Cover letters are your best, first chance to impress a hiring team. So you’ll want to be sure to take advantage of this valuable real estate and avoid these three application-killing cover letter mistakes.

Mistake #1: Personal story overshare

As a nonprofit professional, you may feel extra comfortable sharing stories about your personal connection to the mission, but like most things, it’s important to strike a balance. If you spend too much time sharing personal anecdotes, there’s a good chance you’ll lose your audience.

But don’t shy away from devoting two or three sentences in your cover letter to what draws you to a specific organization or role; in fact, that’s pretty much a cover-letter requirement. A brief nod to the personal reasons you’re applying for this job in the first place can be a huge help.

Pro Tip: Sharing a personal connection to the work can turn out to be especially helpful for sector switchers.

Mistake #2: Not highlighting important connections

This mistake occurs most often in one of two ways:

1). Not explicitly connecting your work history to the specifics of the job description.

2). Failing to identify the two or three most important aspects of the job description, and as a result, not tailoring your cover letter accordingly.

Here are some things to remember when drafting your cover letter to ensure that you don’t fall prey to mistake #2:

• First, do a close read of the job description for requirements and responsibilities. These details are almost always in bold or subheaders in the description.
• Select two or three responsibilities to focus on. The bulk of your cover letter should draw obvious connections between your experience and what the employer is looking for.
• Draft two to three sentences that highlight prior work or volunteer experience. This should result in a compelling case as to why you would excel in this area.

Consider these examples:

• If an employer identifies strong research skills as a requirement for a position, you can say: “I have a strong research background conducting qualitative and quantitative analysis over the last three years.”
• If an employer is looking for a seasoned manager, you can say: “In my past roles, I’ve managed direct reports, interns, and cross-functional teams.”

Mistake #3: Typos, typos, typos…..

Proofread and sleep on it. There’s nothing worse than finally hitting send only to catch a typo.

After you put the finishing touches on your cover letter and resume, hit save, and walk away from it for at least a day. When you return to your screen, you’ll have a fresh set of eyes to help you avoid any small or large errors.

Want some practice spotting typos? Take our quiz.

Want more resources on what goes into a great cover letter? Check out our cheat sheet and guide to spotting formatting errors.

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Have any proofreading tricks to avoid typos that spell check won’t pick up? Share them in the comments below!