Cover Letters for Dummies

Rating:
Summary: Get started, then move on.
Review: "Cover Letters for Dummies" is a decent introduction to writing the perfect cover letter to land that dream job. You will definitely learn the purpose of cover letter, and how it differs from the resume. Once you get that part, it's time to move on to another book. This book may contain good explanations and theory as to how the hiring process works, but the examples are absolutely useless. Further, the only actual useful information could have been condensed into a one-page summary. The rest of the book is filler. Unless you want to be taken as a fool by potential employers, I suggest that you find another book.

Rating:
Summary: Cover Letters for Dummies
Review: I had no idea how I was going to help my friend write a good cover letter until I read your book. The first time I read your book I concentrated on you top ten "do" and "don't do" things for a "red hot cover letter". That list and the examples provided of "cover letters" in your books was a tremendous help.
It is a must book to have for anyone looking to sell themselves to an employer for a job.

Rating:
Summary: Maybe a little too dummy
Review: This is a handy reference especially for those who don't know much about writing cover letters and who haven't ever been to a career counselor. It's also useful for anyone else, though I can't imagine that it's much different from other books on the topic.

The major annoyance I had was with the sample letters that are included, and with some of Joyce Kennedy's suggestions, which seemed more obnoxious than anything. I can see how some employers may find them amusing, but if I were in a human resources department, I would not hire many of the people who wrote these examples.

To be sure, some of the samples are alright, and there is much to learn in the many tips that Kennedy provides. If you're seeking to be a competitive prospective employee, you may find it worthwhile to get this book. I hope, however, that there is another book on cover letters out there with sample letters that are still interesting to read, but more serious and intelligent.