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Forbes
10-06-2025
- Business
- Forbes
7 Cover Letter Phrases That Could Ruin Your Job Application
Your cover letter creates your first impression with potential employers, yet many professionals unknowingly sabotage their job applications with tired, overused phrases. According to a ResumeLab survey, 83% of recruiters consider cover letters important for hiring decisions—and a compelling one can land you a job interview even when your resume falls short. Research conducted by ResumeGo finds that applications with tailored cover letters yield just over 50% more interviews compared to those without. Here are seven phrases that hiring managers flag as instant deal-breakers, plus alternatives that will make your job application stand out. This outdated greeting immediately signals that you haven't taken the time to research the company or position. Since Resume Genius reports that 41% of hiring managers consider the introduction to be the most impactful part of a cover letter, starting with "To Whom It May Concern," wastes your most valuable real estate. These examples are effective, demonstrating an effort to understand the company's structure and hiring process. This opening states the obvious. It also represents a missed opportunity to immediately capture the reader's attention with something compelling about your background or enthusiasm for the role. Remember that hiring managers often decide within the first few sentences whether to continue reading your cover letter. Generic openings fail to create the immediate engagement necessary to sustain their attention through the remainder of your job application. These phrases represent the most common cover letter clichés, appearing in countless job applications across all industries and experience levels. Concrete examples provide hiring managers with evidence they can evaluate, while generic claims offer nothing substantive to differentiate your job application. This phrase demonstrates dangerous overconfidence or a lack of self-awareness. If you claim perfection, hiring managers will look for gaps in your job application that contradict this assertion. These alternatives convey confidence without arrogance, showing you understand both your strengths and the requirements of the role. Claiming passion for every aspect of a role or industry immediately raises credibility concerns. When candidates express equal enthusiasm for all aspects of a position, hiring managers question whether they truly understand the role's realities or are simply trying to appear agreeable. Specific enthusiasm demonstrates thorough research and genuine interest, providing valuable talking points for potential job interviews. This phrase focuses on what the company can do for you rather than what you can contribute to their success. When you emphasize how the role will help your career, you signal that your primary interest lies in what you'll gain rather than what you'll give. This reframing demonstrates ambition while maintaining focus on organizational value rather than viewing the role as purely transactional. The phrase "I think" immediately undermines your credibility by suggesting uncertainty about your qualifications. This tentative language signals self-doubt and invites hiring managers to question your suitability for the position. This approach provides specific, verifiable information that hiring managers can evaluate objectively, transforming your job application from a collection of opinions into a compelling case for your candidacy. Using thoughtful, tailored language leads to more job interviews and stronger first impressions with potential employers. By eliminating these seven phrases, you transform your cover letter from a generic document into a strategic communication tool that gets you closer to your ideal role. "You never know who values cover letters and who doesn't, so unless a company explicitly indicates they don't want a cover letter, submitting one is worth your time and effort," says recruitment consultant Mike Peditto, Director of Talent at the career growth platform Teal. "In a world where every resume is beginning to look the same, a personalized cover letter can make you stand out."
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Younger workers say a tough job market is pushing them to lie on resumes — and few regret it
This story was originally published on HR Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily HR Dive newsletter. Ten percent of job seekers said they've lied on their resume, typically about dates of employment, years of experience and job responsibilities in previous roles, according to a May 28 report from AI Resume Builder. Among those who lied, 76% said they received a job offer, and 81% said the lie helped them get the job. Only 21% said they regret lying on their resume, and 92% said their lies were never discovered. 'Candidates lie on their resume when they feel stressed about their search,' said Soozy Miller, head of career advising at AI Resume Builder. 'With recent layoffs, many people are out of work and worried about the job market. Job seekers feel that the job market is so tough right now that actions such as lying on a resume to get a job are justified.' In the survey of more than 7,800 U.S. adults, younger workers and men were more likely to lie on their resume. GeneratYounger workers say a tough job market is pushing them to lie on resumes — and few regret it ion Z job seekers were most likely to lie, with 20% saying they did so, compared to 13% of millennials, 8% of Generation X and 4% of baby boomers. About 12% of men and 7% of women said they had lied. The top reasons for lying included a competitive job market, a lack of interview offers and feeling underqualified. In addition, 29% said they lied to try to land a higher salary; 20% said they believed others were also lying; and 11% said they were encouraged to lie by someone else. Artificial intelligence tools such as ChatGPT appear to play a role, with 31% of those who lied saying they used AI to craft their resume. When using AI tools, job seekers may make their experience sound more impressive, reframe gaps or weaknesses and phrase information in a more professional way. AI also helped applicants by suggesting fake accomplishments or experience, such as skills, certifications or even jobs. Among those who use AI at work, 90% said having AI skills makes them more confident about applying for jobs that they aren't fully qualified for, which could indicate they may stretch the truth on resumes or trust AI can help them fake it after they're hired, the report found. Ten percent may be an underestimate; a 2023 survey by ResumeLab put that number much higher, and even higher numbers reported they'd lied in cover letters and job interviews. Applicants said they embellished skills, job responsibilities and previous job titles. Although most job seekers use AI for basic help, some may use it to forge documents, create fake resumes and evade applicant filters, experts told HR Dive. Companies can combat this by using AI in screening platforms to verify documents, candidates' identities and video calls. During the next six months, AI will change recruiting dramatically, according to a LinkedIn Talent Blog post. Both employers and applicants can expect to demonstrate more transparency about AI use during the hiring process, a recruiting leader at Zapier said. Recommended Reading Laid off from Hyland, recruiters, managers and workers join forces for the job hunt
