Cover Letter Resources

Cover Letter Resources for Job-Seekers

What follows is a collection of the best cover letter tools, expert advice, tips, and resources, including articles, tutorials, quizzes, and samples -- at no charge.

And don't forget that for the complete list of career books (including books about cover letters), check out the Quintessential Careers Bookstore, in association with Amazon Books.
QUINTESSENTIAL CAREERS COVER LETTER ARTICLES
The Basics of a Dynamic Cover Letter -- an excerpt from the third edition of the popular cover letter book, this article explains the three kinds of cover letters.
Cover Letter Checklist -- as you are preparing or editing your job-search cover letter, be sure to go through this useful checklist.
Cover Letter Do's and Don'ts -- the ins and outs of the important rules of writing and using cover letters. Be sure to review these!
Cover Letter FAQ: The Ten Most Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Cover Letters -- includes tips and advice on gaining a competitive edge in the job market by using dynamic cover letters.
Cover Letter Formula Page -- the authors of the top-selling cover letter book, Dynamic Cover Letters, show a basic template -- or formula -- for writing a strong cover letter.
Cover Letter Reboot: A Crowdsourced Update of Traditional Cover-letter Advice for Today's Job Search -- offers key advice from hiring decision-makers that can guide job-seeker thinking toward writing effective job-search letters.
Cover Letter Success is All About Specifics -- highlights the major flaws in many cover letters, and how you can fix any of them in your cover letters.
Cover Letters to Recruiters Require Special Handling -- learn how to write a cover letter that will get action from recruiters and headhunters.
Don't Make These 10 Cover Letter Mistakes -- here's a great article describing how job-seekers can avoid making these common cover letter mistakes.
The 7 Elements of a Highly Effective Cover Letter -- your cover letter is your one chance to really market yourself to an employer. Here are seven elements of a highly effective job-search cover letter.
Special Cover-Letter Formats Can Grab Employers' Attention -- learn how some job-seekers use special formats to make letters more enticing to employers.
Surefire Cover-Letter Technique: Incorporating Stories -- explains how job-seekers can effectively tell stories in cover letters; includes numerous examples.
Tips for a Dynamic Email Cover Letter -- discover and master the key strategies for sending email cover letters.
QUINTESSENTIAL CAREERS COVER LETTER QUIZ
Cover Letter Quiz -- test your knowledge of cover letters with this "almost-interactive" quiz; take the quiz and then Quintessential Careers will send you a set of correct responses via e-mail.
QUINTESSENTIAL CAREERS COVER LETTER SAMPLES
Customizable Opening Paragraphs for Job-Seeker Cover Letters -- dynamic cover letter opening paragraphs, including more than 100 customizable opening paragraphs -- with accompanying sample paragraphs showing each opener in action.
Customizable Closing Paragraphs for Job-Seeker Cover Letters -- a strong collection of free job-seeker customizable closing paragraphs for all types of cover letters, with expert cover letter closer samples.
Real New College Grad Resume and Cover Letter Samples -- a large collection of real, high-quality new college grad resume and cover letter samples for helping colelge students and new grads improve your job, internship, grad-school search.
Sample Dynamic Cover Letters for Job-Seekers -- where you'll find a variety of free job-search cover letter samples, covering a number of different job-hunting scenarios.
Sample Job-Search Letters for Job-Seekers -- where you'll find a variety of free job-search letter samples, including ones for networking, informational interviewing, and job-search follow-up.
QUINTESSENTIAL CAREERS COVER LETTER TOOLS AND TIPS
Critical Cover Letter Tips: Key Letter Writing Advice -- where you'll find about 100 tips, suggestions, advice, and strategies designed for all job-seekers -- from entry-level to career-changers to executives -- to help compose better cover letters.
Job-Seeker Career and Job-Search Worksheets -- worksheets to develop and streghten your cover letters and resumes.

QUINTESSENTIAL CAREERS COVER LETTER TUTORIAL
The Dynamic Cover Letters Cover Letter Tutorial -- more than 100 pages of information, illustrations, and samples about all aspects of cover letters. Its subtitle is "everything you ever wanted to know about cover letters, but were afraid to ask!"
QUINTESSENTIAL CAREERS COVER LETTER WHITE PAPER
Cover Letter White Paper: Key Advice for Today's Job Search -- download this no-cost 13-page white paper that provides great insight, details, and advice from hiring managers regarding effective cover letters for job-seekers.

QUINTESSENTIAL CAREERS PRESS COVER LETTER E-BOOK

The Quintessential Guide to Surefire Resumes for New Graduates and Other Entry-Level Candidates. This free Quintessential Careers Press e-book provides seven chapters that will help you pack punch into your resume and cover letter and then gives you two chapters of tools -- worksheets and samples to guide you to applying what you've learned from the book to creating surefire career-marketing documents.


OTHER COVER LETTER RESOURCES
JobStar -- Cover Letters -- Some great information about cover letters, with some good tips and links to other Web-based resources.
20 Cover Letter Blunders to Avoid -- a list of errors to avoid in writing cover letters.

Who is Cover Letter?

what where job title, keywords or company city, state or zip jobs by About Cover Letters Who Needs A Cover Letter? What Makes a Good Cover Letter? Sample Cover Letters Recommended Books on Cover Letters Cover Letter Resources on the Web How to Include Your Cover Letter in an Electronic Resume Who Needs a Cover Letter? Everyone who sends out a resume does! Even if the cover letter never "came up" in conversation or wasn't mentioned in an advertisement, it's expected that you will write one. It is regarded as a sign of laziness (sorry about that) to send out a cover letter that is not tailored to the specific company. In the days before word processors, you could maybe get away with it. Not anymore. (Electra must be emphatic: Not anymore.) Yes, it adds to the wear and tear of looking for a job! But the good news is: the cover letter gives you another chance to emphasize what you have to contribute to the company or organization. Don't give the person screening the resumes a second to entertain the thought: "But how can this person help US?" Your cover letter will answer that question in your own words. Your resume will also answer that question but in a somewhat more rigid format. What makes a Good Cover Letter? JobStar Recommends for Great Resumes 150 Templates - 800 Sample Elements No spelling or typing errors. Not even one. Address it to the person who can hire you. Resumes sent to the personnel department have a tougher time of it. If you can find out (through networking and researching) exactly who is making the hiring decision, address the letter to that person. Be sure the name is spelled correctly and the title is correct. A touch of formality is good too: address the person as "Mr.," "Ms.," "Mrs.," "Miss," "Dr.," or "Professor." (Yes, life is complicated.) Write it in your own words so that it sounds like you--not like something out of a book. (Electra gets in trouble with libraries when she says things like this.) Employers are looking for knowledge, enthusiasm, focus. Being "natural" makes many people nervous. And then even more nervous because they are trying to avoid spelling errors and grammatical mistakes. If you need a little help with grammar (do they still teach grammar?)--check out the classic work on simple writing, Strunk & White's Elements of Style, published in 1918 and now online. A good place to begin is "Chapter 5: Words and Expressions Commonly Misused." Show that you know something about the company and the industry. This is where your research comes in. Don't go overboard--just make it clear that you didn't pick this company out of the phone book. You know who they are, what they do and you have chosen them! Use terms and phrases that are meaningful to the employer. (This is where your industry research and networking come in.) If you are applying for an advertised position, use the requirements in the ad and put them in BOLD type. For example: the ad says-- "2 years' experience processing magnetic media (cartridge, tape, disc); interface with benefit plan design, contracts and claims; and business background with strong analytical & technical skills--dBase, Excel, R&R, SQL." Make sure your cover letter contains each of these requirements and shows how you measure up. Sample Cover Letters Recommended Books on Cover Letters The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Perfect Cover Letter. Susan Ireland. Cover Letters for Dummies. Joyce Lain Kennedy. Overnight Job Change Letter. Donald Asher. Dynamic Cover Letters. Katherine and Randall Hansen. Dynamic Cover Letters Formula A brief excerpt from Dynamic Cover Letters, Katherine and Randall Hansen. Many resume guides include a section on writing cover letters. Cover Letter Resources on the Web JobStar Recommends for Great Resumes 150 Templates - 800 Sample Elements Electra recommends*: ***Cover Letter Samples A thematic list of samples from Susan Ireland, author of The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Perfect Cover Letter: follow-up to a phone call, when you don't know the hiring manager, cover letter for an e-mailed resume. *Cover Letters Guidance and sample cover letters from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute's great job guide! Cover Letters Nuts & bolts guide with samples from the Career Center at CSU, Chico. CareerLab - First and Best Cover Letters Excellent range of sample letters for all work purposes from William S. Frank's 200 Cover Letters for Job Hunters. (Some samples are free and others require membership.) How to Include Your Cover Letter in an Electronic Resume: Electronic Resumes: Prepare your resume for e-mail, web-forms & scanning Excellent guide from Santa Clara University includes a sample text-version cover letter and resume. General Information: Cover Letters Build the Case for 50-Plus Workers Tips from Monster on using the cover letter to highlight job achievements & get an interview. Three Simple Rules for Emailing Potential Employers Good guidelines & tips from Peter Weddle at CareerCast.com. Cover Letter Checklist Use this list from Bucknell University before you mail that cover letter (in .pdf format.) Cover Letter Types & Samples From the Career Center at Virginia Tech. College Grad Job Hunter: Best College Cover Letters A chapter from College Grad Job Hunter. (Quantum Leap Publishing.) I need to work on my resume!

Sample Cover letters

I am a... Student Job-Seeker Career-Changer Coach-Counselor Other Visitor Job-Hunting Tools: Search for Jobs Post Your Resume Career Tools: Career Resources Career Articles Career Tutorials College Planning Free Career Newsletter Job/Career Bookstore Job-Search Samples Search this Site Other Navigation: QuintCareers.com Home About QuintCareers.com The Career Doctor Employer Resources Sample Dynamic Cover Letters for Job-Seekers These 40+ free professional cover letter samples -- for both experienced job-seekers and for college students and recent grads -- should provide you with some great ideas as you prepare your dynamic cover letter. Note: These cover letter samples are just a small part of the vast number of free Job-Hunting Samples and Examples we offer at Quintessential Careers. We encourage you to take advantage of all the resources we offer you! Here are some free dynamic cover letters, which are also sometimes referred to as job-search letters. General Job-Search Cover Letter Samples: Cover Letter Sample #1: Internship Cover Letter Cover Letter Sample #2: Recent College Grad Cover Letter Cover Letter Sample #3: Referral Cover Letter Cover Letter Sample #4: Cold Contact Prospecting Cover Letter Cover Letter Sample #5: Classified Ad Response Cover Letter Cover Letter Sample #6: Two-Column Cover Letter Cover Letter Sample #7: Email Cover Letter Cover Letter Sample #8: Cover Letter in Response to Salary Requirement Request Cover Letter Sample #9: Military Transition Cover Letter Cover Letter Sample #10: Career Change Cover Letter (coming soon) Cover Letter Sample #11: Cover Letter to Recruiters/Headhunters Cover Letter Sample #12: Sample Story-Based Cover Letter #1 (based on the e-book, Storytelling that Propels Careers) Cover Letter Sample #13: Sample Story-Based Cover Letter #2 (based on the e-book, Storytelling that Propels Careers) Cover Letter Sample #14: Sample Story-Based Cover Letter #3 (based on the e-book, Storytelling that Propels Careers) Note: The samples below are in PDF format and require a program such as Adobe Acrobat Reader to be opened and read: Mid-Manager and Higher Job-Search Cover Letter Samples: Cover Letter Sample #15. Cover Letter for Sales Manager: Defense Sales: In his cover letter, the job-seeker employs a bulleted list of his top sales accomplishments. Cover Letter Sample #16. Cover Letter for Consumer Marketing, Trade Marketing, Channel Marketing Executive: In this invited cover letter, the job-seeker relates her qualifications to the requirements of the advertised position. Cover Letter Sample #17. Cover Letter for Human Resources Director: The job-seeker shows a firm grasp of the human-resources field and the employer's needs in his letter. Cover Letter Sample #18. Cover Letter for Executive General Manager: The job-seeker draws a clear connection between his qualifications and the employer's needs. Cover Letter Sample #19. Cover Letter for Senior Operations Executive: In her concise letter, the job-seeker paints a powerful picture of what she could bring to the employer. Cover Letter Sample #20. Cover Letter for Senior Director of R&D: The job-seeker uses word bullets to emphasize her value proposition. Cover Letter Sample #21. Cover Letter for Information Technology Senior Manager: The job-seeker uses a cover-letter format that enables her to showcase testimonials from her current boss. Cover Letter Sample #22. Cover Letter for Information Technology Senior/Executive Manager: The job-seeker conveys his personality and working philosophy in this letter. Cover Letter Sample #23. Cover Letter for CIO/Information Technology Executive: The job-seeker's letter is a followup to earlier communication with the recipient. He connects himself with the employer through his past association as a student in the university system. Cover Letter Sample #24. Cover Letter for Venture Capital/Private Equity Associate: The job-seeker's uninvited letter leverages his knowledge of current events affecting his targeted company. Cover Letter Sample #25. Cover Letter for Offshore Banking/Investments Executive: In this uninvited cover letter, the job-seeker effectively uses a bulleted section. Cover Letter Sample #26. Cover Letter for Training Executive: The job-seeker amplifies her resume's testimonial format in her cover letter. Cover Letter Sample #27. Cover Letter for Training Manager: The job-seeker carries his branding through to his cover letter, with the letter's design echoing, though not replicating, his resume design. Cover Letter Sample #28. Cover Letter for Healthcare Trainer: The job-seeker relates her qualifications specifically to the requirements of an advertised position by using verbiage directly from the job posting in a bulleted list. Cover Letter Sample #29. Cover Letter for Executive Director for Tourism: The job-seeker employs an unusually direct format of mostly bullet points for attention-getting and user-friendliness. Cover Letter Sample #30. Cover Letter for Executive Director of Statewide Board: The job-seeker uses the effective two-column format to vividly display his qualifications. Cover Letter Sample #31. Cover Letter for International Trade Executive: The job-seeker draws a clear connection between his background and the requirements of an advertised position. Cover Letter Sample #32. Cover Letter for Legal Counsel: The attorney's cover letter amplifies her resume's effectiveness in positioning her for the desired job. New College Grad Internship, Grad School, and Job-Search Cover Letter Samples: Cover Letter Sample #33: International investments cover letter: This college grad makes a strong case for his Unique Selling Proposition in his cover letter. Cover Letter Sample #34: Medical-equipment sales cover letter: This college grad uses her cover letter to tell the employer what she seeks. Cover Letter Sample #35: Public-relations cover letter: This college grad uses her cover letter to convey her enthusiasm for public relations. Note that she makes a smart connection between her Spanish-language skills and the employer's location. Cover Letter Sample #36: Healthcare consulting cover letter: This grad conveys his passion for the healthcare sector in his letter. Cover Letter Sample #37: Financial services cover letter: This college grad shows his knowledge and appreciation of the targeted employer in his cover letter. Cover Letter Sample #38: Summer analyst internship cover letter: This student focuses on his applicable skills and experience. Cover Letter Sample #39: Travel consultant cover letter: The new grad uses an attention-grabbing cover-letter opener and a reader-friendly bulleted style. The wording in the bullet points reflects wording in the ad to which the letter responds. Cover Letter Sample #40: Artist cover letter: A solid understanding of what is needed in the targeted job distinguishes this cover letter. Cover Letter Sample #41: IT programming cover letter: This college grad explains that she plans to relocate to the employer's city. Cover Letter Sample #42: Customer-service cover letter: This grad does a great of blending his unusual language fluencies with his interest in customer service. Please note that additional sample cover letters can be found in our cover letter tutorial, as well as in various other articles and tutorials on this site. Other Sample Job-Search Letters for Job-Seekers: Sample job interview thank-you letters are located in our Sample Thank-You Letters section of Quintessential Careers. Sample letters for networking, requesting an informational interview, and for other post-interview follow-up are located in the Sample Job-Search Letters section of Quintessential Careers. For more details about the different types of cover letters, please go to the Dynamic Cover Letters Web site. To get other samples and detailed information and advice about writing cover letters, follow this link to Amazon Books and purchase your own copy of Dynamic Cover Letters or Dynamic Cover Letters for New Graduates. Other Key Cover Letter Resources for Job-Seekers: Quintessential Resumes and Cover Letters Tip Blog -- free daily cover letter and resume writing tips. Job-Seeker Career and Job-Search Worksheets -- including free cover letter worksheets to help you create a dynamic cover letter. Go back to the Cover Letter Resources for Job-Seekers section of Quintessential Careers, where you will find a collection of the best cover letter tools and resources, including articles, tutorials, and more.

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