To celebrate the publication of the third
edition of Dynamic Cover Letters, the book
from which Quintessential Careers sprang,
we bring you our annual cover letter issue.
You've heard the adage in real estate and retailing
that success centers on three things: location, location,
location. With cover letters, success is also tied to three things:
specifics, specifics, specifics.
In our roles as resume and cover letter writers,
we often get requests from customers that go something
like this: "Just give me a general cover letter that
I can use for any kind of job."
Sorry. No can do. Well, we can do it,
but we certainly don't recommend it. A cover letter
needs to be specific in every way. Otherwise, it's
a fairly pointless document. Some experts say even a
resume should be specifically tailored for each job.
While we feel that a degree of resume tailoring is
sometimes desirable, extensive tailoring is unnecessary
if you're specific with your cover letter.
Quintessential Careers is proud to announce publication
of the brand-new third edition of Dynamic Cover Letters.
This indispensable and reasonably priced guide for
job seekers -- with more than 100,000 copies sold --
contains everything you need to create a stunningly
effective cover letter.
Previous editions of this popular book helped tens of
thousands of job-hunters dress up their resumes and job
applications with the kind of dynamic, informative
letters that employers respond to.
Now, in this expanded and updated third edition, career
experts Katharine Hansen and Randall Hansen zoom in on
cutting-edge issues -- such as job-hunting on the Internet
-- plus deliver those rock-solid basics that readers have
come to depend on.
Check out our new -- and growing -- section for
career changers.
QuintZine's Q&A with Career Expert Jeffrey Fox
Jeffrey Fox is author of Don't Send a Resume:
And Other Contrarian Rules to Help Land a Great Job,
which QuintZine reviews in our June 4, 2001, issue.
"Most job seekers think they are working hard to get
a job," observes author Fox. "However, most job seekers
mistake job-seeking activity, such as sending out hundreds
of resumes, as hard work.
"Getting a job requires much more than traditional resumes
and networking," Fox exhorts.
"Getting a job requires diligent research to find target
companies, exhaustive research on those companies, planning,
careful customized letter writing, creating
a unique tailored
resume for each company, pre-interview preparation, interview
practice, detailed follow-up and more. It is not easy to find out
everything about your target company before you
contact the company, but that is what should be
done," Fox advises.
In his Q&A with QuintZine, Fox talks about three big mistakes
that job-seekers make, the biggest secret in job-hunting, the
applicability of his book's approach for all job-seekers, and the
concept of the "boomerang" cover letter.
For the last five years JobStar has provided local
job-search information for California -- although much
of the information has been useful for job-seekers everywhere.
As the site celebrates its fifth birthday this month,
JobStar has added the first JobStar outside California,
Jersey City, NJ, the Garden State's second-largest city.
JobStar continues to enjoy support from Careerjournal.com,
the career site of The Wall Street Journal. Careerjournal has
joined with JobStar to offer users access to an excellent
collection of career and job-search information, as well as to
JobStar Executive, a database of middle- to senior-level jobs
and the Futurestep recruiting service.
JobStar is a free public-library service based on the premise
that public libraries serve the information needs of their
communities and that helping job-seekers get the information
they need to make the right connections is a very
important piece of what libraries do.
Job seekers need current, reliable, local information
to find job openings, community services, company background,
and job-search advice -- and that's what JobStar offers.
Salary information has always been a JobStar strong point.
Stay tuned for future developments -- a JobStar
may be coming to a town near you! In the meantime,
all jobseekers can find valuable resources at JobStar.
AnyCollege.net
-- a great resource for prospective college students involved in the college search process, where students can
find colleges and universities that match their criteria using a user-friendly search engine. Search criteria
include programs offered, state, school type, sports, and college name. Includes more than 5,400 U.S. colleges.
Also includes other resources. Free.
Jobsquare.com
-- a complete job-hunting resource site for job-seekers, where you can post your resume, conduct a detailed job
search, enlist a job search agent, use career resources, and much more. Free to job-seekers.
Military Hire
-- operated by veterans for veterans, this site is all about helping service veterans (active duty, reserve, and
national guard) and your immediate family members transition to civilian employment. Job-seekers can
conduct a detailed job search, post your resume, and take advantage of career resources. Free to job-seekers.
Unicru
-- where job-seekers looking for full-time and part-time hourly jobs from major employers -- many in retail -- can
search for jobs by location and type, and then apply online. Includes a job matching service for members.
Also include articles on career and financial topics. Free to job-seekers.
Find even more additions to Quintessential Careers by visiting our
Latest
Additions section.
Dave writes: "I made the mistake of writing my salary
request in my cover letter (per the request of the person
that recommended me for the position). Two months have
passed since I submitted the resume, and I finally have
an interview. Now I wish I had asked for more. Is there
a way to ask for more money now or should I just cut
my losses and look to another company for a position?"
Kelly asks: "When submitting a cover letter and application
via the 'career opportunity' section of a company's Web site,
what street address does one use and to whom is it addressed?
Since many of the larger companies may have several branches
in the area, how can you know where your email is going and
who is receiving it?"
Q TIPS: Quick and Quintessential Career & Job Tips
The biggest trick to composing a dynamic cover
letter is to begin it in a way that will draw the
reader in and make him or her want to read more --
and ultimately read your resume and invite you for
an interview. And you may have as few as 20 seconds
to grab that person's attention. Let's look at it
this way: A 1999 study funded by Pitney-Bowes revealed
that the average worker receives 190 messages a day of
all kinds -- faxes, e-mails, phone calls, letters, memos,
air-express deliveries, people just stopping by to chat.
Most workers have to actually stop their work to deal with
messages at least three times per hour, and 40 percent
are interrupted six or more times an hour. That means
the busy hiring manager has very little time to spend
on each piece of communication crossing his or her desk,
so your letter needs to get attention in a hurry to be
effective.
-- This Q Tip is an exclusive excerpt from
the 3rd Edition of Dynamic Cover Letters.
Although many employers who scan resumes electronically
don't scan cover letters, they often use cover letters to
help them code the source of resumes. They want to know
whether you sent your resume in response to a print ad,
Internet ad, or whether you were referred to the employer's
company, or are simply making a cold contact. Your cover
letter provides that information, so if you know the
company is scanning resumes, don't omit the cover letter
-- it provides information your resume can't.
-- This Q Tip is an exclusive excerpt from
the 3rd Edition of Dynamic Cover Letters.
June 15 is National Work@Home Father's Day.
Scheduled for the Friday before Father's Day
(the third Sunday in June each year), the day is
set aside to honor and celebrate those working
fathers who have elected to work from home --
either as home-based entrepreneurs or teleworkers --
as a means to improve family interaction
and professional satisfaction.
In this inaugural year, the event will feature
the contest, "Why I Work@Home: A Dad's View." Entrants
must submit a 250-word essay on how working from home
has improved the balance between their family and
professional lives. Winners will receive prizes,
including a "Father's World" T-shirt; a copy of
the CD-ROM, Your Profitable Home Business Made E-Z;
and the forthcoming book Safe@Home: Seven Keys to Home
Office Security, both books from home-office author
and expert Jeff Zbar
To enter "Why I Work@Home: A Father's View," entrants
must be work-at-home fathers with at least one in-home
child under the age of 18. They must actively work or
telework from a home office at least one day each week.
The essay can be no more than 250 words. Entries should
be mailed to Work@Home Father's Day Essay Contest, P.O.
Box 8263 Coral Springs, FL 33075-8263, or emailed to
contest@fathersworld.com. Entries must be postmarked
or emailed no later than June 1. For complete rules,
visit www.fathersworld.com/contest.html.
Winners will be announced on or about June 15.
Quintessential
Career Profiles: Tell Your Story!
Quintessential Career Profiles features QuintZine
readers and visitors to Quintessential Careers
who have interesting career stories.
Did you obtain a job in an unusual way? Has
your career path been out of the ordinary?
Have you held one or more unusual jobs? Has
your job search been especially troublesome,
inspirational, or remarkable? We'd like to
tell your story. Tell us a little about your
career saga, and we may contact you for a
full profile. Write us at
kathy@quintcareers.com
and let us know about you.
QuintZine: Topics in Upcoming Issues
WATCH FOR feature articles on these topics in upcoming
issues of QuintZine:
* Case-based interviews
* Phone etiquette in the job hunt
* Guide to the company visit
* Researching your next job
* Letters of recommendation and references
* Career Portfolios
* How to handle a request for a salary history
* How to land an internship
* How to get a promotion
* Should you get an MBA?
* 10 easy ways to improve your resume
* Older workers and age discrimination
* The value of a college education
* Networking timetable for college students
* The vital role of the college career services office
* Using key marketing tools to positions yourself in the job market
* Quintessential Career Profiles of YOU, our readers
* Q&As with well-known career experts
* Book reviews
. . . and much, much more!
Don't ever want to miss another issue of QuintZine? Get a free subscription to
the email version of QuintZine by completing our
subscription form.
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RESUMES * JOB SEARCH CORRESPONDENCE FROM TRUSTED EXPERTS * COVER LETTERS
We create resumes,
cover letters, curriculum vitae, thank-you and
follow-up letters, and list-formatted documents,
such as salary histories and reference lists.
We also can provide critiques and makeovers of
your resume or cover letter. Credit cards accepted.
Check out Quintessential Resumes
and Cover Letters!
QuintZine
A publication of
Quintessential Careers
Publisher: Dr. Randall S. Hansen
Editor: Katharine Hansen
ISSN: 1528-9443
