Too many unprofessional, unfocused, and canned cover letters are floating around the job-seeking population. So are you surprised when I tell you that a fair number of hiring managers don't bother reading them? Although I've seen no official survey on cover-letter readership, it's rumored that approximately 40% of cover letters aren't read. A number of reasons could be to blame; and frankly, who wants to spend valuabl...

A job-specific cover letter is one of the most promising to send because the company is hiring! You know this because the company told you so; possibly, through an online job board, help wanted ad, or a posting at the local unemployment office. You know that the company is aggressively seeking someone with your skill set - and that shows great promise. Jobseekers typically want to focus their efforts on those who are act...

The following was excerpted from The 20-Minute Cover Letter Fixer. A cover letter serves as a "middleman" or connector between the resume and a job, along with being an introducer, an answerer of questions, and a speaker for your candidacy. The letter shouldn't regurgitate the same wordage included in your resume; however, it should refine necessary information. Let's say, for example, that you're applying for a pl...

Throughout the years, cover letter writers have used different terminology for the types of cover letters. The names coined oftentimes mimic the purpose of the letter; i.e. cold-contact letter and follow-up letter. No doubt, your job search will require separate letters that utilize different wordage depending upon the overall intent of the letter and in accordance with the recipient. It's about pushing the right buttons...

Negotiation is a give-and-take process until an eventual agreement is reached between two or more parties. To understand the art of negotiation, a jobseeker must understand that it is a give process as much as it is a receiving process. Look at the proposition from the side of your employer. When faced with such a proposition, your superior will ask himself the reasons you're deserving of more and whether it's feasible...

Conducting a job search using the Internet has definitely transformed how jobseekers contact hiring companies. The availability of copying and pasting a text version resume into a form at a company's website has laid the foundation for an easier and more convenient process. No longer does a jobseeker need to spend hours with the traditional method of printing and mailing his resume to countless recipients. With the...