Synopses & Reviews
"...technology paired with sound advice for letters that stand apart from the crowd — the best of the cover letter books." — William O. Warren, President, Online Career Center
"Joyce Lain Kennedy's career knowledge is the answer to any job seeker's prayers." —J.Herbert Wise, Executive Recruiter, Dallas, TX
"Joyce's extraordinary awareness of every nook and cranny of career success has gained her the credibility of being a career guide guru." —Dr. Kenneth B. Hoyt, Professor, Kansas State University
- The fun and Easy Way to Create "RedHot" Cover Letters with Impact — New!
- Your First Aid Kit for Drafting a Letter to Get Your Foot in the Door
- Cover Letter Dos and Don'ts — Explained in Plain English
Filled with Expert Tips for Developing "RedHot" Cover Letters!Are you in a rut, writing the same boring letter over and over? Have you sent out hundreds of cover letters and have yet to land quality job interviews? Are you tired of being ignored? You're not alone!
In today's tough job market, you have only a few seconds to distinguish yourself from the crowd with a single piece of paper. Cover Letters For Dummies is your essential reference for creating a "RedHot" letter that won't get tossed in the trash!
Starting with the basics, this funny and friendly guide helps you structure a solid letter with an opening line that demands attention. Filled with helpful tips, techniques, ad advice, this book shows you how to inquire about a specific position, request more information about a company, ask for an interview, and address salary issues. With dozens of examples of letter writing dos and don'ts at your fingertips, you're ready to tackle the daunting job-hunting process with confidence!
Inside, you'll discover how to:
- Create a specific letter to answer ads, approach recruiters, request information, and more
- Determine your employability, transferable skills, and technical skills using the "JobSeekers Skill Finder"
- Ace the "Cover Letter Anatomy Quiz" so you know where each part of the letter belongs
- Use good grammar, power phrases, and buzzwords effectively in your letter
- Address difficult issues like negative references and salary requirements
- Utilize electronic and computer resources to research salary issues and company profiles
- Wrap up your letter with style and secure the interview
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 Dummiesbe 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.
Synopsis
"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
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Synopsis
Are you in a rut, writing the same boring letter over and over? Have you sent out hundreds of cover letters and have yet to land quality job interviews? Are you tired of being ignored? You're not alone!
In today's tough job market, you have only a few seconds to distinguish yourself from the crowd with a single piece of paper. Cover Letters For Dummies is your essential reference for creating a "RedHot" letter that won't get tossed in the trash!
Starting with the basics, this fun and friendly guide helps you structure a solid letter with an opening line that demands attention. Filled with helpful tips, techniques, and advice, this book shows you how to inquire about a specific position, request more information about a company, ask for an interview, and address salary issues. With dozens of examples of letter writing do's and don'ts at your fingertips, you're ready to tackle the daunting job hunting process with confidence!
Inside, discover how to:
- Create a specific letter to answer ads, approach recruiters, request information, and more
- Determine your employability, transferable skills, and technical skills by using the "JobSeekers Skills Finder"
- Ace the "Cover Letter Anatomy Quiz" so you know where each part of the letter belongs
- Use good grammar, power phrases, and buzzwords effectively in your letter
- Address difficult issues like negative references and salary requirements
- Utilize electronic and computer resources to research salary issues and company profiles
- Wrap up your letter with style and secure the interview!
About the Author
Joyce Lain Kennedy is a nationally syndicated careers columnist appearing in more than 100 newspapers around the country. She has written several cutting-edge career books geared toward taking advantage of the technology available for job hunting today, as well as a comprehensive career guide. She has her own World Wide Web page on the Internet in the Online Career Center and in E-Span. She is the author of IDG Books Worldwide's Resume For Dummies and Job Interviews For Dummies.
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.