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Writing wrong company name on cover letter

I have been applying to several consulting firms (experienced hire role) through the official channel online, and have recently found that I accidentally placed the name of another firm in the last paragraph of the cover letter during the copy & paste process. It has been around 2 months and I did not receive reply from the company.

My question is: are there any ways to fix this stupid mistake? Would you suggest to "withdraw" on the system and immediately apply again on the website? Also, would applying through referral again help? I have found 2 referrals, but I'm afraid my application record is still in the system and the new application material sent to the referrals by email would not be able to cover the original version.

Please give me some advice....I'm super worried :(((

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on Feb 08, 2020
McKinsey | NASA | top 10 FT MBA professor for consulting interviews | 6+ years of coaching

Hi,
I recommend withdrawing the application as soon as possible. Leveraging a referral wound be a great choice to apply again.

Best,
Antonello

Anonymous A
on Feb 08, 2020
Hi Antonello, would I be able to reapply straight after I withdraw? Will it leave a record?
Vlad
Coach
on Feb 09, 2020
McKinsey / Accenture Alum / Got all BIG3 offers / Harvard Business School

Hi,

  • It really depends on the company. Some of them will not even read your CL. 
  • If they have not responded yet, I believe the chances that they'll respond are quite low. So you can withdraw and reapply if you have such an option (although I've never seen it with any company)
  • Applying via referral is always the best option. However, since you already applied before without a referral - there will be no $ incentive for anyone to refer you

Best

edited on Feb 09, 2020
#1 Coach for Sessions (4.500+) | 1.500+ 5-Star Reviews | Proven Success: ➡ interviewoffers.com | Ex BCG | 10Y+ Coaching

Hi Anonymous,

I would recommend to withdraw if that’s possible and apply again via referral for a couple of reasons:

  • HR will be able to review the new CL
  • You will leverage the referral strength
  • You will push a “reminder” for your application (since you haven’t received any reply from the company it is unlikely the outcome could be positive without a new push)

Best,

Francesco

Luca
Coach
on Feb 09, 2020
BCG |NASA | SDA Bocconi & Cattolica partner | GMAT expert 780/800 score | 200+ students coached

Hello,

Considering that your old application is still in the system, the chances to be successfull reapplying are anyway low, especially if they have already read and valuated your previous application.
I would try to contact directly the HR explaining that you didn't receive an answer and that you would like to update your CL since you have modified it.
If you are lucky, you could be able to replace the cover letter and keep going with the same application.

Best,
Luca

Clara
Coach
on Feb 10, 2020
McKinsey | Awarded professor at Master in Management @ IE | MBA at MIT |+180 students coached | Integrated FIT Guide aut

Hello!

I would withdraw it asap and leverage the referrals you found. 

Not only is not a "good impression" to have the wrong name in the CL, but also it´s much better to enter via referral. WIn-WIn!

  

Hope it helps!

Cheers,

Clara

Deleted user
on Apr 30, 2020

First withdraw it asap! Then you may reapply after some time through referrals.

Good luck,

André

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