Cover Letters For Dummies
Cover letters are alive and sell! When they-re written right, that is. To stand out in today-s sea of qualified job seekers, learn to craft riveting new breeds of cover letters, create vibrant images online, and discover sensational self-marketing documents you never imagined. This completely revised and updated 3rd Edition of Cover Letters For Dummies brings you all this - plus over 200 great new samples by 62 successful professional cover letter/resume writers.
You-ve probably suspected that passive and sleepy cover letters merely hugging resumes won-t get you where you want to go. Especially in a shaky job market. The verdict-s in. Since the last edition of Cover Letters For Dummies, blazing fast change in tools, technology, and how hiring managers come calling and how we invite them to look us over, means big dramatic changes in our job messages.
In this exceptional handbook of contemporary job messages, you-ll discover fresh ways of thinking about cover letters that captain an entire team of new-style job messages.
User Ratings and Reviews
3 Stars Like all dummy books
Job searching is a science today. To get someone to read your letter is a miracle… anyone looking could use all the help they can find… this isn’t your parent’s resume anymore…
3 Stars Maybe a little too dummy
This is a handy reference especially for those who don’t know much about writing cover letters and who haven’t ever been to a career counselor. It’s also useful for anyone else, though I can’t imagine that it’s much different from other books on the topic.
The major annoyance I had was with the sample letters that are included, and with some of Joyce Kennedy’s suggestions, which seemed more obnoxious than anything. I can see how some employers may find them amusing, but if I were in a human resources department, I would not hire many of the people who wrote these examples.
To be sure, some of the samples are alright, and there is much to learn in the many tips that Kennedy provides. If you’re seeking to be a competitive prospective employee, you may find it worthwhile to get this book. I hope, however, that there is another book on cover letters out there with sample letters that are still interesting to read, but more serious and intelligent.
5 Stars Great Lines for Success - Do you get stumped with opening sentences?
Joyce Lain Kennedy knows how to start a paragraph. In “A Sampling of Grand Openers”, she includes about 30 opening lines that get right into grabbing the attention of the recruiter or supervisor. She gets to the point of the letter and resume and the best you are offering. Such as: “The Breakthrough research being conducted by …”, “Chances are excellent that I’m the multi-talented graphic designer you seek”.
And she says “Avoid Leadoff Loosers” such as “I was recently let go due to a reduction in force” … I am currently in search of a job” … “I am writing in response to the.” Boring, I agree — why dwell on the negative and the total obvious.
I like her “Power Phrases to Use Anywhere”, such as “What you’re asking for and what I can delivery sound like a match!” … As my resume shows, I have substantial and successful experience in …” I agree, be VERY positive and upbeat!
The quick list of “Words that stick when you’re stuck” are great: “played a key role in, project managed, restructured, supervised, took the lead in”.
With Joyce Lain Kennedy’s years of writing to job seekers in her Syndicated Column, Careers Now, she has thousands of cover letter angles. Her comprehensive list in this book will help your resume stand out in a stack of hundreds.
I am Kathryn Troutman, Author of Ten Steps to a Federal Job. I am currently recruiting a full-time writer-editor for my business. I am receiving resumes via email from my [...] job announcement. MOST of the resumes I am receiving, do NOT have a cover letter, or even a simple TEXT BOX email note. I open the resumes that have a cover letter in the textbox!
Joyce’s book is important right now, where jobseekers have to write clever, informative and energetic notes to indicate interest and passion in certain jobs. Get inspired with this book. Kathryn Troutman, President, [...]
3 Stars Get started, then move on.
“Cover Letters for Dummies” is a decent introduction to writing the perfect cover letter to land that dream job. You will definitely learn the purpose of cover letter, and how it differs from the resume. Once you get that part, it’s time to move on to another book. This book may contain good explanations and theory as to how the hiring process works, but the examples are absolutely useless. Further, the only actual useful information could have been condensed into a one-page summary. The rest of the book is filler. Unless you want to be taken as a fool by potential employers, I suggest that you find another book.
5 Stars Cover Letters for Dummies
I had no idea how I was going to help my friend write a good cover letter until I read your book. The first time I read your book I concentrated on you top ten “do” and “don’t do” things for a “red hot cover letter”. That list and the examples provided of “cover letters” in your books was a tremendous help.
It is a must book to have for anyone looking to sell themselves to an employer for a job.
Filed under: Resume Writing Book Reviews