By Caryl and Ronald L. Krannich Ph.Ds
Courtesy of Impact Publications

Job seekers make many common mistakes when writing letters. These mistakes are the quickest way to kill what should have been an effective job search letter. The most common mistakes include:

1. Fails to communicate a clear purpose.
2. Neglects to link the needs of the letter recipient with the goals of the writer.
3. Includes dull, boring, and uninspiring contents.
4. Looks unprofessional in form, structure, and design.
5. Includes spelling, grammatical, and punctuation errors.
6. Uses awkward language and the passive voice.
7. Projects an overly aggressive, assertive, boastful, hyped, and obnoxious tone.
8. Appears self-centered rather than job or employer-centered.
9. Says little about the writer's interests, skills, accomplishments, or what they expect to achieve in the future.
10. Fails to include adequate contact information.
11. Addressed to the wrong person or sent to the wrong place.
12. Poorly typed or printed.
13. Too long.
14. Produced on cheap and unattractive paper.
15. Distributed inappropriately as a form letter to numerous employers.
16. Fails to include a follow-up statement at the very end.
17. Neglects to follow-up within one week with a telephone call.
18. Handwrites letters rather than type or word process them using a letter quality printer.
19. Uses inappropriate stationery and the wrong envelope size.
20. Fails to write several types of job search letters for different job search situations.