Cover Letters For Teachers - Make it Count!

Why are cover letters so important? They provide the prospective employer with a brief review of your skills and abilities in the form of a letter. These types of letters are written much differently than resumes and can have a potent impact on your future employer.

The best news is that writing one it isn't that difficult. An excellent teacher is always going to be in demand. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the job outlook for teachers through 2014 will grow somewhere between 9 and 17% per year.

"Experts predict that over the next ten years the nation will need 2.2 to 2.4 million teachers. That means there will be 150,000 to 250,000 openings for teachers in the nation's elementary and secondary schools. The needs are greatest in urban and rural communities and in curricular areas such as special education, mathematics, science, bilingual education, and English as a second language." This information comes from recruitingteachers.org, a non-profit organization based in Belmont, MS.

What does that mean? It means there will be continued growth in the field of education. If you are a good teacher, you should not encounter problems in finding a great job in a location that you desire.

What about that amazing teaching position at that awesome new school that you have your eye on, though? Do you think the competition for that position will be greater? Of course it will. The great paying jobs always demand the best and the brightest people. That is why your credentials and qualifications will have to be presented in the most incredible way if you are to get the job of your dreams.

One aspect of making a great impression on a prospective employer is to create a fantastic picture of who you are - with words. Let your cover letter show the school administrators just how remarkable you are.

The cover letter has one goal. That is to get the employer excited about the resume. It is a marketing tool, just like the resume is. Sell yourself in a compelling and exciting way.

What makes the best impression on employers? The wise use of accomplishments with anecdotes will win over a principal or school administrator much faster than simply stating what you did and where you worked.

Let your best qualities reach the employer through carefully written examples and stories. Don't just state what you are capable of, show what you have done in the past with vibrant language that attracts and invites the employer to want to know more.

You are a part of a significant sector of the labor market. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, "Preschool, kindergarten, elementary school, middle school, and secondary school teachers, except special education, held about 3.8 million jobs in 2004. Of the teachers in those jobs, about 1.5 million are elementary school teachers, 1.1 million are secondary school teachers, 628,000 are middle school teachers, 431,000 are preschool teachers, and 171,000 are kindergarten teachers."

You have to be your very best to get the great jobs. What skills and abilities do you have that you can offer the employer - and - how can you do so in a way that makes the employer want to pick up the phone and call you for an interview?

Let your cover letter generate interest in your resume, then let your resume hold the employer's attention so that you are invited in for a face to face meeting.

The cover letter builds on the resume and leads the employer toward it. Make it glow. While it may not persuade an employer to grant you an interview by itself, it is a vital part of the whole package that sells an employer on YOU.

For more information about cover letters, please follow this link to: Cover Letter Guideline.

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Query Letters: Ten Ways to Hook a Literary Agent

During my years as a literary agent for both screenwriters and book authors, I received query letters by the thousands. Even small literary agencies are so overhwhelmed by the influx that young, inexperienced interns weed through query letters from prospective authors before the agents even see those few "diamonds in the rough" with a chance at getting published.

So how do you become one of those agent-represented diamonds (or, at the least, get agents to request your full manuscript)? I could advise you at length, and will in the future, but for now here are ten query letter tips--some dos, some don'ts--to get you on track toward the representation and publication of your manuscript. These apply to letters directly to publishers, too--but make sure the publisher accepts submissions that don't come through agents.

1) Leave out the bells and whistles. Your words count, not your ability to suck up. (That counts only in person.) Your query letter should appear professional and mature: It should not be on pink stationery covered in hearts and flowers. It should not include candy--would you eat food mailed to you by a complete stranger? If you include a chapter of your manuscript (and don't include more unless they ask), refrain from binding it in any way. The agency will only get annoyed when they try to photocopy it. Put that effort into the prose of your letter, and agents will want to see the prose of your book.

2) Proofread it. That does not mean use Spell Check. It means you and your friend and your friend's friends should read it for typos and incorrect grammar. A single mistake will land it in a literary agent's recycling bin.

3) Include a SASE (stamped, self-addressed envelope). Why not make it as easy as possible for them to respond? It's common book industry practice, and you'll appear unprofessional and/or cheap if you don't.

4) Include a synopsis, but keep it brief. If an agent is going to represent you, they'll need a pitch to throw at potential publishers. Both species have short attention spans. Give them the important and unique stuff about plot and characters, not a scene-by-scene rundown.

5) Do your homework. Consult the Jeff Herman Guide, the agency's website, or any other reference that tells you what types of books they've sold. If they specialize in chick lit and romance, don't bother pitching your political thriller--or, if you do, play up the love story within it.

6) Type. Seems obvious. But you'd be amazed at how many people handwrite query letters. Perhaps they think it's more personal and will make them stand out. It isn't, and it won't. It'll just make the agent doubt your professionalism and strain his/her eyes trying to decipher your handwriting.

7) Get the agent's name right. You'd also be amazed at how many letters I got addressed to someone at a different agency, or with my name spelled wrong, or the name of my agency spelled wrong. Carelessness is not impressive. And while agents know you're pitching your manuscript to other agents, they don't want to feel as if they're getting a form letter.

8) Don't make it a form letter. Sure, it takes time to personalize, and you don't need to go overboard and ask how Literary Agent Smith's three daughters are, but this is another way homework can help. Find a book they've represented that's similar to yours and tell them you truly enjoyed it. One sentence--then go into the form letter part.

9) Don't compare your manuscript to bestsellers. It's not The Da Vinci Code meets The Devil Wears Prada. It's not the perfect vehicle for Harrison Ford and Nicole Kidman. If you want, mention other books by way of genuine comparison, or suggest an actor to help paint a picture of a character. But leave out the overblown marketing predictions.

10) If you've written 18 unpublished manuscripts, don't say so. That'll only make agents ask why none of the 18 have been published. On the other hand, if you've had as much as a short story published in your college's literary journal, mention that. Published = good. Unpublished = irrelevant.

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