Crafting a compelling, convincing cover letter is not easy. The pressure to the capture the reader's attention without being annoying can be paralyzing. Concentrate on showing how you can contribute to the employer's success while avoiding these mistakes.
写封极具说服力的求职信可不是件简单的事情。又想吸引别人的注意，又不能引起反感，这可需要费点脑子。信里就集中写你能为老板的成功做点什么，避免加入下面这些蠢东西。
1.Assertions That You Are the Ideal Candidate
1.强调你是理想员工
Don't ever say you are the ideal candidate for the job.
永远别说你是这个职位的理想人选。
Here's a tactic you can use instead: Restate primary qualifications of the job and show how your past experience and skill set fits "hand in glove" with the requirements. You ask for ____; I offer ___.
你可以这样：重述职位的主要需求并展示你过去的经验如何能适用于新的工作之中，满足新的工作要求。你们需要...我可以提供...。
Statements Indicating That You Are a “Hard Worker”
不要说你是个努力的员工
Career strategist Nicole Darling tells job seekers to eliminate references to being a "hard worker." My experience tells me that those who claim to be hard workers either 1) often yielding below-average results or 2) understate the intellect and creativity they contributed in their roles, attributing success solely to effort and long hours.
职业策略师妮可-达琳对那些求职者们说不要总表示自己是“努力的员工”我的经验告诉我那些自称努力的员工们，要么就是1）成果达不到预期要求；2）低估能力以及创造力在工作中的重要性，把成功等价于努力和长时间的工作。
Nicole also recommends avoiding positive but overly used words such as "team player, motivated, excellent communication skills."
妮可还建议减少使用那些看似积极且使用十分频繁的词汇，如“队友，有积极性的，高超的交流技巧”。
2.Anything Non-Personalized
2.非个性化的东西
Get the name of the hiring manager or recruiter to personalize each letter. Likewise, use the company’s name and identifying details (location, industry, etc.) rather than referencing “the company”or “your industry" in a bland letter.
要获知面试官的名字。在求职信中不要总说“贵公司”或“贵行业”而要使用公司具体的名称，以及一些具体信息（如位置，产业等）。
3.Bungled Wording
3.拼写错误
A fast-paced company is not the same thing as a "face paced," or even a "fast paste" company. The abbreviation for Assistant is Asst. Please don't ever forget that. When you drop the "t" from "Asst" you aren't offering much to be proud of.
快速发展的公司是用短语“fast-paced”，不要把fast拼成face，或者“fast paste”（快速粘贴）的公司。助理的缩写是Asst.千万别忘了。要是少写了个“t",这个所指可不是什么光荣的东西哦。
4.A Precise Time of Follow Up
4.后续追踪要守时
Nicole also advises against saying, for example, that you will “follow up with a call on August 1st at 11:00 a.m.” when you won’t actually make that call. Even if your intentions are good, your availability may change, preventing you from being a person of your word.
妮可还说很多求职者经常写到会“在8月1号中午11点进行后续电话交流”。当你没有打那个电话时，即使你的本意是好的，日程有可能改变了，但也要做一个守信用的人。
5.Too Many Sentences That Start With "I"
5.总说以”我“开头的句子
Make the cover letter about the employer, not about you. Discuss how you can meet company needs and help solve its problems.
求职信是关于老板的而不是自己。讨论你如何能够满足公司的需求帮助解决它的问题。
6.Saying You Just Need a "Job" or Need a "Good Job With Benefits"
6.说你只是需要个工作或需要一个好薪水的工作
Revealing that you have little preference for job content is not inspiring to a hiring manager. Though being open to any job seems like a good strategy in times of high unemployment, this approach comes across as desperate and dull rather than practical when expressed in a cover letter.
告诉招聘人员你实际上对工作内容并无兴趣不是什么好事。在高失业率的情况下，对所有工作都来者不拒似乎是个好方法，但如果在求职信中表现出来，反而会适得其反。
7.Discussion of Past Failures
7.谈论过去的失败经历
You don't have to highlight or emphasize imperfections and disappointments with your past employers, coworkers, or economic conditions. Discussing what you have learned from positive and not-so-positive experiences in an interview can be meaningful to a hiring manager, but delete mention of failures from the cover letter.
你根本无需去强调以前的老板，同事或者经济情况的种种不好。说说你到底学到了什么，无论经历好坏，这对于招聘人员来说都是很有意义的。但求职信中就别写那些失败的事吧。
8.Touting a Career Change
8.寻求职业改变
Hiring managers view the career changer as inexperienced but seeking a salary commensurate with tenure in an unrelated field. Along with lack of industry knowledge and contacts, this job hunter will bring outdated approaches and mindsets to a new employer. He will need training to perform basic duties. Such a candidate is not attractive to an employer.
招聘人员通常觉得改变职业的人往往都没有经验，只是想在非相关专业领域找到同样薪水的工作而已。缺乏相关的产业知识和技巧，这种求职者只会带来过时的方法和思维。还需要经过训练才能胜任基本的职责。这样的员工是招聘人员们避之不及的。
If you are truly in the process of building a career in a new field, state what you have done already to accomplish this professional transformation: list certifications and degree programs earned, research papers published, and internships completed. At this point, then, you are not relying on the hiring manager to help you make a dramatic change but offering your depth of knowledge and insights.
如果你真的想在新的领域大展手脚，注意描述你在专业领域转换中做了些什么功课：列出你获得的证书或者学位证明，发表的学术论文以及完成的学业证明。这样才能表明你并不需要依靠招聘人员帮你进行转变，而只需提供你在这个领域知识和视野的广度和深度。