Copyright (c) 2010 Nicola Tewhare

Through your resume cover letter, the employers will be able to tell how well you are able to express yourself. It will showcase your skills and if it is perfectly formatted it should be very appealing.

It also helps reveal how confident you are when it comes to marketing yourself and selling your skills and qualifications.

A well written cover letter will entice the employer to check out and review your resume. On the other hand, a bad cover letter might lose your chances of getting that job you desire.

Here are the top 3 mistakes that would lead to a badly-written cover letter. Be sure to avoid these mistakes in order to ensure that your cover letter will be most effective:

1. Repeating what was written on your resume

The most common mistake when it comes to writing a cover letter is repeating almost exactly the same things that was already mentioned in your resume. The employer certainly does not want to read the exactly the same thing twice. The purpose of the cover letter is to sell to the employer your skills, just like a cover introduction of a book. It should give the reader an idea of what to expect form you in case they will choose to hire you.

2. Overusing the word "I"

Most of the time, a cover letter starts every sentence with "I", which makes the whole cover letter too boring and it seems like you are displaying a character as someone who only talks nothing but just himself/herself. That is usually kind of person that employers mostly avoid at all costs. There is really nothing wrong with focusing the attention to yourself when it comes to selling your skills. However, this will also reflect your lack of interest in the company and on the job itself.

3. Incorrectly addressing the employer

In any company, there are three types of employers that a job seeker needs to send her resume to - the business executives, resume screeners as well as third-party recruiters. Each of them have their own hiring motives and objectives and will judge you from the moment they open up their email. It is important that you know whom to address your cover letter to in order to catch the attention of the appropriate party. By addressing directly to the correct person, you are creating an immediate bond which helps you become a stronger candidate.