Your cover letter is an important piece to the job finding puzzle and if not written properly you can really cost yourself an amazing employment opportunity or two. There are many myths floating around about cover letters and while some are of less importance than others, there are three in particular that should be looked at carefully and also be avoided.

Here are the top three cover letter myths exposed:

1.    No Cover Letter Needed: There seems to be a misconception by many people that sending in a resume without a cover letter is okay. This is not only a bad idea, but a resume without a cover letter will likely see nothing more than the bottom of a trash can.
2.    Keep the Cover Letter Really Short: While there is no true measure of how long your cover letter should be you do want to keep it to around one page when it is accompanying your resume. However, many people seem to think that one paragraph is all a cover letter entails. You should keep your cover letter short and sweet, but not too short and sweet.
3.    A Hand Written Cover Letter is Best: If you wish to appear as though you still live in the stone ages then by all means hand write your cover letter. Just don’t expect any results from the process. Besides being unprofessional, a hand written cover letter may be tough to read for some potential employers. If your future boss wants to see your penmanship, they will ask you for a writing sample. Always type out your cover letter and save the handwriting for the very bottom, where you will sign your name in blue ink.

With all the fierce competition for jobs these days you need every advantage you can muster up. This starts with your resume being top notch, but this also means that your cover letter has to be top notch as well. If your cover letter doesn’t inspire the potential employer to actually read your resume, then really it doesn’t matter how good your resume is.