Cover Letters For Dummies - Softcover

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.

"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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