In a world full of technology, hand written notes are now rare, but it has happened before. It may seem more personal by sending in a hand written cover letter,

but the employer will not want to read it. They are sent a plethora of resumes and cover letters so the last thing they want to do is try to

read someone's hand written letter that isn't always legible. 

Everyone loves a good GIF, but not on a cover letter! No matter how relevant or entertaining you think it is, this is not the time to share it.

Politics and religion are one thing that you shouldn't go into depth on a cover letter. But, that also goes for other topics as well that can cause controversy. If

you were in a sorority or went to a certain school, don't brag about it and talk about how wonderful it was to be a part of it. Chances are

the employer either doesn't care or may be on the other side of the spectrum (like a UCLA alum deciding whether or not to hire a USC alum).

Do your homework! Addressing each cover letter to an anonymous receiver makes it seem like you don't care who the letter is sent to. Search on their website or even

Google to see who the hiring manager is, the head of the department is, or even who the HR manager is. 

Most cover letters shouldn't be longer than one page, so there's no space to waste. This means that you should only be talking about why you are fit for the job.

If you were referred the position, simply state who referred you and move on. There is no need to go into depth about how you met your referral and where

you ran into them last.

Stating things that you cannot do or are inexperienced in is not the way to land a job. If there's something in the requirements that you don't think you have,

ignore that! Focus on what you know you are great at and what makes you shine.

While you should be respectful in your letter, there's no curtsying or bowing needed for this one. Remember, the people you are writing to might end up as your colleagues,

not the King or Queen. You will eventually be spending your working and lunch hours with these people. 

Lying on your resume or cover letter can certainly bite you in the butt later on. If you say something in your resume or cover letter that is not true

and you get called in for an interview or get the job, they are more than likely to find out that you lied. So cut the B.S. and don't be a

pretty little liar.

Offering references on your resume is simply a waste of space. Usually companies will either ask for a separate list of references when applying or they will wait to ask you for

references if they foresee a future with you in the company after a first interview. 

There's no need to explain to the hiring manager why you are looking to leave your current company or why you left. If you hated your boss or fellow employees

and think that the way the company was run was horrible, keep it to yourself. They don't want to hear you badmouth them and it'll just make you look like

a complainer.