Job search calls for a killer cover letter

Typically your cover letter should respond to an ad or job description point by point.

For example, the want ad says:
15 years of experience in marketing management
Demonstrated success in dealing with advertising agencies
Team player

You go down this list, point by point. Paragraph 1 refers to your 15 years in marketing management. Paragraphs 2 begins, "Success in dealing with advertising agencies" followed by bullet points of 2 or 3 success stories

Paragraph 3 says "As an experienced team player, I..."

But what if you are applying for a job that hasn't been created yet? Maybe you networked successfully and realized you have a rare opportunity

In that case, write your own want ad! Identify what the hiring managers want and set up your letter.

Depending on the situation, you could even say, "If you were writing an ad for this job, here's what it would look like."

But that's a judgment call -- could backfire as: "Wouldn't look like that at all - guess we don't need this person after all."

More in my Irreverent Job Search Guide.