Get The Job You Want, Even When No One's Hiring: Take Charge of Your Career, Find a Job You Love, and Earn What You Deserve

Chapter 58. Cover Letters That Open Doors for Any Situation

There are many times during the implementation of your full search campaign where you'll rely on a cover letter to speak for you. The way you present yourself on paper can make or break your success during any phase of the job search process. Think about all of the different situations in which cover letters might be useful in opening doors, making a strong first impression, and keeping your candidacy on the front burner in the eyes of employers:

• Letter responding to an advertised opening

• Letter following up on a personal referral

• Letter introducing yourself to a decision maker

• Thank-you letter

• Follow-up letter

• Response to a job-offer letter

• And others...

Cover letters (including e-mails) are the delivery method for most of your career communications, and they will almost always accompany the career documents in your Job Search Survival Toolkit.

Note

Writing cold approach letters (when you don't know anyone at the Target Company) is very ineffective.

There may be some instances when it will be necessary to send a cold letter, but you should try to avoid these cases. Experience has shown repeatedly that the results of cold letter campaigns are extremely disappointing. Frankly, I think these types of letters are a waste of time, energy, and money. Even worse, the low response rate makes jobseekers feel terribly disappointed and frustrated.

So, of course you should learn how to write a great cold approach letter, but I urge you to use ...