Here is a preview of Cover Letter Writing Strategies

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It’s going to happen… there you will be, working away contemplating the weekend to come. When suddenly, out of nowhere your boss announces that your job is coming to its end you have been selected as one of the few to be laid off. With-out warning, you have entered the job market again.

There is really no getting around it. At some point throughout your career, you will face the dreaded reality of making a career change or moving to another position.

Nothing is more dreadful than starting over in a new position or with a new company. The thought of entering the job market; suddenly you need a resume, (see my book Resume Preparation Strategies), Cover Letter and all your experience and history written out in a way that guarantees your success in finding that new or improved position.

The first thing that will probably come to mind is, “where to begin”, and “how will I get it all done”, and maybe even “why me”?

Well you have come to the right place, by picking up this book you can be reassured right off that:

· You will succeed;

· You will get a desirable position; and,

· You will learn a lot about navigating the job market along the way.

Remember the old saying, “Start at the beginning, work your way through to the end then stop”. Well, this rings true when writing your Cover Letter. The secret is to navigate your way to success one step at a time. By breaking your experience, education, and goals down into a manageable series of small steps, you will turn a seemingly monumental task into a simple 12 step process.

· Step 1, you will learn about the different elements that make up a Cover Letter. I will show you how to put together a strategy and will give you some pointers on targeting a position.

· Step 2, and 3, I will help you decide on a specific industry and position and will show you a few things to watch out for. I will also show you how to develop a research strategy and how to organize your research so that you will have a preliminary out-line of your Cover Letter.

· Steps 4, and 5, we will head for the research material. You will learn where to look for your reference materials; you will also learn a great system for keeping track of all your reference material, and a strategy for keeping track of all your notes as well. You will be transformed into a professional, efficient, organized researcher that will get the job done.

· Steps 6, and 7, will get you started on actually writing your Cover Letter. You will learn some tricks on how to organize it, some tips on overcoming writers block, and you will have a checklist to make sure you avoid making a bad carbon copy of information that does not match your skills and abilities.

· Step 9, time to edit your rough draft. You will learn strategies that will make your Cover Letter professional, smoother, and clearer. You will learn the ins and outs of putting together your Cover Letter; using your list of research material.

· Step 10, we will discuss some rules you should follow when putting it all together.

· Step 11, you will learn some tricks on proof-reading that will help you catch mistakes and errors. By the end of this step you will be well on your way to your new position.

· Step 12, Learn some writing keys and you will have a chance to look at a few examples and will have some material to model your Cover Letter from.

“Do Not”, I repeat, “Do Not”, put off doing your research, the key to presenting yourself like a pro is to know how to present yourself in a clear and organized manner. If you don’t do the research, you are cutting yourself short and greatly reducing your chances of landing the position you desire.

 Taking all the above information into consideration; do a little brainstorming before settling in on your position. I recommend looking past the first choice and looking into other areas that might be in need for an individual with your skills and abilities. In fact, stop reading right now and make a list of three or four potential positions that you have an interest in. 

Take a close look at your objective statement. Does it still make perfect sense, given all the information your research has revealed? If it doesn’t, now is the time to do some revising! Your research should have validated your statement; which should lead you to the final objective for your career move.

 Suppose we have 10 notes (statements) related to the first category (chose an industry/position), and also suppose that 4 of those statements have the best information related to your industry/position. Here’s how the information might look in the category: