According to author Nick Hornby, "The secret of good writing is to cut it back, pare it down, winnow, chop, hack, prune, and trim, remove every superfluous word, compress, compress, compress." The same could be said to be the secret of writing good cover letters!

Since the writer of this next sample letter is applying for the position of Content Editor, she especially needs to show strong editing skills in her letter. Read on to see if Leila successfully compresses her cover letter into the most persuasive points.

If you're hoping to join a customer experience team, then you've got to have good people skills! In this sample cover letter, the applicant emphasizes her warm, patient, positive qualities, as well as her love for the company's products.

Read on to see how Poppy presents herself as a strong applicant, and then continue on to the breakdown of what this letter does well.

Teaching's a competitive field, so a stand-out cover letter's a must for serious applicants. In the sample below, the applicant is applying to teach English as a Second Language to international students.

Read on to see why the writer thinks he'd be a great match for the position. Then continue scrolling for an analysis of what this sample cover letter does well.

The writer of this cover letter works in marketing, so hopefully he's able to market for himself with a strong cover letter! As you'll see below, the applicant uses a list format to present his professional skills and draw direct connections with the job's requirements. 

Read on to see how the applicant describes his experiences, and then continue on to an analysis of what this sample cover letter does well.

Just like no two snowflakes are alike, neither should any two cover letters look the same. Even if you're applying to lots of jobs, you should make sure each of your cover letters is unique and tailored to the target job.

Of course, no one’s born knowing how to write the perfect cover letter. To help you write yours, this guide has six free samples of cover letters for various jobs. Scroll down to the middle of the article for the cover letter samples, or first check out these tips for writing a cover letter for your job application!

Are you on the hunt for a new job? If so, cover letters are an essential part of your applications. They’re often your first opportunity to communicate with a hiring manager and stand out from the crowd. 

Because cover letters play such an important role, they can often feel almost impossible to write. To help you break through writer's block, we’ve put together this comprehensive cover letter template with real examples. Scroll down for the full template, or first check out some tips to guide your thinking.

Thoreau once wrote, “The language of friendship is not words but meanings.” In the case of a character reference, the language of friendship involves both words and meanings. If you’re tasked with writing a character reference, then your mission is to write about your friend and all her amazing qualities.

How exactly can you fulfill this mission of writing an outstanding character reference? This guide will help you through the writing process with a template for your letter. To begin, let’s go over the purpose of a character reference.

Not everyone applying for a job has years of professional experience behind them. This next sample cover letter's geared toward an entry-level position in the publishing industry.

The applicant has had a relevant internship, plus a summer job at her local bookstore. In lieu of more extensive experience, she makes sure her enthusiasm for the position and company shines through. 

Read on to see how the writer shows her passion for publishing, and then check out the analysis below of what this cover letter does well.

Hospitality's a competitive industry, but luckily the applicant who wrote this cover letter has both a degree in Hospitality Management and experience as a server. In his cover letter, Charlie strives to show that he's ready to move into a managerial position.

Read on to see how Charlie presents his skills and experiences in the restaurant industry. Then check out the breakdown of what his cover letter does well.

The ACT has just announced its first official partnership with a test prep company: Kaplan. This may be big news for students who are planning to take the ACT - in cooperation with Kaplan, ACT, Inc. will be providing a low-cost (or even free) test prep program called ACT® Kaplan Online Prep Live.

There isn’t a ton of information just yet about the quality of the new test prep platform - students won’t be able to access it for a while - but we do know what the program should include and what it should cost. Free streaming courses are airing live in advance of the program launch - you can read more about what these courses are like towards the end of the post.

Read more to find out what this new test prep partnership will mean for you!

Have you ever come across an object or an image in a book that was really over-described? That the author seemed way too over-invested in? Most of the time, that feeling is a hint that what you've encountered is a symbol! The Great Gatsby features many objects and images that pop up exactly like this.

But how do you interpret Great Gatsby symbols once you've found them? And how can you find symbols that don't have as much signposting around them? In this article, I'll take you through an explanation of what symbols are, how to locate them, and how to write about them. I'll also point you to in-depth articles about each of the most important symbols in The Great Gatsby.

If you're contemplating your summer plans, you may want to consider pre-college summer programs. These programs offer high school students the opportunity to live and learn on a college campus.

In this article, I'll explain the different types of programs and let you know the benefits and drawbacks of attending them. Furthermore, I'll let you know if doing one of these programs can help you get into college.

Are you wondering what the highest and lowest possible scores you can get on the ACT are? And, once you receive your score, what does it mean? Many people find it difficult to understand their ACT score because the exam doesn't use the same kinds of grades your classes do. In this guide, we've converted ACT scores into class grades to make them easier for you to understand.

If you took the ACT on April 9th or if you had friends who did, you might have heard there was a fifth section, which is abnormal. Usually, the ACT has four sections plus an optional writing section: Math, Reading, English, and Science. However, on April 9th, at certain test centers, there were five sections plus an optional writing section: Math, Reading, English, Science, and additional Science. What was this fifth section? Why was it there? I talked to the Director of Public Relations at ACT, Inc., and got the answers!

In Great Gatsby Chapter 8, things go from very bad to much, much worse. There’s an elegiac tone to half of the story in Chapter 8, as Nick tells us about Gatsby giving up on his dreams of Daisy and reminiscing about his time with her five years before. The other half of the chapter is all police thriller, as we hear Michaelis describe Wilson coming unglued and deciding to take bloody revenge for Myrtle’s death.

Get ready for bittersweetness and gory shock, in this The Great Gatsby Chapter 8 summary.