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a strong, impressive letter can put you miles ahead. And writing frequently can
give you what advertisers call “top-of-mind awareness;” it can keep you on your
next employer’s mind no matter how long the hiring decision takes.
Unfortunately, for most jobhunters, facing that blank sheet of paper induces
a terror matched by few other tasks. Be honest. Have you, at one time or another,
ever found yourself following any of the Ten Most Common Steps to Writing?
Step 1. Panic: Your brain says, “I have to write.”
Step 2. Procrastinate: You attempt your first escape by remembering
that there is some equally pressing task that must be attended to, such
as walking the dog, doing the dishes, calling Aunt Bella, or sorting the
recyclables.
Step 3. Divert: You belittle the custom of writing such letters, wonder-
ing, “Why can’t I just send my resume?” or “Why can’t I just call and
say thank you?”
Step 4. Delegate: You attempt your next escape by trying to get some-
one else to do it for you. “My sister’s great at this; maybe she’ll write
it for me” is a common ploy.
Step 5: Panic again: You realize that you’ve got to get that resume in the
mail today, and it’s already 3:00 P.M.
Step 6, 7, 8. Shake, rattle, and roll: You stare at that cursed blank page,
envision the finished product, and visualize all the heartache and
strife you’ll have to go through to get to that point. Then you picture
yourself not getting the job because your letter sounded simple,
unimpressive, unbusinesslike (“Whatever that is,” you moan). So fi-
nally you go on a roll, recalling all the big business power jargon
you’ve ever heard: “effectuate”...“implement”... “empowerment”...
“strategic envisioning”...“global perspective.”
Step 9. The mad dash: You furiously type these tired clichés on your last
sheet of good paper, making your first draft your final one. As a re-
sult, in the end, all you can do is...
Step 10. Mail, hope, and pray: And the greatest of these is pray.
Sound familiar? Don’t despair, there is good news! Writing effectively is not
as hard as you think. You don’t have to be a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist. You
don’t have to use eight four-syllable words per paragraph. You don’t have to make
your correspondence any longer than it needs to be; writing voluminous letters
won’t guarantee you’ll get hired. You have only to make yourself understood. You
need to know what you want to say, and you need to say it clearly, accurately, con-
cisely.
And that is precisely what this book will help you achieve.

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