No-Nonsense Cover Letters: The Essential Guide to Creating Attention-Grabbing Cover Letters That Get Interviews & Job Offers (No-Nonsense)

241 Pages·2006·11.37 MB·English

by  Wendy S. Enelow

No Nonsense
C O V E R
L E T T E R S
The Essential Guide to
Creating Attention-Grabbing
Cover Letters That Get
Interviews & Job Offers
Wendy S. Enelow
Master Resume Writer
Arnold G. Boldt
Certified Professional Resume Writer
Franklin Lakes, NJ
Copyright © 2007 by Wendy S. Enelow and Arnold G. Boldt
All rights reserved under the Pan-American and International Copyright Conventions. This
book may not be reproduced, in whole or in part, in any form or by any means electronic or
mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval
system now known or hereafter invented, without written permission from the publisher,
The Career Press.
NO-NONSENSE COVER LETTERS
EDITED BY KARA REYNOLDS
TYPESET BY EILEEN DOW MUNSON
Cover design by Design Concept
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www.careerpress.com
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Enelow, Wendy S.
No-nonsense cover letters : the essential guide to creating attention-grabbing cover
letters that get interviews and job offers / by Wendy S. Enelow and Arnold G. Boldt.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN-13: 978-1-56414-906-0
ISBN-10: 1-56414-906-4
1. Cover letters—Handbooks, manuals, etc. 2. Applications for positions—
Handbooks, manuals, etc. I. Boldt, Arnold G. II. Title.
HF5383.E47894 2007
650.14’2--dc22
2006022101
C
ontents
Introduction ...................................................................................................................................7
Chapter 1: Simple Truths About Cover Letters ...................................................9
The 6 Simple Truths About Cover Letter Writing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10
Truth #1: Effective Cover Letters Contain 10 Key Components 10
Truth #2: Cover Letter Writing Is Sales 11
Truth #3: Cover Letter Writing Is All About Strategy 15
Truth #4: Targeted Letters Work Best 16
Truth #5: The Cover Letter Must Match the Resume 18
Truth #6: Each Circumstance Presents Its Own Challenges 22
Chapter 2: Simple Truths About Cover Letter Formatting and Design...................27
The 4 Simple Truths About Cover Letter Formatting and Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28
Truth #1: Effective Cover Letters Contain 10 Key Components 28
Truth #2: Simple Designs Work Best 33
Truth #3: Bullet-Format Letters Highlight Your Skills and Achievements 36
Truth #4: Paragraph-Format Letters Tell Your Career Stories 39
10 Critical Mistakes to Avoid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47
Chapter 3: Simple Truths About Writing Your Cover Letters ...............................51
The 5 Simple Truths About Cover Letter Writing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .52
Truth #1: 4 Key Components Are Essential for Success 53
Truth #2: It’s All About Positioning 59
Truth #3: There Are 5 Basic Types of Cover Letters 60
Truth #4: You Don’t Have to Write in Order 66
Truth #5: The Language Should Be Different Than in Your Resume 72
Streamlining Your Writing Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .73
Chapter 4: Simple Truths About Electronic Cover Letters................................................75
E-letters Work in Today’s E-search Environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .76
Capture Your Reader With the Subject Line . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .77
E-mail Letters Are Different Than Traditional Cover Letters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .78
Creating and Using ASCII Text Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .80
Sending Your Cover Letter as an E-mail Attachment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .83
Preparing Your Files for Transmission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .83
Scannable Cover Letters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .86
Avoid These Critical Mistakes When Preparing Your E-cover Letters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .87
Chapter 5: Cover Letters for Accounting, Banking, and Finance Careers....................91
Success Factors #1–4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .91
Keywords and Keyword Phrases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .92
Sample Cover Letters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .93
Chapter 6: Cover Letters for Administrative and Clerical Careers..............................103
Success Factors #1–4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .103
Keywords and Keyword Phrases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .104
Sample Cover Letters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .105
Chapter 7: Cover Letters for Government Careers..........................................................111
Success Factors #1–4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .111
Keywords and Keyword Phrases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .112
Sample Cover Letters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .113
Chapter 8: Cover Letters for Healthcare and Social Service Careers.........................121
Success Factors #1–4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .121
Keywords and Keyword Phrases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .122
Sample Cover Letters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .123
Chapter 9: Cover Letters for Hospitality and Food Service Careers...........................131
Success Factors #1–4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .131
Keywords and Keyword Phrases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .132
Sample Cover Letters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .133
Chapter 10: Cover Letters for Human Resources and Training Careers.....................139
Success Factors #1–4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .139
Keywords and Keyword Phrases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .140
Sample Cover Letters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .141
Chapter 11: Cover Letters for Law Enforcement and Legal Careers...........................149
Success Factors #1–4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .149
Keywords and Keyword Phrases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .150
Sample Cover Letters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .151
Chapter 12: Cover Letters for Manufacturing and Operations Careers......................157
Success Factors #1–4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .157
Keywords and Keyword Phrases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .158
Sample Cover Letters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .159
Chapter 13: Cover Letters for Sales, Marketing, and Customer Service Careers....169
Success Factors #1–4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .169
Keywords and Keyword Phrases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .170
Sample Cover Letters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .171
Chapter 14: Cover Letters for Skilled Trades Careers...................................................185
Success Factors #1–4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .185
Keywords and Keyword Phrases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .186
Sample Cover Letters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .187
Chapter 15: Cover Letters for Teaching and Education Careers..................................195
Success Factors #1–4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .195
Keywords and Keyword Phrases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .196
Sample Cover Letters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .197
Chapter 16: Cover Letters for Technology, Science, and Engineering Careers.........209
Success Factors #1–4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .209
Keywords and Keyword Phrases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .210
Sample Cover Letters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .211
Appendix A: Cover Letter Writing Worksheet....................................................................223
Appendix B: Professional Keyword List..............................................................................227
Appendix C: List of Contributors.........................................................................................229
Index...........................................................................................................................................233
About the Authors...................................................................................................................239
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I
ntroduction
Cover letters are often considered the plague of the job search. Most job
seekers spend a great deal of time and effort preparing a winning resume, and
then fail to appreciate just how important cover letters are to their successful
efforts. To ensure that you don’t fall into this trap, we’ve written this book to
share our insider secrets to cover letter writing, design, formatting, and distribution.
If you’re currently in the job market, we’ve got some great news for you!
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, total employment in the United
States is expected to increase by 14.7 percent between the years 2004 and 2014
(www.bls.gov). As the numbers indicate, it’s a great time to be looking for a job,
whatever your particular situation (such as graduating college student, skilled
tradesperson, mid-level professional, senior-level executive, return-to-work mom,
or military veteran). Opportunities are everywhere, and your challenge is to
position yourself so that you can capture those opportunities and land a great
new job.
Developing a powerful cover letter to accompany your resume is key to
opening doors and generating interviews. Ultimately, cover letters and resumes
do not get jobs; people do. But by creating a set of documents that clearly
communicate who you are, what you can do, and how well you do it, you can
present yourself as a desirable candidate in the eyes of prospective employers.
Equipping yourself with one or more cover letters that complement a powerful
resume will instantly give you a distinct and measurable advantage over your
competition.
To help you achieve that competitive edge, we’ve created a one-of-a-kind
cover letter book that clearly and concisely guides you through the letter-writing
process. To be sure that this book is easy to use, we’ve cut through all the confusion
and gotten right down to brass tacks: our no-nonsense approach. We’ve given
you the information you need, provided you with the worksheets to assemble
all of your information, demonstrated how and where to use that information,
7
8 No-Nonsense Cover Letters
and included more than 100 sample cover letters addressing a wide array of
situations. When you’re finished with this book, you should have a cover letter,
or perhaps a set of letters, that are powerful and polished—true no-nonsense
cover letters that position you to successfully pursue your career goals.
As you read this book, you will note references to No-Nonsense Resumes,
our companion book (also from Career Press), which provides you with similar
insights into the resume-writing process. We encourage you to consult that book
in preparing your resume and use the two books together in developing an
integrated and powerful approach to your job search documents.
C 1
hapter
] S T A
imple ruths bout
C L
over etters
There was a time when cover letters were merely letters of transmittal.
They simply alerted the reader that the applicant was enclosing a resume and
was available for an interview. Today, however, as the job market has become
both more sophisticated and more competitive, the importance of cover letters
has changed dramatically.
Covers letters have evolved into a vital part of the “package” a job seeker presents
to a prospective employer. Well-constructed cover letters must simultaneously
complement your resume, address an employer’s job requirements, and
communicate your strengths to the hiring manager. In a word, your cover letters
must sell you as the ideal candidate for the job. As with your resume, cover letters
encompass a unique combination of creative language, careful planning and strategy,
and effective execution.
As professional resume writers, we follow a very systematic, no-nonsense
approach to cover letter writing that has helped tens of thousands of job seekers
grab the attention of employers, secure interviews, and achieve their career
goals. Now, we’re going to share that information with you in the first-ever, no-
nonsense guide to cover letter writing that gives you insider secrets to writing
polished, well-positioned, and powerful cover letters. If you follow the steps,
activities, and strategies outlined in this book, you’ll be able to prepare cover
letters that work hand-in-hand with your resume to offer employers sharp,
distinctive, on-target presentations that will generate interviews and offers. For
more information and advice on writing your resume, be sure to consult our
companion book, No-Nonsense Resumes (Career Press, 2006).
9