Cover Letters Are Not Just for Dummies!

Resumes, although not easy to prepare without some idea of what gives them vigor, do have a certain formulaic approach. And if you have good research skills, and writing skills, you can certainly pull off a decent and effective resume. But cover letters are quite another matter.

Last summer I submitted several letters to Joyce Lain Kennedy, for submission into one of her upcoming books. Imagine my surprise when, on vacation on Lake Huron’s shores, I received a call from Ms. Kennedy herself. Now, in case you aren’t familiar with Joyce, she has been a Syndicated Careers Columnist for some 40 years in the U.S. , and author of eight books on career management. Her article, Careers Now appears in over 100 newspapers and websites! Check her out at www.sunfeatures.com.

It seems that Joyce was impressed with my submissions! In fact she wrote me the following in a subsequent email:
“Stephanie, you are a bright new star on the North American resume writing scene! Several people have been given a peek at the sample letters in my manuscript of Cover Letters For Dummies, 3rd Edition and every single one picked out your work as a top favorite (of 57 writers). Your work is state of the art!”

Cover letters are formulaic only in that they have the standard letter features: salutation, introduction, body and call to action. It is how you develop the content that makes or breaks your cover letter’s effectiveness, and that is difficult to pick up through research alone.

Give your job search a boost of energy with a truly “WOW” cover letter. Why not pick up a copy of Joyce’s latest book? The contents cover how to create compelling communications, a sample of the best job letters, how to pen online messages, and more! It’s worth the effort or investment.