Five Ways To End Writing Procrastination Forever

Are you procrastinating in your writing career?

I vowed to end my procrastination on the day I received an email message from an editor who’s the boss of a magazine I write for. “Sorry. Wish you’d sent the query to me yesterday; I’ve just contracted someone else.”

I *loved* that idea. It was a great idea, because it lent itself to a series of articles. And I’d had it lying on my desk for a couple of weeks. Why didn’t I write a proposal for it and send it instead of procrastinating? It would have taken ten minutes, maximum, and that was precisely the reason I left it. “Won’t take a moment, I’ll do it later,” I thought.

Procrastination can cripple your career. If you’re a creative small business owner — and yes, writers are creative small business owners — it can send you out of business.

I have a friend who’s an excellent copywriter, but she’s a hopeless business person. Rather than send out an invoice as soon as she’s completed a project, she lets them pile up. She lost several thousand dollars last year when a company suddenly folded with her latest invoices unpaid. (A couple were unsent.)

There are any number of reasons why people procrastinate. Most boil down to anxiety and perfectionism. Once you recognize these two demons for what they are, you can manage them with a few simple tools.

Let’s see how.

=> One: Lighten up

I don’t expect all my writing projects to be fun. In fact some of my copywriting work would be boring and frustrating if I allowed myself to feel that way. How interesting are industrial pumps, concrete reinforcing mesh, or dog worming products, after all?

Nevertheless, it’s possible to have fun with ALL your creative projects if you’re determined that it will be fun for you.

How do you make it fun? Here’s how:

* Develop a intense focus on your current work. Just focus on it, to the exclusion of everything else. Attention is the secret.

* Relax. Get up and stretch every half hour if you’re sitting at the computer. While you’re working, deliberately relax all areas of tension you find in your body. Tension builds up and causes stress.

=> Two: Accept creative anxiety

Creative work comes with built-in anxiety. However, it’s possible to reframe it. What if you told yourself that you’re not anxious, you’re excited?

Take several deep breaths, close your eyes, and completely relax. That is, see where you are tense in your body, and let go of any muscular tension in those areas.

Smile. Not a big, fake grin — aim for a small, contented smile.

Now tell yourself that you’ll just do today’s work today. If you’re working on a long project, like a novel, tell yourself that you can quit after five minutes, if you wish. You can put up with anything for five minutes.

You’ll be amazed that your fear will dissolve. What’s left is genuine excitement.

=> Three: Drop perfectionism

The truism: “If it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing well”, is nonsense. Who’s the judge?

Just do your work. Be satisfied if you get words on paper or on the computer screen.

Your first attempts at anything will be crappy. That’s fine. Crappy is excellent for a first draft.

Just get something on paper.

=> Four: Do it YOUR way, not the way it “should” be done, or the way anyone else does it

Everyone has their own way of working. Someone else’s way will not be your way. Do it their way until you find the best way for you.

For example, let’s say you’re writing a novel. There are dozens of ways to write a novel. You can just start writing, and write your first draft straight through. You can use various forms of outlining, like using index cards.

You do it your way. Chisel it into stone if you wish. Write it on antique vellum. Write at midnight, during your lunch hour, at 3am.

Whatever way you choose, do it YOUR way.

=> Five: Ask yourself what your intention is

Intention is everything. Before you begin a task, always ask yourself what your intention is. Write your intention down.

Unspoken, unacknowledged and unrealistic intentions lead to procrastination.

For example, if you’re writing a magazine article, what’s your intention? It could be to get 400 words written in the next couple of hours. OK, write that down as your intention.

Without that written intention, unacknowledged, amorphous intentions floating around in your head could include —

* to make a dollar a word for this article;

* to become famous;

* to prove to my family that I can write; etc.

Who knows what’s floating through your mind?

Nail your intention. Write it down. It relieves your anxiety, because your written intention is always realistic. Hopes, desires and other clutter floating around in your consciousness builds anxiety.

There you go. Now you know how to use five methods to eliminate procrastination forever.

Three Dog Training Commands To A Perfect Pup

Teaching your dog three basic commands at an early stage can help you avoid many safety and behavioral issues down the road.

These commands include “Sit,” “Come Here,” and “Leave It.” Although it sounds simplistic, after housetraining, these three commands may be all you really need. At the very least, they will give you a great base from which to build future training.

The “Sit” command is probably the easiest and most useful, as it potentially stops the dog’s actions at any moment. To begin training for this command, hold a treat in your hand and bring your hand over the dog’s head with a command of “Sit.” When looking up, the dog has a tendency to naturally sit. If he does, give him the treat with praise. If not, gently push the dog’s back end down while gently pulling his collar up while repeating the command of “Sit.” Any time the dog sits, with or without your help, give him the treat and praise him profusely. Repeat this command several times and save additional training for the next day. Continue to practice until your dog responds to the command without your help. Your dog should begin responding to the “Sit” command in several days.

Teaching the command “Come here,” may help keep your dog safer, and eliminate unwanted interaction with others. Full command of this training element can keep your dog from running in the street.

Recall training always works best with positive reinforcement. In other words, make the act of coming to you a positive experience through treats and lavish praise. Never use the command to punish the dog when he comes or give a bath, trim nails, etc. This ensures the dog stays close and comes back often whether you call or not.

Just like a dog’s natural instinct is to sit when a treat is held above his head, a dog will naturally have a tendency to chase you if you run in the opposite direction. Use this method while you are recall training.

Praise the dog while it is running to you to eliminate distraction, especially for a puppy. While a puppy is going to want to come to you more readily than an older dog, it gets distracted in the effort more easily as well.

Train gradually starting inside, moving the distance further and further and into the next room once he gets the idea. Continue to praise and treat whenever he comes to you. When comfortable, move the training outside but make sure it is a safe fenced area. Using a long dog leash (30 feet or more) will also help with the training and keep him safer.

Always reward your dog for responding to his name, especially early on.

When outside, start leash training with a short dog leash and move to a long dog leash to get some distance. Use an upbeat tone with your calls and hold the treat up. Praise your dog verbally as he comes toward you. Take the collar when he reaches you and give the treat and praise.

You may never be fully comfortable leaving your dog completely off leash in an outside, non-enclosed venue, but you can leave a long, lightweight leash on your dog that you could easily catch if needed.

While you are outside, any time he is not distracted and turns to look at you, call him and begin running backward. When he responds by running to you, reward him with treats and praise.

Again, don’t call your dog and scold him or do something he doesn’t enjoy, especially during this training period. The dog should know that coming to you will be a positive experience.

Try not to repeat your call if the dog does not respond. If you continue to repeat it, your dog will ignore the command and you may have to begin the process over with a different verbal cue.

If the dog is already distracted with something, refrain from using the call command at that moment.

The main limitation of this command is that you cannot expect your dog to have the full control with this command until he is out of the puppy stage and able to more easily ignore distractions.

“Leave it” is also a safety command, although I successfully use it in various situation including keeping my Labrador from barking, so it can be widely applicable. It is useful when you do not want the dog to eat something it shouldn’t, like something off the street or the dinner table. The “leave it” command is fairly easy to teach and starts with a dog treat being placed in front of the dog, near enough to entice, but close enough to you that you can grab it ahead of the dog. When the dog begins to go after the treat, you say “leave it” and pick the treat up. Soon you will find the dog will resist for a period of time when you say “leave it.” Begin backing up further and allowing your dog more leeway. Do give the treat to a dog when it obeys this command. You can take this as far as you want, even training the dog to leave the treat while you are out of the room, but I was content to have the command obeyed within eyesight.

No matter how much time you train with your dog, no dog is going to respond all the time. Your dog will have good and bad days as far as response to training goes. Also, when in training, refrain from talking all the time or the dog will tend to ignore your commands. Remaining quiet until you wish to give a command will get your dog’s attention more of the time.

Just remember to keep training fun and short. Work in some play around the training and your dog will see training as just another extension of playtime.

These three commands are fairly easy to train and have the versatility to cover many situations. Used and trained correctly, they may be all you really need to make your best friend a part of the family and keep him safer to enjoy for a lifetime.

Columbus Schools Create SuccessWorks Academy to Combat Poor Conduct and Academics

Columbus Schools’ SuccessWorks Academy will be an alternative education program that aims to provide quality education to those students with continual and often severe behavioral issues. The Columbus Schools’ SuccessWorks Academy plans to admit students beginning in January of 2007. The SuccessWorks Academy will provide education to approximately 150 students in third to seventh grades. The school will not only follow a strong academic curriculum but offer services and trained counselors to address the social, emotional and physical health needs of students. The overall goal of the SuccessWorks Academy is to transition the students back into a regular school environment and give them the skills to participate fully and effectively in a normal school.

The Staff and Curriculum of Columbus Schools’ SuccessWorks Academy

The SuccessWorks Academy will have two teachers for each grade level and support staff that includes a principal, a counselor; a behavior specialist; instructional assistants; a nurse; art, music, and physical education teachers; and a psychologist. Prior to hiring, the staff will have to show that they know how to work successfully with at-risk students, have experience in how ability to apply effective research based instructional practices, have the necessary communication skills needed to work with parents and the skill to document student development on a regular basis.

This is in order to ensure that the most cable teachers are placed in the SuccessWorks Academy. The teachers will have to teach a curriculum tailored to the needs of the student population. Not only the core subject areas of reading, writing, math, science, and social studies, as well as health/physical education and the unified arts but the curriculum will reflect the weakness and strengths of the students determined by pre-entrance examines. This may include the use of individualized, small group and class instruction to better handle the students learning or socialization needs.

Student Selection

As the aim of the SuccessWorks Academy is to have the students return to a regular school environment the student population will be continually changing. The Columbus Schools admissions committee will admit students into the SuccessWorks Academy based on the referrals from schools and the students’ records. Referrals can be based on severe misbehavior as well as documented frequent poor attendance, low academic performance, and lack of social skills. The placement period will be initially set for one semester and the students will be monitored and considered on an individual basis to determine after the first semester if the student is prepared to return to a regular school environment.

This will include serious collaboration with parents and counselors. When the student returns to the regular school environment, the student will receive support for the transition from the school counselor to help assure a successful transition. The support services of the SuccessWorks Academy will follow and maintain a close connection to the student as the student returns to his or her regular school. The school that receives the transitioning student from SuccessWorks Academy will get an all-inclusive report about the student’s growth and future needs. This is a highly innovative program that will improve the Columbus Schools.

Online Learning Programs For Students

Online learning combines information technology and multimedia to provide learning programs for students through the World Wide Web or through a combination of media. Online colleges and traditional colleges provide students with education and a degree but the difference is that online colleges do not require the physical presence of an instructor. Online learning programs are available as standalone courses, Associates, Bachelors, Masters and PhD degrees, completion programs, continuing education courses, and professional certification. Students who wish to earn an online degree can study from a traditional university or an online college that offers distance learning programs.

More and more professionals are opting for online courses as this type of learning allows them to earn additional qualifications without quitting their jobs. Distance learning is particularly suitable for adult learners due to the convenience, 24/7 access, interactive technology and ease of communication. Educational institutes all over the world are now offering a wide variety of online degrees or diplomas for careers in healthcare, business, management, technology and education. An estimated 97 percent of public universities now offer online courses and approximately 3.5 million students are taking at least one class online.

To help the learning process though the internet, online study material, tutors, virtual classrooms and various other web resources are available to the student. Additionally, classroom training is also available at convenient locations for most online courses. Moreover, the pacing, sequencing and style of learning can be adjusted according to individual needs. In an online environment, a student can chat with the instructor and other students at a set time every week or be part of a virtual classroom at a fixed time. It is also possible to get help through email or other web resources that are created for students who are enrolled in online programs.

Online learning has proved beneficial for people who are good communicators, computer savvy and proactive. Statistics prove that individuals who are looking for an online degree are usually over 25 years old, employed, and have previous college experience. Such online learners are usually self-motivated and their course completion rate surpasses that of students enrolled in classroom training programs. The modern methods of online learning enable a student to have access to a rich interactive experience and endless opportunities for learning.

Cisco CCNA Certification Exam Tutorial: The Config Register And Password Recovery

Whether you’re preparing for the CCNA certification exam or not, you must be prepared for the following question:

“Hey, I reloaded this router and it wants an enable password. Do you know it?”

Because if you don’t, and there’s no one available who does, you need to perform a password recovery technique on the router – without erasing the current configuration. This involves manipulating the config register, and a misstep here can be fatal to the router’s chances of recovery!

Obviously, that can make you pretty nervous about changing the config register, CCNA or not. Different Cisco routers and switches have different techniques for password recovery, so the following discussion is limited to the 2500 series. If you need to do this for another model, do a quick search engine check for “password recovery cisco” and you should quickly find a document for the Cisco router you’re working with.

For the 2500 series, you start by reloading the router and sending a BREAK signal during the first 60 seconds of the reload. Depending on the terminal program you’re using, this can be the hardest part of the entire process! For most, just press CTRL-BREAK during this one-minute period. If this doesn’t work, you may need to check Help in your terminal program to find out how to send this break signal.

As a result of the break sequence, the router will go into ROM Monitor mode. The commands here are totally different than the ones you’re used to working with in the router’s IOS. Use the command o/r 0x2142 to change the config register setting, and reload the router by entering the letter “i”.

This config register setting doesn’t erase anything, but it does make the router ignore the contents of NVRAM. This means that you’ll be prompted to go into the dreaded Setup Mode, which you do NOT want to do. Simply press “N” and type “enable” when you’re at the router prompt. (If you do go into Setup Mode, you can always get out with CTRL-C, a handy command to know for the CCNA exam and for real life, as you can see!)

Be very careful with the next step. You want to enter the command “configure memory” or “copy start run” at this point – don’t enter “write memory” or “copy run start”. Success on the CCNA exam and in working with real-world networks is all about the details, and this is a very important detail.

At this point, you can look at the running configuration and see the passwords, and change them if you wish. However, we’re not done. The config register needs to be set back to its default of 0x2102, and you do so with the global command “config-register 0x2102”. Now you want to save your config with “write memory” or “copy run start”, and reload the router. The router will now boot as it normally would.

Knowing how to recover from a lost password is a vital skill for both the Cisco CCNA certification exam and for success in real-world networks. It’s not something we have to do every day, but when the time calls for it, we have to do it correctly and completely – and that includes that final config-register change!

Online Education Teaching Degrees

One occupation that is always in need of trained individuals is the teaching profession. Schooling requirements span the entire field of teaching making gaining a degree in the field direct and specialized. Many online colleges offer a wide range of degree distinctions for aspiring teachers. Individuals can choose their education track based on what age group they would like to teach as well as what subject they would like to teach.

Every public school and most private schools require a teachers at any grade level to hold a bachelor’s degree and a license to teach. State requirements vary but most requirements usually have students gaining their degree, teaching for at least one semester, and passing a state exam based on all the knowledge obtained through schooling. Accredited online schools strive to successfully prepare students to gain their professional licensure. Schooling options are vast and allow prospective students to use their passion when gaining a degree.

Options for online degree distinctions range from a bachelor’s degree to a doctorate in teaching. Each level requires different education, which will vary depending on the subject of study and program selected. Options for teaching also include degrees in special education. Each program will center on the knowledge needed to be successful when teaching. Prospective students can gain a degree that allows them to teach kindergarten to third grade, kindergarten to sixth grade, kindergarten to eighth grade, and through high school.

Students who move on to earn their master’s degree or doctorate can teach at every level of education. Most college and university professors hold at least a master’s if not a doctorate. Individuals who are already teachers can take summer classes and earn credit towards the next degree distinction they want. The upside to this is even if an individual who has a bachelor’s degree has not yet earned enough credits to hold a master’s degree they will be paid more. Teachers earn a higher pay based on how many schooling credits they hold and how long they’ve been working.

Gaining a bachelor’s degree in education leaves prospective students a wide range of online schools to choose from. A good first step before entering into a program is to pick what grade levels you want to teach as well as what subject. Courses and requirements for a bachelor’s degree will vary depending on those two aspects. Most bachelor’s degree programs can take up to four years to complete. The first two years of education could have students working through courses that are geared towards general education. After students complete the first two years of core curriculum they will move into their specialized training for the subject and grade level they want to teach. Upon completion of the entire program including student teaching, a student must pass the state exam to become licensed. Although state requirements vary for licensure the same exam is taken, the PRAXIS, which will cover the information for the subject and age level a teacher will work with.

Use your passion and help the future leaders, doctors, teachers, and artists reach their goals. Search out a education degree program that fits your career goals and begin your training in a highly fulfilling career.

DISCLAIMER: Above is a GENERIC OUTLINE and may or may not depict precise methods, courses and/or focuses related to ANY ONE specific school(s) that may or may not be advertised at PETAP.org.

Copyright 2010 – All rights reserved by PETAP.org.

How To Earn Your Carpentry Qualifications Through Online Woodworking Courses

If you are a busy adult who is looking for a way to earn your carpentry certificates, you’ll be delighted to know that you there are many courses which you can enroll online. These online courses are great because you can study during the night or whenever you’re free so that you don’t need to quit your day job. Upon finishing these courses, you will get a certificate or degree to prove that you have successfully finished your course.

Nowadays, not having a certificate or degree to prove your qualifications can put you in a very unfavorable position when you’re asking for better salary. Furthermore, getting the required qualifications is essential if you wish to be qualified for just about any apprenticeship programs. In fact, the fastest way to be an professional carpenter is through education, practical training and most importantly, experience. Believe it or not, most carpenters who have great skills are unable to ask for a higher pay simply because they do not have the certificates or degrees to prove their qualifications.

Just like any other normal courses in carpentry, these online courses will teach you how to work with wood, lumber, hands and tools, building layout, interior scaffolds, roof framework and many more. As you progress further into the course, you will start learning more about home windows, doorways, decks, ceiling finish, interior trim, cabinets, countertops along with other areas in the home which are related to woodworking.

You will also learn some finishing lessons such as the proper way to finish walls, flooring, and roofs. All of these abilities are extremely helpful if you wish to find jobs within the remodeling and construction business. Most people seem to think that being a carpenter is all about working with wood. This is not true as you will soon realize that you can also work with non-wood materials such as metals, plastic along with other synthetic materials.

In a nutshell, investing your time and resources in good carpentry courses is important if you want to be a successful carpenter. After finishing your courses, you will need to have some working experience to further polish your skills. If you’re capable of finishing your work quickly as well as in a fashion that’s in line with environment laws and regulations and rules, people will start to like your work and soon, you will be so famous that almost any major companies will want to hire you.

College Student Resume – Three Tips To Get You Started

Resumes are a necessary part of the job search process and as college students are preparing to graduate or enter the work force, their first resume needs to create a powerful first impression. College student resumes are going to differ slightly from a resume of a person who has been working for several years and is changing careers or positions, as their work experience and employment history will be showcased more prominently. So can a college student resume still create that strong impact and get those interview calls coming? Absolutely! Here are some tips to consider when creating your resume right out of college.

  • Tip #1 – Format Is Everything. If you have never written a resume before, you might think that there is only one resume format available and that you must write your resume to that exact format. Wrong! There are several resume formats available and they each have their own pros and cons. The three standard resume formats that are widely used in the job market today are the chronological, functional, and combination (or hybrid) formats. Choose a format that compliments your prior work history during college or one that focuses more on showcasing your skills and achievements during your time in school. Extra tip – We’ve written hundreds of resumes and our most popular format for college student resumes is the combination resume format.
  • Tip #2 – What’s Your Objective? Starting your resume with a plain and boring resume objective statement is not going to make the impression that you need to stand out from the crowd. Everyone knows that you are hard-working and they expect you to be a team player and so on. What you need is a powerful paragraph that sets the stage for the rest of your resume. That type of a paragraph is known as a skill summary or a summary of qualifications. A summary of qualifications can effectively present your college experience in a way that’s attractive to your potential employer, by focusing on your skills and what you can bring to the table.
  • Tip #3. – Fill Their Needs In Your Resume With Your Skills. When you are first coming out of college, most employers will see that you do not have a wealth of employment experience. This does not mean that your resume can’t be just as effective in demonstrating what you can offer your potential employer. If you do not have a wealth of employment experience under your belt, then we recommend selecting the combination resume format and really showcase your skills up front in your resume. What skills do you include on your college student resume? All of the skills you’ve been acquiring during your college education! There are many that you many not have even thought of so here’s a quick way to being listing some of them with a simple brainstorming process. Begin by writing a list of all of the associations, organizations, activities, clubs, events and more that you have ever participated in during your college career. Next to each item, try and list some of the skills that were needed to perform any of the functions or if you lead the event, what was required of you? For Example: If you were a member of a fraternity or student council, did you hold any offices or chair any committees? Did you assist with planning or organizing any events? If so, then list those great skills such as communication, coordination, leadership, organization, time management, and others on your brainstorming sheet an include them in your resume.

College student resumes can be powerful and effective when they demonstrate a graduate’s skills and ability to make an immediate impact for a company. So take time to review what you’ve accomplished over your college education and the skills you’ve acquired and make that the start of a great resume.

Here’s to success in your job search!
– Scott

Life Coaching and NLP – Differences and Similarities

Isn’t life coaching the same as NLP? Very often people ask me this question. The short answer is: No.

Attending countless London life coaching and NLP events, I found it surprising how many people confuse Life Coaching with NLP. Sometimes even life coaches and NLP practitioners themselves confuse the two. Although they overlap in many different areas, they are also inherently different.

The Origins

The exact origins of coaching are difficult to track down. And it’s because its origins date way back in time. The practice itself has existed for decades but only recently it has been termed as Life Coaching. In the UK and London it emerged during the 90s. Unfortunately this makes defining life coaching tricky. And asking five different coaches what it is that they do will probably result in, at least, five different answers. One reason might be that this profession covers almost every walk of life, be it business, career, relationships, health, wealth, spirituality etc. The one thing that is common between all of them is their aim to get their clients to achieve results.

How NLP originated, is on the other hand, well documented. And unlike coaching, any NLP practitioner should be able to explain exactly what NLP is. There are lots of material on what NLP is and how it came to be; therefore it isn’t necessary to revisit this here.

The Process

Generally speaking, coaches start with identifying what is it exactly that a client wants to change. Many clients would know what they want, for example changing their job, losing weight, finding a partner, getting a promotion, improving their business etc. There are cases however where clients don’t know what it is that they want. Figuring this out is the prerequisite to a successful coaching process. Following that, coaches lead their clients into developing a detailed plan to achieve their goals, taking into consideration any challenges that might come along the way. Then progress will be measured and the process will be sped up, slowed down, or modified according to constant feedback.

Similar to a life coach, an NLP practitioner’s objective is also to identify specifically what the clients want and lead them to acquiring it. There is one major difference however. Where a life coach’s main concern is the present and the future, an NLP practitioner will sometimes dig into the past. The reason is because NLP can be therapeutic and it could help rid clients from any negative emotions, limiting beliefs, limiting decisions etc. that are holding them back. For example, a woman might take all the right steps to meet the man of her dreams. Or a man might do all what it takes to buy his first house. But if she feels not good enough or if he feels he doesn’t deserve it, they both will very likely fail to reach their goals.

The Result

Both life coaching and NLP work towards a positive outcome. And even though they might follow different paths, these paths will very often intersect. Any experienced coach or NLP practitioner will tell you that both areas could heavily depend on each others. If a client wants to create more wealth when the client firmly believes that only deceitful people are wealthy, creating wealth will be very challenging. Similarly a knowledgeable NLP practitioner will know that destroying this limiting decision without tasking the client with action steps and committing the client to them, will get the client nowhere.

Conclusion

Whether you see life coaching and NLP to be very different or very similar, what holds true is that to get the best results possible, both are unquestionably essential. If you’re looking to rid yourself from negative emotions, phobias, negative attachments to the pasts and the like, then an NLP practitioner might be the right choice for you. If on the other hand you’re looking to achieve more, reach goals and so on, then a life coach might be the right choice for you.

Looking for the Perfect Career Change Cover Letter Examples?

When looking for career change cover letter examples there are certain formulas to follow. Career change cover letter examples will usually show exactly how the introductory letter should be set out and what it should contain.

Many career change cover letter examples will show the potential employee’s address in the top corner. In most cases, your name should sit on the first line, with address and include city-state and relevant zip code with current phone number beneath it. You can also write your email address after the phone number. Then, follow with the date.

Career change cover letter examples will often have the address and relevant information of the prospective employer. Try to include the name and title of the person who the cover letter will target, if it is known. Then the company address follows all keeping to the left side of the page.

The addresses of career change cover letter examples follow the regular letter style. Dear Sir or Madam, or if the name of the individual is known, use this for the salutation.

The first paragraph of any career change cover letter examples should be an introduction and concise opening sentence. “I am writing to express and interest in (the position) with your company listed on (insert name) website.” (Insert relevant information, job title and newspaper or website where the job was seen)

Then the career change cover letter examples move into showing why the applicant is suitable for the position mentioned. This is where experience and relevance to the new position is listed clearly. “I feel with my experience in (specify which field) and my success as a (name previous career) make me an ideal candidate for this position.”

Career change cover letter examples have the added advantage of having previous experiences to list. This is an integral component to a career change cover letter. Being able to rely on previous successes and skills can enhance the applicants’ chances of getting the position.

List down key attributes that are involved in the selected career and then immediately state how your previous experiences or training address each one. Try to minimize the section in a few affirming words. You are not writing an essay, but a topic overview in positive terms.

For example:

Experience has helped me develop expertise many aspects of the position mentioned. My strengths include but are not limited to:

List strengths: Give examples of where your skills have been demonstrated successfully.

These attributes can be listed in point form. Keep these strengths limited to those that suit the position you are applying for.

Customize each cover letter to suit the position and company. Research the company involved and apply any information gathered to the cover letter where applicable.