Mistake in Cover Letter

Question

Hi,

I have sent an application to a strategy consultancy, including a cover letter that had 3 blatant mistakes (i.e. sentences including a different firm name). I guess they only checked my credentials, grades and test scores as I was - to my great surprise - invited to interview with them.
Just to make sure: this is not a low-level consultancy.

Against this background, my question is: Should I even attend this interview or save myself the embarrassment in case this comes up?

In my opinion there is absolutely no need to sugarcoat the mistakes and I certainly wont try to talk myself out of it.

Now I wonder if anyone in the process going forward will look at the cover letter at all or just discuss the CV?

Thanks for your help!

Answer 1

Hi,

Just attend the interview. There are 2 potential scenarios:

1. Your interview reads your CL carefully, spots the error but doesn't care about it

2. Your interviewer reads your CL carefully, spots the error and it gives him a certain negative impression about you

Even in scenario #2 above, if you perform well / strong in the actual interview itself, you will still get the offer. The interviewers are evaluating you based on your performance in the interview, and not on the materials that were used to get you to that step (i.e. CV & CL).

All the best!

Answer 2

Hi there,

absolutely attend the interview. Remember that it will be an holistic assessment of you to determine whether you will succeed or not

- CV and credentials

- Case interview Performance

- Fit interview Performance

- Others (e.g. overall office/System context and metrics, strenghts of other applicants in your cohort/intake wave, …)

your mistakes in the Cover Letter are a small information point and you can avoid that it becomes a “yellow / red flag” by focusing on being detailed-oriented, prepared and polished during your interviews.

Best of luck with your process!

Answer 3

Hello,

This happens and you should absolutely attend the interview. If you got invited it is because they find your profile interesting, they wouldn't waste time with an interview if they were not ;)!

If they mention it, be honest (no point in trying to deny it) but focus on your motivation and right fit to join the company.

Best of success!
Cheers - Nicolas Vilmin

Answer 4

Hi there,

Q: Should I even attend this interview or save myself the embarrassment in case this comes up?

Definitely attend the interview:

The interviewer might have not even received the cover
If they ask you can explain
If you don’t go, you have a 100% probability of not getting an offer

Good luck!

Francesco

Answer 5

Hi there,

Definitely attend.

If this comes up, find a funny and/or elegant way to get past this point.

There's no reason to miss out on an opportunity because of potential embarrassment.

Best,
Cristian

Answer 6

Hi there,

You dodged a bullet here! Next time please please be careful.

You should 100% attend the interview! The cover letter is just used for screening - your interviewer should not be getting it during the interview (just your resume).

You're good to go and never have to look back :)

Good luck to you!

Here's some information to help you in your prep:

https://www.preplounge.com/en/articles/pitfalls-case-interview-preparation

https://www.preplounge.com/en/articles/how-to-shift-your-mindset-to-ace-the-case

Answer 7

Hello,

Definitely attend the interview! Plenty of firms don't read the cover letter super thoroughly, so there's a chance they didn't catch the mistake, but even if they did, it doesn't necessarily mean that you will get rejected. Be prepared to apologize and explain yourself if the interviewer brings it up (though I don't think this is a likely scenario).

Answer 8

Dear candidate, go for the interview and take an amended CV along that you can hand out if asked. You can also send an updated one ahead of time but it is probably not necessary.best of luck.