Dynamic Cover Letters : How to Write the Letter That Gets You the Job

by Hansen, Katharine

• ISBN13: 9781580082273
• ISBN10: 1580082270
• Edition: 2nd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2001-04-01
• Publisher: Random House Inc

Summary

This popular guide contains everything you need to create a stunningly effective cover letter. The first edition of DYNAMIC COVER LETTERS helped over 100,000 job-hunters dress up their resumes and job applications with the kind of spirited, informative letters that employers respond to. And respond they did--with interviews, job offers, and high praise. Now, this updated, expanded edition takes on the most vital issues in the professional world today, such as job-hunting on the Internet, as well as the rock-solid basics that readers have come to depend on.

Author Biography

RANDALL S. HANSEN, Ph.D., is the Web master of Quintessential Careers, one of the most comprehensive career resources on the Internet. He has been advising job-hunters for over a decade.


KATHARINE HANSEN, PHD, has authored some of the most widely used job-hunting resources on the market, including DYNAMIC COVER LETTERS (100,000 copies sold). She is an instructor of business communication and the creative director for Quintessential Careers, which receives one million unique website visitors monthly and has been awarded a Forbes.com Best of the Web award. She lives in DeLand, Florida.

Table of Contents

Introduction to the Third Edition	xi
Send Not Thy Resume Maked into the World	1	(1)
Three Kinds of Cover Letters	2	(5)
The Uninvited or Cold-Contact Cover Letter	4	(1)
The Invited Cover Letter	5	(1)
The Referral Letter	6	(1)
The Basics	7	(4)
The Cover Letter Formula	8	(1)
Dear So and So	8	(1)
Attention-Grabbing Beginnings	9	(1)
Demonstrating Your Accomplishments	10	(1)
Quotes	10	(1)
The Clever Angle	10	(1)
Praising the Employer	10	(1)
Pasting a Copy of the Ad to Your Letter	11	(1)
The Body of the Letter	11	(3)
Your Unique Selling Proposition	11	(1)
Broadcasting Your Accomplishments	12	(1)
The Screening Process	12	(1)
Turning a No into a Yes	12	(1)
Transferable Skills	13	(1)
The Bottom Line	13	(1)
Two Magic Words	13	(1)
Tips for a Dynamic Format	14	(6)
Highlighting	14	(1)
Quantifying	14	(1)
Demonstrating Your Ideas	15	(1)
Closing Your Letter	15	(1)
Adding a Postscript	15	(1)
Avoiding the Three Most Common Mistakes	16	(1)
Do's and Don'ts	17	(3)
A Cover-Letter Worksheet	20	(2)
Editing	22	(26)
Cover Letter Makeovers	23	(16)
Writing-Style Guidelines	39	(3)
Editing/Rewriting Checklist	42	(1)
Editing Exercises	43	(4)
Pleonasms	47	(1)
Mechanics: Printing, Packaging, and Mailing	48	(5)
The Output	48	(1)
The Font	48	(1)
The Paper	49	(1)
The Envelopes	49	(1)
The Perfect Package	50	(1)
When to Mail	50	(1)
Delivery Stunts	51	(1)
Other Delivery Methods	51	(1)
Scanning	51	(1)
Keeping a Record	52	(1)
Using Cover Letters Creatively	53	(3)
Sticky Issues	56	(2)
Salary Requirements	56	(1)
References	57	(1)
Letters of Recommendation	57	(1)
Negatives in Your Job History	57	(1)
Follow-up Letters	58	(4)
Post-Interview Thank-You Letters	58	(1)
Rejection Letters	59	(1)
Declining Letters	60	(1)
Acceptance Letters	61	(1)
Cover Letter Hall of Shame	62	(4)
Characteristics of an Ineffective Cover Letter	63	(2)
The Two Worst Cover Letters We Ever Saw	65	(1)
Checklist	66	(2)
The Big Picture	68	(5)
The Domino Effect	68	(1)
Marketability	69	(3)
Networking	72	(1)
Sources of Hidden Job Opportunities	73	(1)
Job-Hunting on the Internet	74	(2)
Cover Letter Quiz	76	(7)
The Quiz	76	(3)
The Answers	79	(4)
Cover Letter Honor Roll	83	(77)
Letters from Recent Graduates	84	(15)
Letter Requesting a Summer Job	99	(1)
Letter Seeking a Summer Internship	100	(1)
Letter to a College Career Services Office	101	(1)
Letters Requesting an Informational Interview	102	(2)
Career Change Letter	104	(1)
Referral Letters	105	(3)
Self-Referral Letters	108	(7)
Letter to an Executive-Search Firm	115	(1)
Letter to a Professional Organization	116	(1)
Letters that Highlight	117	(5)
Clever Angle Letters	122	(4)
Cold-Contact Letters	126	(7)
Letter Seeking Consulting/Freelance Work	133	(1)
Classified Ad Response Letters	134	(10)
Blind-Box Ad Response Letters	144	(4)
Responses to Job Postings on the Web	148	(5)
Thank-You Letters	153	(7)
Key Career and Job Web Sites	160	(3)
Recommended Reading	163	(4)
Index	167	(4)
About the Authors	171