, you're not expected to include the name of the company or the hiring manager in the cover letter. When a company goes out of its way to keep its name and the names of its employees confidential, you can assume the hiring manager won't take off points if you use a generic opener.

Cover Letter Mistake #2: Overly formal or casual greetings

Whenever you're applying for a position or preparing for an interview, take the company's culture into account. You can get a better sense of the employer's brand by checking out its Careers section online, reading reviews on Glassdoor, searching for its profile on The Muse , following the social media accounts the company set up for recruitment purposes, and talking to your networking connections who've worked at the organization. This will help you decide if you're better off going with a “Hello Jeff” or a “Dear Mr. Berger” type of greeting.

If you're unable to address your cover letter to a specific person, steer clear of incredibly formal introductions, such as “To Whom It May Concern,” as they are not conversational and can be considered off-putting. The same goes for super casual openers like “Hi!” Even if you're dealing with a startup that prides themselves on being non-traditional, this cover letter greeting is a little too laid back for your first communication and may have the reader questioning your professionalism.

Play it safe and stick with a gender-neutral opener such as “Dear Hiring Manager” or “Dear Recruiter.”

Cover Letter Mistake #3: Talking all about me, me, me

Think of your cover letter as your sales pitch to the hiring manager. Instead of spending the entire time talking about yourself and your wants and needs, consider the needs of your prospective employer. Your potential boss is the one who will (hopefully) read your cover letter, after all.

Review the job description again and check out the latest news on the company. Ask yourself why the organization is hiring for this role. In other words, what pain point will this position solve? When you can relate to the hiring manager's concerns and position your skills as the solution to his or her needs, you have a better chance of avoiding cover letter mistakes and capturing the reader's attention.

Cover Letter Mistake #4: Repeating your entire resume

Remember, the recruiter already has your resume - there's no need to rehash your entire job history when writing your cover letter. In fact, I believe this is why so many employers disregard the cover letter; they've read so many bad cover letters that merely summarize their candidates' resumes, that they see no need to read them.

One cover letter tip is to surprise the hiring manager by using your opening to demonstrate your understanding of the company's position in the marketplace and its needs and then highlight your work experience and accomplishments that speak to these requirements.

Avoid these common cover letter mistakes. Hire a TopResume writer today .

Cover Letter Mistake #5: Generic messaging

Even if you're applying to an anonymous job listing, a common cover letter mistake is using boilerplate text. While your introduction may not be as specific as it would be for a position where the employer is known, this doesn't give you license to use a generic template for the main sections of your cover letter.

Based upon the job description, make a list of the top 3-5 requirements for the role. This may have to do with your knowledge, skills, and experience of a certain topic or an industry, your experience performing a particular task, or your education and other credentials. Then, brainstorm how you possess each prerequisite, referencing a specific contribution, accomplishment, or experience from your work history that illustrates these qualifications. Summarize this information in a paragraph or a set of bullets. This is a great way to customize your cover letter and grab the reader's attention.

Cover Letter Mistake #6: Not following instructions

As I previously mentioned, some employers, especially those in the healthcare, education, and legal sector, still value a cover letter and will request one in their job description. Do yourself a favor and re-read the job description carefully to provide context to your cover letter dos and don'ts. Oftentimes the employer will request certain information to be included in the cover letter. The last thing you want to do is ignore this request, as the reader will assume you are not detail-oriented and unable to follow the simplest of instructions.

Cover Letter Mistake #7: Typos

When you're competing against a large pool of candidates for one role, the smallest cover letter mistakes could be used to eliminate you from the pile. These days, we've grown all too reliant on spell-check and autocorrect to edit our communication. It's easy to overlook the small mistakes, such as using “higher” when you really meant to say “hire.” Don't let these silly details derail your job application.

Follow this simple cover letter tip: Reread your cover letter. Then read it again. Then hand it over to a trusted friend. You know, the one that majored in English. If you're looking for some resources to improve your grammar and punctuation, check out Lynne Truss' book, “ Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation ,” and “ Woe is I: The Grammarphobe's Guide to Better English in Plain English ” by Patricia T. O'Conner. They're great reads!

Cover Letter Mistake #8: Writing a novel

If recruiters spend an average of six seconds scanning your resume before deciding if you're a fit, how long do you think they'll spend reading your cover letter? Here's another set of cover letter dos and don'ts: your cover letter shouldn't be any longer than is necessary to get your points across. And it definitely shouldn't exceed one page.

Also, keep its readability in mind. Similar to your resume, try to create white space in your cover letter by avoiding dense blocks of text.

Cover Letter Mistake #9: Going off brand

Whether you're searching for a new job or managing your career path, it's important to pay close attention to how you present your professional brand to others — online, on paper, and face to face. To that end, another cover letter tip is to give it the same look and feel as your resume. If you're uploading your cover letter as a separate document to an online application, ensure it uses the same header as your resume. Also, make sure the font type, color, and size, the contact information you provide, and even the name you use on both documents remain consistent.

Cover Letter Mistake #10: TMI

While you can use a cover letter to explain an employment gap or your interest in relocating to a new city, don't overshare your personal details with a prospective employer. The recruiter doesn't need to know the gory details of your back surgery or how you had your heart broken and need to find a new city to call home. These extraneous details can't be used as selling points and will only detract from your qualifications and candidacy.

Your resume should be mistake free as well. Is yours? Find out with a free resume review .

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Bad Cover Letters vs. Good Cover Letters

Who hasn’t seen bad Cover Letters when viewing possible candidates, let alone 100’s of bad Cover Letters? We notice that a large majority of job seekers tend to send unfocused Cover Letters when applying for jobs .

Perhaps because you assume a single Cover Letter template can work for all jobs you’re applying to or maybe you’re just in a rush.

Regardless, Cover Letters that have not been given much thought and care hardly produce positive results.

Here’s an example of a bad Cover Letter:

Dear Sir/Madam,

I am writing in response to the Accounting Assistant position advertised on SEEK.com.au on 17 February 2023. This looks like a very good fit for my previous accounting experience and I am keen to join your company.

I am a seasoned accounting professional with high aptitude across all areas of the accounting scope. I am skilled in accounts payable and invoicing and can excel at tasks such as bookkeeping, reporting and tax.

Throughout my career, I have had exceptional results as an Accountant in Malaysia. I am goal-oriented and work well in teams. I am a hard-working team player and can deliver month-end reporting results on time for your organisation.

Enclosed, you will find my Resume with more detail on my accounting skills and value that I can bring to your esteemed company.

I can meet you for an interview and I am keen to discuss the position with you soon.

Yours sincerely, Job Seeker

No hiring manager wants to see something like this. Unless you cannot thoughtfully convey through your Cover Letter why they need to hire you for the role, you won’t be shortlisted for the interview stage.

What makes this a bad Cover Letter?

Page Contents

The job seeker has used ‘sir/madam’. Your Cover Letter needs to be addressed to the hiring manager (first name). Find out who they are!
You don’t need to tell the reader where you saw the job advertised. Instead, tell them about the number of years’ experience you have or the key skills/experience you can bring to the role (use keywords from the job ad)
It’s missing 2 – 3 key examples of relatable accounting work from the job seeker’s previous position/internship/university assignments
The job seeker is using words that should never be used in a Cover Letter or Resume (“hard-working”, “team player” and “esteemed company”)
It’s missing a bullet point list of keyword-optimised accounting achievements/examples showing how the job seeker will perform the key duties
The conclusion is weak and doesn’t reinforce why they are the best candidate

What makes a good Cover Letter?

Good Cover Letters are best written when they concisely convey who you are, what your experience brings to a company, and why you would make a good fit.

Specifically, you need to Show, don’t tell . An effective way to do this is a bullet point list of your key skills that link to the job ad.

How do you “Show, Don’t Tell”?

You need to show your relevancy through past achievements earned. If you have experience working within a project team then you need to explain your successes within that line of work.

Analyse the job ad for keywords and use those keywords in your Cover Letter and link them to quantifiable examples.

Hiring managers want to see your past results relevant to the role advertised. They want to find that you have done your research: on the role and the company .

Make sure to mention what specifically about the company attracts you to the role and makes you the perfect fit. It then makes it easier on the hiring manager to judge your suitability and the level of focus you’ve put into your application.

And remember, there is no one size fits all template for Cover Letters, so spend some time writing Cover Letters that are specific and unique. This will only place you in a better position for career success!

Need Help Writing Your Cover Letter?

We hope this has pointed you in the right direction for writing a Cover Letter that is nothing short of perfect.

A Cover Letter needs to be short and concise (one page). It should show you’ve researched the company, your skills relevant to the role and describe why you best fit this role.