Applying for a job is a daunting task. With a competitive talent pool, the smallest blunder – a typo or missing detail – can get you a red flag in the recruitment funnel, essentially ruining any chances you had to get the job of your dreams.
While you are carefully examining every letter in your cover note and resume, take a breather (and a laugh) with these seven funniest cover letter blunders we have ever seen!
1. Insulting your potential employer
First impression counts, and many people try to make their resume stand out from the crowd. For instance, the following candidate tried utilising a power play with his e-mail to the CEO of the company, referring to the potential employer as ‘neither his first, nor last choice’.
Unimpressed and insulted, this candidate certainly became the last choice in the eyes of the CEO. Better luck next time!
2. Strange e-mail addresses
Resumes are usually the first point of contact between an employer and candidate. It is meant to be an easy summary of the candidate, highlighting their most impressive achievements and irreproachable professionalism – down to the very last detail.
Most candidates stick to a simple e-mail address using initials and their name, but some don’t seem to mind using their embarrassing email addresses that were made during their teenage years! Sorry, fluffy_rainbowbunny123 and Xtreme_Skater_69, it’s unlikely anyone will send you an offer through those addresses!
3. Applying for the wrong job
Attention to detail. This is a skill that many employers hope their employees will have. This is a skill that is hard to showcase to your employer if you apply for the wrong job in their company! One candidate, hoping to work at a top tech company, sent his CV in for a role that didn’t even exist! Luckily for the candidate, the tech company replied that if they did ever open the role that he wanted, they would consider his application. Whoops!
4. Bathroom selfies
Many countries now don’t require CVs to come with photos in an effort to curb discrimination, however, many candidates still choose to send in photos with their resumes. While many candidates will opt for a professionally taken headshot, one candidate decided his best photo was a selfie taken in the men’s room!
5. Odd interests
Resumes are a tool to highlight professional achievements, but are also a great way to show your personality through to the potential employer with extra-curriculars and interests. A smart selection of these will be able to show what kind of person you are outside of the office, but can also showcase important skills that could be useful in a working environment. Being the president of a tennis club can showcase great leadership skills! One candidate, however, chose to expose his love of taxidermy, and attached photos of his latest works! A bit too much information for most employers!
6. Applying for multiple jobs in the same company
Sometimes, a particular company can be a true dream employer that you would do anything to work for. While not a blunder in the resume and the cover note itself, one candidate hoping to work for a well-known retail brand, applied for multiple jobs in the company with tailored CVs and resumes for each job! While it was certainly impressive doing so, the company had to turn the candidate down – they weren’t sure which role the candidate would actually be good for!
7. Getting your mother’s help!
The worst kind of cover letter and resume, is one that you didn’t even write yourself! One mother, hoping to get her graduate son out of his room playing video games, started applying for jobs on his behalf, writing her own cover letter explaining why her son would be good for the jobs! Needless to say, it seems as if he will continue to be playing video games for a while longer.
