15-Minute Cover Letter, Second Edition

Available as an e-book at oreilly.com and the iBookstore.

This popular guide demystifies the process of crafting cover letters by providing revolutionary advice in six brief chapters. Readers will find a collection of dozens of professionally written cover letter samples and step-by-step guidance to empower them to create powerful cover letters letters of their own. New content for this edition includes 16 more pages of sample cover letters and all new job search tips.

Chapter 1: Quick Tips for Writing a Cover Letter in 15 Minutes
Chapter 2: Write Your Own 15-Minute Cover Letter
Chapter 3: A Stupendous Collection of Professionally Written and Designed Cover Letters
Chapter 4: Additional Job Search Correspondence: Thank-You Letters, Quick Notes, JIST Cards, Job Proposals, and More
Chapter 5: Improve Your Resume in 15 Minutes
Chapter 6: Find a Job Fast

James Michael Farr founded JIST Publishing and was a nationally recognized job search expert, multi-award winner and best-selling author of more than 20 career books, including The Quick Resume & Cover Letter Book and Getting the Job You Really Want. He passed away in December 2010.

Widely known as America’s Career Expert, Farr was an important figure in the self-directed job search movement. His passion was empowering job seekers with the knowledge and skills they needed to take control of their own job searches, so that they’d be less reliant on outplacement and vocational services and counselors to find jobs for them.

In 1981, Farr founded JIST, which has been one of the nation’s largest career publishing houses for nearly 30 years. Farr’s ground-breaking job search and career planning books have sold more than 2 million copies and dominate the career shelves of bookstores and libraries across the nation. Farr is the primary author of the Best Jobs series, Top Careers series, and The Quick Resume & Cover Letter Book.

During his lifetime, Farr received numerous awards and recognitions for his work. His books Getting the Job You Really Want, The Very Quick Job Search and Best Jobs for the 21st Century were finalists or winners of Benjamin Franklin Awards. Several videos based on Farr’s job search expertise and book content also have won prestigious Telly, Communicator, WorldFest, NY Film Festival and Videographer awards.

Louise M. Kursmark, co-author of the Expert Resume series, is president and founder of Best Impression Career Services, Inc. in Cincinnati, Ohio. Best Impression specializes in resumes and job search strategies for sales, marketing, and executive clients worldwide. Kursmark has been writing resumes and helping people find jobs since 1982.

Kursmark is a Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW), Certified Employment Interview Professional (CEIP), Job and Career Transition Coach (JCTC), and Credentialed Career Manager (CCM).

Every year across the country, Kursmark gives numerous presentations and workshops and serves on panels at conferences. In addition to speaking, Kursmark is a featured columnist in the Resume Writers’ Digest and was a columnist for Spotlight, the monthly newsletter of the Professional Association of Resume Writers. Kursmark is a frequent contributor to Career Masters Connection, BusinessWeek.com, and the Wall Street Journal’s National Business Employment Weekly.

She is a five-time “Best Resume” award winner through the Professional Association of Resume Writers. 

For interview requests or questions about Kursmark, contact Selena Dehne at sdehne@jist.com or (651) 215-7548.