Cover letter magic: trade secrets of professional resume writers [2nd ed] 9781563709869, 1-56370-986-4

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Cover Letter

Magic

Second Edition

Trade Secrets of Professional Resume Writers

Wendy S. Enelow and Louise M. Kursmark

Cover Letter Magic, Second Edition © 2004 by Wendy S. Enelow and Louise M. Kursmark Published by JIST Works, an imprint of JIST Publishing, Inc. 8902 Otis Avenue Indianapolis, IN 46216-1033 Phone: 1-800-648-JIST Fax: 1-800-JIST-FAX

E-mail: [email protected]

Visit our Web site at www.jist.com for information on JIST, free job search tips, book chapters, and how to order our many products! Quantity discounts are available for JIST books. Please call our Sales Department at 1-800-648-5478 for a free catalog and more information.

Acquisitions and Development Editor: Lori Cates Hand Series Editor: Susan Britton Whitcomb Cover Designer: Aleata Howard Interior Designer: designLab, Seattle Page Layout: Trudy Coler Proofreaders: Gayle Johnson, Jeanne Clark Indexer: Tina Trettin Printed in the United States of America 07 06 05 04 03 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Enelow, Wendy S. Cover letter magic / Wendy S. Enelow and Louise M. Kursmark.-- 2nd ed. p. cm. Includes index. ISBN 1-56370-986-4 1. Cover letters. I. Kursmark, Louise. II. Title. HF5383.E4787 2004 650.14'2--dc22

2003023186

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without prior written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in articles or reviews. Making copies of any part of this book for any purpose other than your own personal use is a violation of United States copyright laws. We have been careful to provide accurate information in this book, but it is possible that errors and omissions have been introduced. Please consider this in making any career plans or other important decisions. Trust your own judgment above all else and in all things. Trademarks: All brand names and product names used in this book are trade names, service marks, trademarks, or registered trademarks of their respective owners. ISBN 1-56370-986-4

Contents Introduction

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .vii The Cover Letter Is How It All Starts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .vii How This Book Is Organized . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .ix A Short History of Cover Letters and Their Evolution . .xi The Purpose and Objectives of a Cover Letter . . . . . . . .xii The Importance of Cover Letters in Your Winning Job Search Campaign . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .xv The Rules: There Aren’t Any! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .xvi

Part I: Creating and Distributing Your Cover Letter...........................................1 Chapter 1

Cover Letter Formats and Types for Every Situation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Cover Letter Formats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 The 10 Types of Cover Letters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9

Chapter 2

Preparing to Write . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43 Six Steps to Better Cover Letters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43 Step 1: Identify Your Key Selling Points . . . . . . . . . . . . .44

Chapter 3

Writing Your Cover Letters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .67 Step 2: Pre-Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .68 Step 3: Write the Opening Paragraph . . . . . . . . . . . . . .71 Step 4: Write the Body . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .94 Step 5: Write the Closing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .97 Step 6: Polish, Proofread, and Finalize . . . . . . . . . . . . .110

Chapter 4

The Anatomy of a Winning Electronic Cover Letter (Plus Electronic Resume Tips) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .117 Electronic Cover Letters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .118 Electronic and Scannable Resumes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .122

Chapter 5

Cover Letter Presentation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .125 Developing Winning Visual Presentations . . . . . . . . . . .125 Design Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .126

iv

Cover Letter Magic

Chapter 6

Answers to Common Cover Letter Questions— and Tips to Help You Beat the Odds . . . . . . . . . . . . .135 Frequently Asked Cover Letter and Resume Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .136 Using Your PC in Your Job Search . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .145 Distributing Your Resumes and Cover Letters . . . . . . . .150 Managing the Paperwork and the Job Search Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .154

Part II: Sample Cover Letters.........................................159 Chapter 7

Before-and-After Cover Letter Transformations

. . . . .161

How to Use the Samples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .162 Chapter 8

Winning Cover Letters for Blue-Collar and Trades Positions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .179 The Top 5 Cover Letter–Writing Tips for Blue-Collar and Trades Positions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .179

Chapter 9

Winning Cover Letters for Young Professionals/ New Graduates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .189 The Top 5 Cover Letter–Writing Tips for Young Professionals/New Graduates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .189

Chapter 10

Winning Cover Letters for Mid-Career Professionals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .213 Top 5 Cover Letter–Writing Tips for Mid-Career Professionals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .213

Chapter 11

Winning Cover Letters for Senior Managers and Executives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .241 Top 5 Cover Letter–Writing Tips for Senior Managers and Executives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .241

Chapter 12

Winning Cover Letters for Technical and Scientific Professionals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .267 Top 5 Cover Letter–Writing Tips for Technical and Scientific Professionals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .267

Contents

Chapter 13

Winning Cover Letters for Career Changers

. . . . . . . .281

Top 5 Cover Letter–Writing Tips for Career Changers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .281

Part III: The Total Job Search: Thank-You

Letters, Recruiters, and Resumes..........................................................295 Chapter 14

Winning Thank-You Letters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .297 How Thank-You Letters Can Help You Land a Job . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .299 Frequently Asked Questions About Thank-You Letters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .302 Thank-You Letter Checklist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .303 One Final Recommendation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .304 Sample Thank-You Letters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .305

Chapter 15

Cover Letter Tips and Techniques from Recruiters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .311 Advice from the Recruiters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .311 Key Points to Remember . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .323

Chapter 16

Winning Resume Strategies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .325 Resume Strategy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .326 Resume Writing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .330 Resume Presentation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .338 Recommended Resume Formats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .340 Magical Tips on Resume Writing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .358

Part IV: Appendixes....................................................363 Appendix A

Using Keywords to Win in Your Job Search . . . . . . . . .365 What Are Keywords, and Where Did They Come From? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .366 What Is All This Talk About Keywords and Scanning? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .367

v

vi

Cover Letter Magic

How Do I Use Keywords in My Cover Letters? . . . . . . .368 Which Keywords Are Right for Me, My Profession, and My Industry? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .370 Appendix B

Action Verbs for Cover Letters

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .387

Appendix C

Recommended Job Search and Career Web Sites . . . . .389 Job Search Sites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .390 Company Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .397 Dictionaries and Glossaries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .398 Interviewing Tips and Techniques . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .399 Salary and Compensation Information . . . . . . . . . . . . .400

Appendix D

Index

Index of Contributors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .401

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .409

Introduction

Introduction The Cover Letter Is How It All Starts Whether you’re selling yourself for a new position or proposing a new book, product, service, or advertising campaign, you begin with a cover letter. You write a letter in an attempt to generate interest, enthusiasm, and action from your reader. That is precisely what we did to interest JIST in publishing this book. And, see, it worked!

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