Synopses & Reviews
"Glittering advice, plus great classic and cyberspace cover letters — the best of the cover letter books."
—Rick Miller, CEO, CareerCast, Inc.
"The answer to any job seeker's prayers."
—Gregory J. Walling, Partner, Walling, June and Associates — Executive Recruiters Praise for Joyce Lain Kennedy
"Her distinguished career … has placed her leaps and bounds ahead of the rest."
— Bob Calvert, Jr., Editor, Career Opportunities News
"If all new college graduates had a Joyce Lain Kennedy to guide them … there would certainly be fewer unfocused, frazzled, jobless people."
— Dr. Drema K. Howard, Director, Career Resource Center, University of South Florida
"Joyce Lain Kennedy is at the top of her field."
— Richard L. Knowdell, CEO of Career Planning and Adult Development Network
- Now updated with new guidelines for online cover letters
- Pick up pointers from 75 example letters that got results
Are you unsure about the proper model for an e-mail job enquiry? Do you worry that your cover letters lack zip? Relax! Packed with tips, tricks, worksheets, and examples, this newly revised guide demystifies the art of both online and traditional job hunting — and shows you step-by-step how to craft "RedHot" cover letters that'll land you an interview.
Discover how to:
- Follow the new rules fore-mail cover letters
- Craft a letter that says you're a hot hire
- Showcase your best skills
- Grab attention with a great opening line
- Use action words that get results
Get smart! www.dummies.com Register to win cool prizes Browse exclusive articles and excerpts Get a free Dummies Daily™ e-mail newsletter Chat with authors and preview other books Talk to us, ask questions, get answers
Synopsis
Cover letters are alive and sell! When they’re written right, that is. To stand out in today’s sea of qualified job seekers, learn to craft riveting new breeds of cover letters, create vibrant images online, and discover sensational self-marketing documents you never imagined. This completely revised and updated
3rdEditionof
Cover Letters For Dummiesbrings you all this — plus over 200 great new samples by 62 successful professional cover letter/resume writers.
You’ve probably suspected that passive and sleepy cover letters merely hugging resumes won’t get you where you want to go. Especially in a shaky job market. The verdict’s in. Since the last edition of Cover Letters For Dummies,blazing fast change in tools, technology, and how hiring managers come calling and how we invite them to look us over, means big dramatic changes in our job messages.
In this exceptional handbook of contemporary job messages, you’ll discover fresh ways of thinking about cover letters that captain an entire team of new-style job messages.
Synopsis
Cover letters are alive and sell! When they’re written right, that is. To stand out in today’s sea of qualified job seekers, learn to craft riveting new breeds of cover letters, create vibrant images online, and discover sensational self-marketing documents you never imagined. This completely revised and updated
3rdEditionof
Cover Letters For Dummiesbrings you all this — plus over 200 great new samples by 62 successful professional cover letter/resume writers.
You’ve probably suspected that passive and sleepy cover letters merely hugging resumes won’t get you where you want to go. Especially in a shaky job market. The verdict’s in. Since the last edition of Cover Letters For Dummies,blazing fast change in tools, technology, and how hiring managers come calling and how we invite them to look us over, means big dramatic changes in our job messages.
In this exceptional handbook of contemporary job messages, you’ll discover fresh ways of thinking about cover letters that captain an entire team of new-style job messages.
Synopsis
Now completely updated for online and on-paper job search the only guide to new-style letters that get you in the door
Go beyond the classic cover letter! Whether you're a new or experienced job hunter, this guide offers you fresh ideas for crafting a wide variety of engaging cover letters and innovative career marketing documents. You'll see how to stand out in today's fierce job market with savvier, higher-impact messages that cut through the competition.
Realize the clout of your cover letter discover the surprising role your document plays in a successful job search
Build your marketing arsenal from e-mail cover notes and resume combo letters, to online profiles and professional branding statements
Write your way to a job with great success lines see how your letter should look and read, include the right targeted content, grab the reader's attention (and hold it), and keep the door open with a take-charge close
Apply the latest letter tactics get strategies for replying to ads, prospecting, networking for job leads, and writing thank-you letters that clinch the job
Choose from more than 125 outstanding samples from top career professionals including a mix of new-style, traditional, creative, friendly, hard-hitting, and clever letters
Synopsis
A great cover letter is
- Written to a target job
- So intriguing that a reader makes room in a busy schedule to meet you
- An electrifying personal advertising tool that short-circuits the competition
A great cover letter is not
- Bland and indifferent
- Littered with dry facts
- What the hiring manager's kid uses as scratch paper
Your cover letter should spark the reader's interest as a dynamic introduction to your resume. This is your chance to personalize your resume. Here's where you make yourself into a living, breathing human being and set your accomplishments aglow. How do you achieve this? Let the second edition of Cover Letters For Dummies be your guide.
In this book, you'll gain understanding of why you need a cover letter, what the different types of cover letters are, what myths surround them, and how to break out of writer's block. You'll figure out how your letter should look and sound, with tips on language, content, and image. You'll get ideas for writing a dazzling opening line. And you'll work through a checklist to make sure that the best of you lives in your cover letter. What's more, you'll
- Explore the changing rules in the workplace and how they impact the way you find work
- Identify where your skills fit in today's workplace through a number of self-assessment worksheets
- Sum up surefire tips for working with recruiters, answering job ads, avoiding the salary question, handling negative references, and creating letters that even a computer can love
- See examples of successful cover letters, from which you can model your own. Each is a candidate for reformulation as an e-mail cover letter.
A well-written cover letter can make your ideal job a reality. So get this book and start writing.
About the Author
Joyce Lain Kennedyis a nationally syndicated careers columnist appearing in newspapers and on Web sites across the country. The author of seven career management books, she has more than 30 years of experience in the career field.
Table of Contents
Introduction.
PART I: Cover Letters in the New Economy.
Chapter l: What Employers Are Telling Us.
Chapter 2: Your DotCom Cover Note.
Chapter 3: Helping Your Cover Letters Find Work.
PART II: RedHot Cover Letters That Say you're Hot.
Chapter 4: The RedHot Cover Letter Kick-Off.
Chapter 5: Cover Letter Myths That Chill Hiring.
Chapter 6: Action Letters That Respond to Needs.
Chapter 7: Action Letters That Initiate Leads.
PART III: Working Out What Sizzles.
Chapter 8: JobSeeker's Skills Finder.
Chapter 9: Worksheets: Sorting Out Your Qualifications.
PART IV: Writing RedHot Cover Letters.
Chapter 10: Language That Snap-Crackle-Pops.
Chapter 11: Zooming in on Cover Letter Anatomy.
Chapter 12: Grabbing Attention with Your Opening Line.
Chapter 13: A No-Fail Checklist for Top Results.
PART V: RedHot Cover Letters: What They Look Like.
Chapter 14: RedHot Responding Letters.
Chapter 15: RedHot Initiating Letters.
PART VI: The Part of Tens.
Chapter 16: Ten Tips for Working with Recruiters.
Chapter 17: Ten Hints for Answering Job Ads.
Chapter 18: Ten Tips for Handling the Salary Issue.
Chapter 19: Ten Burned-Out Words and Phrases.
Chapter 20: Ten Hot Tips from Hiring Pros.
Appendix: Problem Words.
Index.
Book Registration Information.