Nadler - The Everything Cover Letter Book: Winning Cover Letters For Everybody From Student To Executive

Welcome to the EVERYTHING Series!

These handy, accessible books give you all you need to tackle a difficult project, gain a new hobby, comprehend a fascinating topic, prepare for an exam, or even brush up on something you learned back in school but have since forgotten.

You can choose to read an Everything book from cover to cover or just pick out the information you want from our four useful boxes: e-questions, e-facts, e-alerts, and e-ssentials.

We give you everything you need to know on the subject, but throw in a lot of fun stuff along the way, too.

We now have more than 400 Everything books in print, spanning such wide-ranging categories as weddings, pregnancy, cooking, music instruction, foreign language, crafts, pets, New Age, and so much more. When you're done reading them all, you can finally say you know Everything!

PUBLISHER Karen Cooper

DIRECTOR OF ACQUISITIONS AND INNOVATION Paula Munier

MANAGING EDITOR, EVERYTHING SERIES Lisa Laing

COPY CHIEF Casey Ebert

ACQUISITIONS EDITOR Lisa Laing

DEVELOPMENT EDITOR Elizabeth Kassab

EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Hillary Thompson

Visit the entire Everything series at www.everything.com

THE
EVERYTHING
COVER LETTER
BOOK

2nd Edition

Winning cover letters for everybody
from student to executive

Burton Jay Nadler

Copyright 2000, 2005, F+W Media, Inc. All rights reserved.
This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced
in any form without permission from the publisher; exceptions
are made for brief excerpts used in published reviews.

An Everything Series Book.
Everything and everything.com are registered trademarks of F+W Media, Inc.

Published by Adams Media, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, Inc.
57 Littlefield Street, Avon, MA 02322 U.S.A.
www.adamsmedia.com

ISBN 10: 1-59337-335-X
ISBN 13: 978-1-59337-335-1
Printed in the United States of America.

J I H G F E D C

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Nadler, Burton Jay
The everything cover letter book / Burton Jay Nadler.-- 2nd ed.
p. cm.
(An everything series book)
Rev. ed. of: The Everything cover letter book: great cover letters
for everybody from student to executive / Steven Graber.
ISBN 1-59337-335-X
1. Cover letters. I. Graber, Steven. Everything cover letter book. II. Title. III. Series: Everything series

HF5383.G636 2005
650.142--dc22
2004026915

This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information with regard to the subject matter covered. It is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting, or other professional advice. If legal advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional person should be sought.

From a Declaration of Principles jointly adopted by a Committee of the
American Bar Association and a Committee of Publishers and Associations

Many of the designations used by manufacturers and sellers to distinguish their products are claimed as trademarks. Where those designations appear in this book and Adams Media was aware of a trademark claim, the designations have been printed with initial capital letters.

This book is available at quantity discounts for bulk purchases.
For information, please call 1-800-289-0963.

Contents

A cknowledgments

To students and alumni of Southern Methodist University, Dartmouth College, University of the Pacific, University of Rochester, and University of Dreams. Each letter of yours that I critiqued taught me much. Now I share these lessons through this book and the samples within. Thanks for all that you have taught me, for allowing me to teach others, and for the continued honor of working with you.

To Justin and Jordan. You two will always be the focus of my love and pride. I hope that whenever you wish, you will able to share your unique talents with others through cover letters, resumes, and interviews. And I pray that all of your career and life dreams will come true. While books are gifts I share with many, you are the legacy that your mother, grandmothers, grandfathers, aunts, uncles, great-aunts, great-uncles, and I give to all.

Top Ten Cover Letter
Do's and Don'ts

Do always accompany your resume with a cover letter or cover notes.

Don't use multipurpose resumes and cover letters that lack focus.

Do highlight qualifications in a well-crafted and targeted cover letter.

Don't use vague phrases like To whom it may concern or Dear Sir/Madam as a salutation.

Do be a proactive job-seeker and respond to opportunities quickly.

Don't assume no one will read your cover letter.

Do take the time to edit and revise your cover letter before you send it out.

Don't simply copy sample cover letters, changing only the employer's name.

Do take advantage of new technologies, particularly e-mail and Web-based resume and cover-letter uploading systems.

Don't forget to follow upa great thank-you letter can be as effective as your initial letter.

Introduction

Some claim that the art of letter writing is dead. I contend that it's alive and well and that all job-seekers can create viable and effective letters to suit their needs. Together with a resume, a cover letter is a very special job-search correspondence. Anyonehigh school students, college students, internship candidates, entry-level candidates, and experienced candidatescan take specific steps that will lead to the ability to write successful cover letters.

This book details the steps required to write right and informs readers of how cover letters fit into the overall job-search process. It inspires readers to blend actions and wordsto write great cover letters but also to follow up with all the actions required in a successful job search.

Resumes and cover letters are the dynamic duo of job-search documents. They really can get your foot in the door for a job interview. Both must be targeted, contain key words, and reveal to readers that you know the skills required for particular jobs. Together, the sum of these job-search parts is greater than the whole, but each must independently present qualifications and yield interview invitations. In this book, you'll learn about the power of targeted resumes and how to create one of your own.

In addition to writing great cover letters, you'll learn about other letters that are useful during the job search: letters of application, letters of introduction, and networking notes. Well-crafted and focused correspondence generates interest in your resume and candidacy and, ultimately, inspires readers to invite you to interview.

This book also addresses questions regarding format and content, special circumstances, and the use of the Internet. Typical queries may reveal unique, creative, and inspirational responses, designed to make you think outside the metaphorical box and act assertively, appropriately, and effectively. Step by step by step, you will be guided through the process of writing your cover letter, developing your resume, surviving the interview, and accepting the job.