《201 Killer Cover Letters》Mcgraw.Hill.Sandra.Podesta.And.Andrea.Paxton.201.Killer.Cover.Letters

If you ve hired someone yourself, you may recognize the weaknesses of the first, poorly presented letter-and the strengths of the second, stronger one. If you letters would va s lefl pproach the letter as you might a solicitation for a charita- haven't hired er that attempts to be equally convincing. Which of the two be more likely to read through to the end? Which makes a bet- ter impression? Which candidate would you be more likely to interview? TEN BASIC DOS AND DON'TTS FOR WRITING KILLER CoVER LETTERS The two preceding letters provide concrete, visual examples of the 10 basic dos and don'ts to follow in all your jobhunting correspondence 1. DRESS ( YOUR LETTERS FOR SUCCESS Do send professional letters. Don't send form letters Do make your letters clean and professional looking. Even so much as an ink blot is clearly an insult to the reader. It implies that the reader is not worth the time it would take to retype the letter. Worse, it suggests that you are a sloppy person who doesn't value order, personally or in the workplace. Recruiters spend a good deal of time advising jobhunters how to dress for an interview because employers demand clean, orderly staff members with professional demeanors. Your letter should reflect these characteristics Do not allow any letter to appear as if it were a form letter. The handwritten salutation at the start of Letter 2-1 suggests that the writer prints many copies of this letter and simply adds the recipient's name before mailing it. Your reader should not feel as though you are sending the same letter to hundreds of employ ers--even if you are! Instead, create the impression that you are sending a letter to a specific person for a specific reason: because you believe that there is an idea match between you and your prospective employer. Standard lines such asI want to work for your company"are meaningless to an employer, particularly if you havent mentioned the name of the company, as the writer in Letter 2-1 ne- glected to do. If you really want to work for a specific firm, you must have a rea- son. State it 2. ZZOOM. DONT RESUME Do make your letter different from your resume. If your resume is strong, it will provide all the information your interviewer will need.(If it's not, there are plenty of books, software programs, and professional esume writers to help you strengthen it. ) So don, t just regurgitate your resume in letter form. " Zoom in"on the most salient points of your resume. Even better, con- solidate facts in your resume into an overview statement. Summarize a benefit- such as"solid employment record, ""extensive industry experience, "or"proven track record. " Guide your reader in forming an appropriate impression of you

If you’ve hired someone yourself, you may recognize the weaknesses of the first, poorly presented letter—and the strengths of the second, stronger one. If you haven’t hired anyone, approach the letter as you might a solicitation for a charita￾ble contribution, a letter that attempts to be equally convincing. Which of the two letters would you be more likely to read through to the end? Which makes a bet￾ter impression? Which candidate would you be more likely to interview? TEN BASIC DO’S AND DON’TS FOR WRITING KILLER COVER LETTERS The two preceding letters provide concrete, visual examples of the 10 basic do’s and don’ts to follow in all your jobhunting correspondence. 1. DRESS (YOUR LETTERS) FOR SUCCESS Do send professional letters. Don’t send form letters. Do make your letters clean and professional looking. Even so much as an ink blot is clearly an insult to the reader. It implies that the reader is not worth the time it would take to retype the letter. Worse, it suggests that you are a sloppy person who doesn’t value order, personally or in the workplace. Recruiters spend a good deal of time advising jobhunters how to dress for an interview because employers demand clean, orderly staff members with professional demeanors. Your letter should reflect these characteristics. Do not allow any letter to appear as if it were a form letter. The handwritten salutation at the start of Letter 2-1 suggests that the writer prints many copies of this letter and simply adds the recipient’s name before mailing it. Your reader should not feel as though you are sending the same letter to hundreds of employ￾ers—even if you are! Instead, create the impression that you are sending a letter to a specific person for a specific reason: because you believe that there is an ideal match between you and your prospective employer. Standard lines such as “I want to work for your company” are meaningless to an employer, particularly if you haven’t mentioned the name of the company, as the writer in Letter 2-1 ne￾glected to do. If you really want to work for a specific firm, you must have a rea￾son. State it. 2. ZOOM, DON’T RESUME Do make your letter different from your resume. If your resume is strong, it will provide all the information your interviewer will need. (If it’s not, there are plenty of books, software programs, and professional resume writers to help you strengthen it.) So don’t just regurgitate your resume in letter form. “Zoom in” on the most salient points of your resume. Even better, con￾solidate facts in your resume into an overview statement. Summarize a benefit— such as “solid employment record,” “extensive industry experience,” or “proven track record.” Guide your reader in forming an appropriate impression of you 13 03 6/27/03 9:20 AM Page 13

even before you meet. Letter 2-2 illustrates this principle. Best of all, turn this sum- mary statement into one that suggests an advantage your next employer may gain by hiring you instead of someone else Describe any special qualities that may set you apart from other candidates Use language that creates a feeling of what kind of person you are. If you have a sense of humor, don' t be afraid to show it in a professional way. You'll find ex amples in the sample letters throughout this book. 3. IN RESPONSE TO YOUR AD.NO! Don't use standard openings. Many people think that only one type of letter is acceptable in the business world one that follows a standard outline. In truth, the only type of letter acceptable in the business world is an effective one. An effective letter accomplishes your ob jective, which in the case of jobhunting letters, means to stand out from your com petition. With this goal in mind, why send a letter likely to mirror the letters of those against whom you're competing Letter 2-1 opens with a standard line: "In response to your ad in Sundays paper, I enclose my resume for your consideration. What's wrong with this open- ing? It's standard, or in general use. To stand out from the competition, your let- ter should be anything but standard In Letter 2-2, Mr. Tucker grabs the reader's attention immediately with a different opening. Furthermore, he successfully weaves information from the advertisement into the opening to suggest that the letter was written in response to a specific ad and is not a form letter mine. Do not open your letter with a standard, predictable statement. Spend a few minutes analyzing what is important to the person to whom you're writing. Pe- ruse the sample openings provided throughout this book. There's no need to be foolish, outlandish, or shocking. With thought and practice, you can create unique, informative letter openings that will grab attention and deliver a mean- ingful message 4."KISS"YOUR LETTERS (KEEP IT SIMPLY STATEDI Do write a person, not a letter. There are also many people who believe that making a letter sound businesslike means using stu ffy, stilted language full of cliches and jargon. Certainly, your let ter should be professional. However, it must also be interesting, appealing, and re- flect your personality To create a letter appropriate to the business world, include relevant facts and succinct language. Ensure correct spelling and proper presentation. To make your letter appealing, use the same tone of voice you would use during the interview- when you don' t have time to consult a thesaurus and replace the words you'd normally use with multisyllabic synonyms. Write with the attitude that you're writing to a person. That person may be your interviewer, your next boss,a human resources executive, or a recruiter-but a person. Before you write, try to

even before you meet. Letter 2-2 illustrates this principle. Best of all, turn this sum￾mary statement into one that suggests an advantage your next employer may gain by hiring you instead of someone else. Describe any special qualities that may set you apart from other candidates. Use language that creates a feeling of what kind of person you are. If you have a sense of humor, don’t be afraid to show it in a professional way. You’ll find ex￾amples in the sample letters throughout this book. 3. IN RESPONSE TO YOUR AD...NOT! Don’t use standard openings. Many people think that only one type of letter is acceptable in the business world: one that follows a standard outline. In truth, the only type of letter acceptable in the business world is an effective one. An effective letter accomplishes your ob￾jective, which in the case of jobhunting letters, means to stand out from your com￾petition. With this goal in mind, why send a letter likely to mirror the letters of those against whom you’re competing? Letter 2-1 opens with a standard line: “In response to your ad in Sunday’s paper, I enclose my resume for your consideration.” What’s wrong with this open￾ing? It’s standard, or in general use. To stand out from the competition, your let￾ter should be anything but standard. In Letter 2-2, Mr. Tucker grabs the reader’s attention immediately with a different opening. Furthermore, he successfully weaves information from the advertisement into the opening to suggest that the letter was written in response to a specific ad and is not a form letter. Do not open your letter with a standard, predictable statement. Spend a few minutes analyzing what is important to the person to whom you’re writing. Pe￾ruse the sample openings provided throughout this book. There’s no need to be foolish, outlandish, or shocking. With thought and practice, you can create unique, informative letter openings that will grab attention and deliver a mean￾ingful message. 4. “KISS” YOUR LETTERS (KEEP IT SIMPLY STATED) Do write a person, not a letter. There are also many people who believe that making a letter sound businesslike means using stuffy, stilted language full of cliches and jargon. Certainly, your let￾ter should be professional. However, it must also be interesting, appealing, and re￾flect your personality. To create a letter appropriate to the business world, include relevant facts and succinct language. Ensure correct spelling and proper presentation. To make your letter appealing, use the same tone of voice you would use during the interview— when you don’t have time to consult a thesaurus and replace the words you’d normally use with multisyllabic synonyms. Write with the attitude that you’re writing to a person. That person may be your interviewer, your next boss, a human resources executive, or a recruiter—but a person. Before you write, try to 14 03 6/27/03 9:20 AM Page 14

picture him or her. Try saying out loud the points you wish to make as if you were sitting face to face in an interview, and then jot them down. Flesh out these ideas into full sentences that reflect the way you speak. After all, your interviewer will want to meet the person to whom she was introduced in your letter, and it had better be you For a clear example, look back to Letters 2-1 and 2-2 by Philip Tucker. Letter 2-1 is replete with foggy jargon, leaving you without a single clear opinion of the candidate--except that he is likely to be boring. Letter 2-2 has introduced you to a person who has studied and is currently authoring a research paper, an individ- ual with personality traits that sound appealing--someone you might not mind interviewing, which is, after all, the purpose of the letter. You'll find words and phrases to avoid listed in Chapter 10 5。 ELMCMENATE Do focus on the needs of your prospective employer. What do you talk about in your resume? Me Me Me Me. What do you talk about in your interview? Me Me MeMe So use your letter to address the needs of your next employer. Focus your thoughts on the needs of your next boss. After all, your prospective employer ex pects you to meet her needs on a daily basis. Why should she care what your em ployment objective is or what you re looking for in a job? She will hire you and pay you for the specific contribution you will make to increasing profits, improv- ing performance, or enhancing productivity. In the letter, tell her how you'll ac complish this Successful jobhunters create letters that link their strengths and talents to the benefits they bring to the firm, department, team, or supervisor with whom they'll cial goal s. Chapter 3 is devoted entirely to illustrating how to achieve this cru- be working 6. APPEALING IS REVEALING Do make your letter easy to read. The visual appearance of a letter is as vital as its content, maybe even more so. Be- cause if you' re lucky, your reader will devote 30 seconds to your letter before turn ing to the next one in the pile. Make it easy to skim. Note that Letter 2-1 is boring in appearance. Its italic print and fully justified margins make it difficult to read On the other hand, Letter 2-2 is visually appealing. Its content actually appears to be interesting, and the letter can be scanned by the eye in seconds. The reader who spends 30 seconds on Letter 2-2 will form an instant, positive impression of the candidate How do you make a letter appeal to its recipient before he or she even reads it? Simple. You can use the same tricks that advertisers use Sample Letter 2-4 puts to use many of the proven formatting techniques upon which direct mail experts de- pend. But first, examine another unappealing, unrevealing letter. (See Letter 2-3

picture him or her. Try saying out loud the points you wish to make as if you were sitting face to face in an interview, and then jot them down. Flesh out these ideas into full sentences that reflect the way you speak. After all, your interviewer will want to meet the person to whom she was introduced in your letter, and it had better be you! For a clear example, look back to Letters 2-1 and 2-2 by Philip Tucker. Letter 2-1 is replete with foggy jargon, leaving you without a single clear opinion of the candidate—except that he is likely to be boring. Letter 2-2 has introduced you to a person who has studied and is currently authoring a research paper, an individ￾ual with personality traits that sound appealing—someone you might not mind interviewing, which is, after all, the purpose of the letter. You’ll find words and phrases to avoid listed in Chapter 10. 5. ELIM-ME-NATE Do focus on the needs of your prospective employer. What do you talk about in your resume? Me. Me. Me. Me. What do you talk about in your interview? Me. Me. Me. Me. So use your letter to address the needs of your next employer. Focus your thoughts on the needs of your next boss. After all, your prospective employer ex￾pects you to meet her needs on a daily basis. Why should she care what your em￾ployment objective is or what you’re looking for in a job? She will hire you and pay you for the specific contribution you will make to increasing profits, improv￾ing performance, or enhancing productivity. In the letter, tell her how you’ll ac￾complish this. Successful jobhunters create letters that link their strengths and talents to the benefits they bring to the firm, department, team, or supervisor with whom they’ll be working. Chapter 3 is devoted entirely to illustrating how to achieve this cru￾cial goal. 6. APPEALING IS REVEALING Do make your letter easy to read. The visual appearance of a letter is as vital as its content, maybe even more so. Be￾cause if you’re lucky, your reader will devote 30 seconds to your letter before turn￾ing to the next one in the pile. Make it easy to skim. Note that Letter 2-1 is boring in appearance. Its italic print and fully justified margins make it difficult to read. On the other hand, Letter 2-2 is visually appealing. Its content actually appears to be interesting, and the letter can be scanned by the eye in seconds. The reader who spends 30 seconds on Letter 2-2 will form an instant, positive impression of the candidate. How do you make a letter appeal to its recipient before he or she even reads it? Simple. You can use the same tricks that advertisers use. Sample Letter 2-4 puts to use many of the proven formatting techniques upon which direct mail experts de￾pend. But first, examine another unappealing, unrevealing letter. (See Letter 2-3.) 15 03 6/27/03 9:20 AM Page 15

LETTER 2.3: RESUME COVER LETTER SENT IN RESPONSE TO ADVERTISEMENT (POOR FORMATI Chief Financial Officer PO. Box 425 New York times New York. NY 10000 Dear chief financial officer To maintain continued growth, a company must have financial and management professionals who are capable of identifying and seizing market opportunities before the competition does My marketing savvy and management expertise can help you do just that. I possess a powerful commitment to task, a drive for excellence, and the ability to respond to customer needs. For example, in my current position I increased sales 74% by upgrading service efficiency, resulting in a 25% annual increase in profitability. I streamlined a branch outlet from ground zero, coordinating every aspect from recruitment to organizing and redefining office functions, thus achieving substantial cost reductions, greater efficiency, and increased market share. I reduced receivables from 115 days to 33 days, thereby improving cash flow 21%0 This released enough working capital to enable the firm to expand into other markets. These achievements are certain to prove both valuable in and transferable to a range of firms Because I am currently seeking to broaden my horizons, I eagerly await your reply so that we can arrange a personal meeting. Then we can discuss in greater detail how my particular blend of capabilities, experience, and managerial strengths can help your firm capture lucrative business opportunities But take this letter word for word, format it differently, and the results are as-

LETTER 2-3: RESUME COVER LETTER SENT IN RESPONSE TO ADVERTISEMENT (POOR FORMAT) But take this letter word for word, format it differently, and the results are as￾tounding. 16 Chief Financial Officer P.O. Box 425 New York Times New York, NY 10000 Dear Chief Financial Officer: To maintain continued growth, a company must have financial and management professionals who are capable of identifying and seizing market opportunities before the competition does. My marketing savvy and management expertise can help you do just that. I possess a powerful commitment to task, a drive for excellence, and the ability to respond to customer needs. For example, in my current position I increased sales 74% by upgrading service efficiency, resulting in a 25% annual increase in profitability. I streamlined a branch outlet from ground zero, coordinating every aspect from recruitment to organizing and redefining office functions, thus achieving substantial cost reductions, greater efficiency, and increased market share. I reduced receivables from 115 days to 33 days, thereby improving cash flow 21%. This released enough working capital to enable the firm to expand into other markets. These achievements are certain to prove both valuable in and transferable to a range of firms. Because I am currently seeking to broaden my horizons, I eagerly await your reply so that we can arrange a personal meeting. Then we can discuss in greater detail how my particular blend of capabilities, experience, and managerial strengths can help your firm capture lucrative business opportunities. Sincerely, 03 6/27/03 9:20 AM Page 16

LETTER 2-4: RESUME COVER LETTER SENT IN RESPONSE TO ADVERTISEMENT (STRONG FORMAT) Chief Financial Officer P.O. Box 42 New York Times New York, NY 10000 Dear Chief Financial officer. To maintain continued growth, a company must have financial and management professionals who are capable of identifying and seizing market opportunities before the competition does My marketing savvy and management expertise can help you do just that. I possess a powerful commitment to task, a drive for excellence, and the ability to respond customer needs. For example, in my current position a I increased sales 74% by upgrading service efficiency, resulting in a 25 annual increase in profitability a I streamlined a branch outlet from inception, coordinating every aspect from recruitment to organizing and redefining office functions, thus achieving substantial cost reductions, greater efficiency, and increased market share I reduced receivables from 115 days to 33 days, thereby improving cash flow 21%. This released enough working capital to enable the firm to expand into other markets These achievements are certain to prove both valuable in and transferable to a range of firms Because I am currently seeking to broaden my horizons, I eagerly await your reply so that we can arrange a personal meeting. Then we can discuss in greater detail how my particular blend of capabilities, experience, and managerial strengths can help your firm capture lucrative business opportunities Sincerel The difference between Letters 2-3 and 2-4 is not in the wording. The content of both letters is identical. The difference is in the formatting. Letter 2-4 employs many of the same techniques advertisers use to get millions of consumers to no- tice, absorb, and act on promotional messages. You can use the same tricks in your

LETTER 2-4: RESUME COVER LETTER SENT IN RESPONSE TO ADVERTISEMENT (STRONG FORMAT) The difference between Letters 2-3 and 2-4 is not in the wording. The content of both letters is identical. The difference is in the formatting. Letter 2-4 employs many of the same techniques advertisers use to get millions of consumers to no￾tice, absorb, and act on promotional messages. You can use the same tricks in your 17 Chief Financial Officer P.O. Box 425 New York Times New York, NY 10000 Dear Chief Financial Officer: To maintain continued growth, a company must have financial and management professionals who are capable of identifying and seizing market opportunities before the competition does. My marketing savvy and management expertise can help you do just that. I possess a powerful commitment to task, a drive for excellence, and the ability to respond to customer needs. For example, in my current position: ■ I increased sales 74% by upgrading service efficiency, resulting in a 25% annual increase in profitability. ■ I streamlined a branch outlet from inception, coordinating every aspect from recruitment to organizing and redefining office functions, thus achieving substantial cost reductions, greater efficiency, and increased market share. ■ I reduced receivables from 115 days to 33 days, thereby improving cash flow 21%. This released enough working capital to enable the firm to expand into other markets. These achievements are certain to prove both valuable in and transferable to a range of firms. Because I am currently seeking to broaden my horizons, I eagerly await your reply so that we can arrange a personal meeting. Then we can discuss in greater detail how my particular blend of capabilities, experience, and managerial strengths can help your firm capture lucrative business opportunities. Sincerely, 03 6/27/03 9:20 AM Page 17