Critique Your Own Cover Letter
You can critique every aspect of your cover letter and follow links for additional information, using our Cover Letter Checklist.

Resume Preparation Services May Be Tax Deductible
It’s worthwhile to note for next year’s taxes that resume preparation is tax-deductible for many job-seekers. You must be looking for a job within the same field as previously employed. It can be a different job, but it must be within the same field. College grads seeking their first job cannot deduct resume preparation, nor can employees moving into self-employment. Additional information on job-search deductions is available in IRS Publication 529.

Cover Letters to Recruiters
Are you aware of the special nuances of sending a cover letter to a recruiter/executive-search firm/headhunter? Our article, Cover Letters to Recruiters Require Special Handling, offers special tips for cover letters to recruiters.

Keep Your Resume Updated
Despite today’s uncertain job market, many managers do not maintain an updated resume, a survey shows. Executives polled said they believe only half (50 percent) of managers would be ready to send out application materials if they were to unexpectedly lose their jobs. The survey was developed by Accountemps, a temporary staffing service for accounting, finance and bookkeeping professionals. It was conducted by an independent research firm and includes responses from 150 executives with the nation’s 1,000 largest companies. “Those who keep an ongoing record of professional achievements are better positioned for the job search because they can more readily recall details

The T-Formation or 2-column Cover Letter
A particularly effective way to deploy the specifics of an ad or job posting to your advantage is to use a two-column format (also known as a “T-formation” letter) in which you quote in the left-hand column specific qualifications that come right from the employer’s want ad and in the right-hand column, your attributes that meet those qualifications. The two-column format is extremely effective when you possess all the qualifications for a job, but it can even sell you when you lack one or more qualification. The format so clearly demonstrates that you are qualified in so many areas that the employer may be willing to overlook the areas in which your exact qualification