Cover Letter Do's and Don'ts: 20 Rules From Hiring Managers

These ten rules are sourced from hiring manager surveys and recruiter interviews. Following them will not guarantee an interview, but ignoring them will almost certainly cost you one.

1. Do tailor every letter to the specific role and company.
Applications with tailored cover letters are 53% more likely to receive callbacks (ResumeGo, 2025). At minimum, customize the company name, the opening hook, and the achievements you highlight.

2. Do include quantified achievements.
Numbers are memorable. "Increased revenue by 34%" is 40% more likely to stick with a hiring manager than "improved revenue significantly" (CareerBuilder, 2024).

3. Do mirror keywords from the job posting.
According to NACE (2025), 56% of employers rank keyword relevance as the most important cover letter factor during screening. Use the exact terminology from the posting.

4. Do keep it to one page, 250-400 words.
Hiring managers spend 30 seconds on an initial scan (Ladders, 2024). Every sentence must earn its place.

5. Do address a specific person when possible.
Check LinkedIn and the company website for the hiring manager's name. A named greeting signals research effort.

6. Do include a clear call to action in the closing.
Cover letters with a direct call to action receive 14% more responses (ResumeGo, 2025). See our guide on effective closing paragraphs.

7. Do proofread — three times.
Read it once for content, once for tone, and once for names and details. A misspelled company name is an instant disqualifier.

8. Do match your tone to the company culture.
Formal for finance, conversational for startups, creative for agencies. Read the company's own communications for tone cues.

9. Do save as PDF.
PDF preserves formatting across devices and ATS systems. Only use DOCX if specifically requested.

10. Do test for ATS compatibility.
Run your letter through an ATS checker before submitting. A 60-70% keyword match is the target.

1. Don't send a generic, untailored letter.
Robert Half (2025) reports that 87% of recruiters find generic openers forgettable. "I am writing to express my interest" is the cover letter equivalent of not showing up.

2. Don't repeat your resume verbatim.
The cover letter complements your resume — it does not duplicate it. Use it to tell the story behind your achievements. For the distinction, see cover letter vs resume.

3. Don't badmouth a previous employer.
Negative comments about past companies or managers are the single fastest way to get rejected. Recruiters interpret it as a warning sign about your professionalism.

4. Don't include salary expectations unless asked.
Bringing up compensation in the cover letter limits your negotiating position and can disqualify you from consideration.

5. Don't use buzzwords without substance.
"Results-driven team player with a passion for innovation" says nothing. Replace every buzzword with a specific example or cut the sentence entirely.

6. Don't exceed one page.
No hiring manager has ever thought "I wish this cover letter were longer." Keep it concise.

7. Don't use fancy formatting.
Tables, text boxes, images, and multi-column layouts break ATS parsers. According to iCIMS (2024), complex formatting drops parsing accuracy from 95% to 70%.

8. Don't forget to update the company name.
Sending a letter addressed to the wrong company is more common than you think — and it is an immediate rejection.

9. Don't apologize for what you lack.
"Although I don't have experience in..." draws attention to your weaknesses. Focus on what you bring instead.

10. Don't skip the cover letter when it's optional.
78% of hiring managers favor candidates who include cover letters even when not required (Robert Half, 2025). "Optional" means "recommended."

We compiled the most frequently cited cover letter mistakes from recruiter surveys and interviews. These are the errors that come up again and again:

The wrong company name — This happens when candidates copy letters between applications and forget to update every instance. According to Robert Half (2025), it is the most commonly cited "instant rejection" mistake. Prevention: search for the previous company name in every letter before submitting.

Generic opening lines — "I am writing to express my interest" appears in the majority of cover letters. After seeing it hundreds of times, recruiters stop reading at this point. For better alternatives, see our cover letter opening lines guide.

No evidence — Claims without proof are worthless. "I am a strong leader" means nothing without "I managed a team of 12 that delivered the project 3 weeks ahead of schedule." Every claim needs evidence.

Too long — Letters that run past one page signal an inability to communicate concisely. In Ladders' (2024) eye-tracking study, hiring managers did not read past the first page of multi-page letters.

Robotic tone — Overly formal language creates distance. "I wish to convey my ardent enthusiasm for the aforementioned position" should be "I am excited about this role because [specific reason]."

The number one thing I want from a cover letter is evidence that the candidate actually read our job posting and thought about how they fit. That is a higher bar than most people realize.

Run through this checklist before hitting submit on any application:

Identity check:

• ☐ Is the company name correct in every instance?
• ☐ Is the role title correct?
• ☐ Is the hiring manager's name spelled correctly (if used)?
• ☐ Is the date current?

Content check:

• ☐ Does the opening name the specific role and company?
• ☐ Are there at least two quantified achievements?
• ☐ Does each body paragraph address a specific job requirement?
• ☐ Is there a clear call to action in the closing?

Keyword check:

• ☐ Do 60-70% of the job posting's key terms appear in your letter?
• ☐ Are technical terms spelled exactly as they appear in the posting?
• ☐ Is the exact job title included?

Format check:

• ☐ Is it one page or under?
• ☐ Is the font standard (Arial, Calibri, Times New Roman) at 10-12pt?
• ☐ Is the formatting clean — no tables, text boxes, or images?
• ☐ Is it saved as PDF?

Tone check:

• ☐ Would you say these sentences out loud?
• ☐ Did you avoid buzzwords and cliches?
• ☐ Does it sound like you — not like a template?

For a comprehensive formatting guide, see professional cover letter format. For the full list of common mistakes, see cover letter mistakes to avoid.