Podesta's also a former advertising copywriter, working with recruiter Paxton. Over 200 sample letters, with excellent advice on uncovering the benefits you can deliver to employers.

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Product Description

201 Killer Cover Letters provides job seekers with an unbeatable competitive edge by arming them with surefire sample letters for every job-hunting situation. This edition of the bestselling guide includes the latest job-search techniques, tips for transferring job skills across industries, and ways to use the cover letter to anticipate and overcome "objectionable items or gaps in employment." Building on the success of the computer disk edition, the CD-ROM edition contains ready-to-download templates of all 201 letters, for CD-ROM-compatible computers, making it easier than ever for readers to tailor cover letters to specific situations.

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1049246 in Books
• Published on: 2003-04-23
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 288 pages

Review
On disk are over 200 cover letters which can be customized to the user's specifications. As with a clip art library, this can be accessed and tailored to individual ends, including cover letters for every occasion from follow-ups and thank-yous to ad responses and job search inquiries. An excellent resource backed by a book format. -- Midwest Book Review

From the Back Cover

The fastest, easiest way to wow employers and land interviews

Want to writer powerful job-search letters that knock their socks off every time --and spare yourself a lot of agony in the process? 201 Killer Cover Letters: CD-ROM Edition gives you instant access to hundreds of surefire cover letters that you can customize in a jiffy to fit any job-hunting situation.

Whether you're networking, applying for a job, requesting a reference, or writing a thank-you letter, these proven approaches enable you to respond immediately to every opportunity with an attention-grabbing letter that's perfect for any job, any company, any situation. This indispensable job-search resource is packed with:

• 201 sample letters for every possible job-hunting situation
• Customized letters for more than 120 job-types, from accountant to x-ray technician
• Ready-to-download templates of all 201 letters on the CD-ROM
• Tips on customizing and targeting your letters for maximum impact
• Practical suggestions for positioning yourself ahead of the pack
• Techniques for using your cover letter to overcome "objectionable" resume items or employment gaps

Fully updated to include dozens of new job types, the latest online job-search techniques, and tips for transferring skills across industries, this powerful new edition gives you the unbeatable edge you need in a fiercely competitive job market.

About the Author

Sandra Podesta is principal in the DeMartino Marketing Group, where she works with Fortune 500 companies such as Fed-EX and Sony. Andrea Paxton is a recruiter who has worked in every phase of the interview, selection, and hiring process for several major companies.

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Customer Reviews

Ten Rules for Writing 201 Killer Cover Letters
What do you talk about in your resume? ME ME ME ME. What do you talk about in your interview? ME ME ME ME. So Rule 5 of Podesta and Paxton's book (Podesta is an advertising copywriter and Paxton is a recruiter), "ELIM-ME-NATE" tells you to focus on the needs of your prospective employer in your cover letter. The 9 other top rules for writing "killer" cover letters are just as enlightening as well as humorous. I do tend to disagree with Rule 3: In Response To Your Ad...NOT! - Don't use standard openings. I've actually had HR professionals request such standard openings so that they can keep track of who is applying for which ad in which newspaper. But that is the real value of this book: it shows you how to write killer openings and closings for any situation. There is an index of letters listed by issue, with a corresponding chapter and letter number to refer to. What's more, you can get through this book in a hurry, and all of the sample letters are on diskette that is included. So if your cover letters "...Ain't Working," then "...Fix It" with one of 201 different approaches (Rule 10)

Pretty good book
Most useful are the "do's & don'ts" for job hunting correspondence. These along with other common sense suggestions which escape many of us can be found in this book. Having the samples in both book and diskette form is useful as it saves time. However, the samples themselves are pretty much what one can find by logging on to almost any website career site. Nothing special except the convenience of having them in one spot.

Old, dated, and of little use to me
The alleged "201 Killer Cover Letters" were written in 1995 according to the enclosed disk and are not very professional in my opinion. They are of little use in today's job market, again in my opinion.

The front cover claims one is able to "downplay your weaknesses" by adhering to the principles in this book. One of my weaknesses was purchasing this book in the first place.