If you are sitting down to write a new technology cover letter, or update your old one, then you need to be mindful of the keywords used throughout it. There are about five cover letter keywords that you need to remove immediately because they scream entry level. You want the cover letter to impress employers and show them how much experience you have in the business world, not show them that you are right out of college and praying for a first job.
Here are five cover letter phrases to avoid at all costs in your technology job search this year:
To Whom it May Concern
This is one of the worst keyword phrases to put on your cover letter. It screams “entry-level” because it is a generic phrase. When you are going to apply for a job, you need to perform research to find out who is accepting the applications. The name of the hiring manager or human resource executive might be found at the bottom of the job posting. When writing the cover letter, be sure to address it to this person so you do not use “To whom it may concern.”
Looking for an Interesting Job
If you are sending out resumes and cover letters at random, it is highly likely that your cover letter will include this phrase. When you write “Looking for an interesting job” in your cover letter, you are telling hiring managers absolutely nothing about yourself or your work experience. Of course everyone wants to work an interesting job, which is why you do not need to use this phrase the next time you write a cover letter.
Extensive Experience
Another commonly overused keyword phrase on cover letters is that of “extensive experience.” You should not waste precious space with this phrase, ever, no matter how much experience you have in the profession. Instead of saying you have extensive experience, you should show the reader you have experience by writing about it. Replace that phrase with how many years you have worked in the profession or the advanced degrees you hold in the industry.
Strong Communication Skills
Even though this was a popular keyword phrase to include on a cover letter 10 years ago, it needs to be removed from your cover letter right now. Strong communication skills have become mandatory in order to succeed in the business world these days, which is why you are wasting space including the phrase on your cover letter. If you do not know how to communicate, you will find yourself searching for a job quite often.
Call me at…
There is no reason to write the phrase “Call me at…” in your cover letter. The interviewer or hiring manager knows that you want to be called. You should use more subtle language in your cover letter and say something along the lines of, “You may contact me at your earliest convenience.”
If you want your cover letter to scream experienced professional and not entry-level, you must remove the five keyword phrases discussed in this post. Need more help drafting a strong resume? Contact the staffing experts at Venteon.