

Thing is, personal feelings have no place in your cover letter. You might strongly believe that you’d be a great fit at the organization, and feel it with all of your heart. Replace the word “best” with more humble descriptive words like “skilled,” “accomplished,” “experienced,” or “successful.” Those still convey the idea of being the best, without being boastful. Who doesn’t want to be the best at something (or several things)? But no matter how awesome you are at something, no one is ever the absolute best at anything. Are you fluent, or are you still rocking your high school Spanish? Substitute more descriptive words for good with ones like “strong” or “excellent.” Even “great” will do, too. So saying that your Spanish language skills are “good” doesn’t give your interviewer much of an idea of how good you really are. It’s just kind of mediocre, and that is not the impression you want to give to a hiring manager about you or your abilities.

Words to avoid in your cover letter: “Good” And if all else fails, contact the company and speak with an HR person to get the info. If there’s no name listed, try doing some research to see if you can uncover who the point person would be for the job. “To whom it may concern” can come across as cold or aloof, and that’s not the impression you want to give.

Your cover letter should be addressed to that individual, even if they’re not going to be your actual boss, should you get hired for the job. Many job descriptions have a point person, whether it’s your potential boss, a recruiter, or a hiring manager. Of course you think you’d be a good fit-why else would you apply for the position? Instead of asserting your opinion, show an employer instead why you’d be a good fit by highlighting examples of past work experience, education, or skills that make them think, “Wow, this job candidate would be a good fit!” “To whom it may concern:” Attaching “I think” to any sentence can undermine its efficacy, so it’s best to avoid “I think,” and its sister phrases, like, “I believe,” and “I feel.” It’s not really necessary to state “I think” anywhere in your cover letter because, by its nature, everything you’ve written is what you think. So as much as you’re dying to know what the job pays, it’s best to wait until later on in the hiring process when you’re actually offered the job-and then you can negotiate salary. By asking upfront about money, it could come across to a potential employer that that’s all you care about, not the job itself or working for that specific company. While it would be lovely if all employers put the salary range in their job descriptions, most don’t. Talking money during the job interview process is a tricky topic, and even more taboo when you’ve just only applied for the position. “I would like to know the salary range for this job … ” or “I’m requesting a salary of … ” Although you might think that you’ll be appealing to a hiring manager’s softer side, it might just wind up irking him instead.
#ANOTHER WORD FOR YOU OR YOUR PROFESSIONAL#
No matter what your reason is, it’s most likely personal, and personal doesn’t play out well in the professional world. You might need the job because money is super tight, or because the job has a flexible schedule, which meets your need to work remotely. You might need the job because you’ve been job searching for a while. Let your experience speak for itself-and keep your opinions about yourself to, well, yourself. You can show your confidence in other ways, such as by making sure that your resume and cover letter are customized to the job description, citing specific work experiences, skills, and education that are needed for the job. It can be a turnoff to a potential employer who might then look to see how you’re not the ideal candidate for the position. Yes, confidence is a very good thing…except when you broadcast it on a job application. Here are some words and phrases to avoid in your cover letter: “I’m confident I’m the perfect person for the job.” Read on for these words and phrases that you should never include in your cover letter. Write the wrong thing, and your entire job application can get pitched in the “thanks, but no thanks” pile. Use the right wording, and you’re golden. But knowing what to say - or not say - in your cover letter is particularly important. From how you structure your resume to what you say during a job interview, it all counts towards (and against) you during the selection and hiring process. It goes without saying that you always want to present yourself in the best possible light when you’re job searching.
