However, not all cover letters are good cover letters. In fact, it is
possible to send one that makes you look like a not-so-great candidate. To
avoid writing a losing cover letter, let's take a look at some tips to
consider that'll make you a winner in the hiring manager's eyes.

Keep Your Job Accomplishments Simple

Okay, so there are many job candidates guilty of submitting a carbon-copy
cover letter that tells nothing specific about the job they want and how
they can contribute, which is why you get a pass for wanting to disclose a
lot about why you want the job. However, there's a such thing as disclosing
too much information. In other words, you want to tell enough, but not
everything.

For instance, if you're applying for a job as a sales rep, you want to
include the time you were able to sell a record number of products,
catapulting the company's profits into a new stratosphere. That's great
information to share. But if you also feel the need to disclose that as a
result of this accomplishment, all of the other sales reps hated you and
left you in a position to be the "bigger person," you may find that the
hiring manager could become just as turned off by your success as impressed
by it.

Keep Personal Activities to Yourself Unless Otherwise Necessary

Another mistake that job candidates often make that can turn their cover
leýter into a losing one is disclosing too much about personal activities.
For instance, a candidate who is looking to work as a manager may not want
to disclose that she's a model on the weekends. While this may be a great
activity that brings on many rewards personally, the picture that it puts in
the hiring manager's head may very well contradict they ideal candidate
 they're looking for.

 It's for this reason that personal details should likely be avoided unless
they apply directly to the position. If you are a star soccer player in your
league, enter your poodle in dog shows, or are the star parent on your
child's PTA, this information is probably best left for cooler talk after
you've been hired.

Display Confidence, Not Cockiness

A major turn off to any hiring manager ­ and just about any person on earth
­ is a display of arrogance. You may feel great about the role you played in
your previous company, but if you display yourself as the next best thing
since sliced bread, the hiring manager might just slice your cover letter
into several pieces before throwing it away.

It's good to engage the hiring manager with great details about who you are
and how you can make a difference in the company for which you'd like to
work. But there's a fine line between engaging the reader and annoying the
reader. When writing your cover letter, it's good to lean towards engaging.

Heather Eagar is a former professional resume writer and is passionate about
providing working professionals with current, reliable and effective job
search tools and information. Need a resume writer? Compare the top ones in the industry at
http://www.resumelines.com.
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