Common Cover Letter Mistakes

This page is the list of cover letter failures that show up the most often in advising sessions. Each entry includes what students do, why it does not work, and a quick fix.

Structural Mistakes

• Writing one long block of text. Reviewers scan. Distinct paragraphs let them find what they need. Always break into four paragraphs.
• Going over one page. A cover letter at the entry-level should be 350 to 450 words. If you are at 600, you are either repeating yourself or treating the letter as a personal statement.
• No clear paragraph 2 about the firm. If paragraph 2 sounds like it could be sent to any firm, you have not done the work. Rewrite.
• Burying the role you are applying for. Name the position in the first paragraph, ideally in the first or second sentence.

Content Mistakes

• Listing every course you have taken. Your transcript is on your resume. The cover letter is for arguing why your trajectory leads to theirs.
• Paraphrasing the firm's website back at them. Reviewers wrote that website. They notice.
• Generic praise. "I admire your work" is not a sentence. Say what you admire and why.
• Naming five projects of theirs. Pick one or two. Go deep. Quantity is not depth.
• Listing software without context. "Proficient in Rhino, Revit, Grasshopper" tells the reader nothing. Embed the tools in a project sentence.
• Confidence claims. "I am confident I would be a great fit" is a tell. Show the fit; let them conclude it.

Language Mistakes

• "I am writing to express my strong interest in..." Wasted line. The reader knows you are writing to them.
• "I am passionate about..." Every applicant is. Show, do not state.
• "Throughout my academic career..." Vague. Replace with a specific project.
• "In today's world..." Cut. The reader is in today's world; they know.
• "Please do not hesitate to contact me." Of course they will not. You wrote them.
• "I look forward to hearing from you." Passive. Propose a specific next step instead.

Process Mistakes

• One letter sent to every firm. Reviewers spot a template in three sentences. Each letter should have at least one paragraph that could not have been sent to anyone else.
• Writing the cover letter before researching the firm. Research first. The letter will write itself afterward.
• Not naming a specific person in the salutation. "To Whom It May Concern" tells the reader you did not look.
• Sending without proofreading. Read it out loud before sending. Typos and dropped articles will surface immediately.
• Sending without checking the file name. "Cover Letter.pdf" is forgettable. "YukeCai_CoverLetter_MikyoungKimDesign.pdf" tells the firm exactly what they are opening.

Tone Mistakes

• Too formal. Stiff and overwritten. Sounds nervous. "Please find enclosed herewith my application materials" is no longer how anyone writes.
• Too casual. "Hey there!" or "Just wanted to drop a line" is not the right register for a first application.
• Begging. "I would be honored beyond words for any chance..." is a tell that you are anxious. Confidence is quieter.
• Hyperbole. "World-class," "groundbreaking," "transformative." Save these words. Use plain ones.

Visual Mistakes

• Font choice that does not match your resume. Cover letter, resume, and portfolio should share one type system. Visual consistency is design competency on display.
• Margins too narrow. 1 inch all around is standard. Going below 0.7 makes the letter feel cramped.
• Single-spaced paragraphs with no space between them. Use 1.15-1.4 line height and skip a line between paragraphs. White space is your friend.
• Decorative fonts. Stick to one professional serif or sans-serif. Save the typography experimentation for your portfolio.