Why are these cover letters the "FIRST and BEST" on the Internet? Here's the story. I collected letters for 10 years, writing them myself, or in conjunction with my career clients. What distinguishes these letters is that they are REAL—used by REAL people in REAL job campaigns and career transitions—and they produced REAL results: interviews, consulting assignments, and job offers.

In 1988 there were literally 60 different resume books at Barnes&Noble—but none on cover letters. I sensed a big need. As a career consultant in the trenches, I had met hundreds of bright, talented job seekers who could make enormous contributions to the world, but didn't have the words to get themselves in the door—hence, they were lost.

I submitted a book manuscript to 10 publishers, secured four contracts, and Ten Speed Press published the book as 200 Letters For Job Hunters in 1989. The book went through several printings, and in 1993 we revised, edited, and re-issued it. Total sales to date are 100,000 copies, good for a non-fiction title, and the book still sells briskly in bookstores and on Amazon.com.

In 1996 I made the full contents of the 200 Letters For Job Hunters—all 348 pages—available on the Internet free of charge, and added 50 new letters, bringing the total to 250. It was my way of giving back for CareerLab's tremendous success. A year later, I modified it as "RED HOT Cover Letters" for the Career Center at America Online, where it became one of AOL's most popular features.

In 2000, with the collapse of the Internet bubble and downfall of the economy in general, we began charging a modest subscription fee to cover the costs of maintaining, revising, and expanding the collection.

Yes, I remember packing 200 Letters For Job Hunters into cardboard boxes, taping them closed, typing labels, licking postage, and dropping books into mailboxes for a two, three, or four-day trip. Today, you can browse the letters instantly from any desktop in the world. Terrific improvement! It is my hope that these letters will make a big difference in your life, that they will be just the door-openers you need.