- Don't be informal. Don't start your cover letter with the words: "Good morning" or "How are you today?" Don't address the executive recruiter by his or her first name in your letter. Don't begin your letter with "Can we talk?"
- Don't use colored paper such as chartreuse, orange, brown or gray. Besides giving the wrong impression, they don't Xerox well and sooner or later, your resume, if it is of interest to a company, will have to be copied.
- Don't include a picture. In the '40s or '50s, this practice was popular. Today, it's passé and gives the impression that you're old-fashioned. In any case, please don't send an 8'/2 by 11 glossy. Even if you have movie star good looks, it has little impact on the search firm in determining your suitability for a job.
- Don't use gimmicks. While they work well for people looking for jobs in the advertising industry, they work against you for corporate posts. Don't tape a nickel or a dollar bill on your cover letter; don't send your resume in a file folder labeled with your name.
- Watch your language. Don't start your cover letter with a bang, i.e., "Are you looking for a marketing superstar?" It's better to err on the boring side than to be too promotional. Don't hype your letter with terms like, "I'm a young 57" or "I'm a high-powered executive."
- Leave out personal information. No one is interested in your wife's maiden name (unless it's DuPont), your children's names and ages, when you graduated high school, or your religion.
- Don't send too much material. Don't send your present company's annual report; don't turn your resume into a book-length project and don't send references. If a search firm or other employer needs that sort of back-up, you're probably on the verge of getting the job.
When you fail to include key information with your resume, you run the risk of getting the whole thing tossed, or put into a dead-end file or pile, or requiring a lot of mail/phone/fax follow up.
ALWAYS BE SURE TO SUPPLY RECRUITERS WITH THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION WHEN YOU SEND IN YOUR RESUME:
- Present or most recent compensation (including breakdown if more than straight salary)
- The minimum compensation you would consider
- Your relocation preferences or restrictions, if any
