Just as Goldilocks was suspicious of big bad wolf, be wary of big bad word! You know kind. Pursuant. Heretofore. Credence and all their contagious cousins! Unless you keep your guard up, these little pests will infest your cover letters like termites in a wood pile! Don't let them.

Remember, employers are regular folks--just like you and me. They don't want to carry around a ten-pound dictionary in order to get through what should be a clear and concise cover letter. Decide today that you will communicate with your potential employer as though you were two friends sitting over a cup of coffee. Everyday language, a touch of humor, and specific details about what you can do for company and why you're one for job will take you further than any five-dollar word you heard on a national spelling bee!

Not only is such writing a waste of your time, result is totally ineffective. The hiring manager is likely to read one sentence, then toss letter into trash--your hopes and dreams with it.

Don't let that be your fate. Take charge of your cover letter now. Choose words anyone can recognize and understand and write in a friendly manner that will bring your unique personality to page.

Try this:

I recently saw a program on television wherein participants discussed degree to which present day computer technology has contributed to our economy, well-being and our ability to communicate. They pointed out many ways that this technology was already obsolete and that further refinements will impact our future in ways we dare not imagine.

This scares me.

This advancement precipitates an increasing reliance on computer skills and "push envelope" technology. This over-emphasis tends to wean people away from original thinking. Over years I've seen many very bright people let their computers do their thinking for them. They became un- suspecting victims of somebody else=s thinking. This robbed them of their individuality and innovative skills.

I've been a student and practitioner of creative thinking all my life. I was a creative consultant long before Internet was a factor. From my admittedly bias point of view, I think time has come to champion a new technology. The next technological breakthrough should be re-discovery of creative thinking!

* The kind of individual creativity and innovative genius that built our free enterprise system. * The kind of uncluttered common sense creativity that is devoid of academic "isms" and "ologies". * The kind of creativity that existed (and worked!) long before time and technology distorted its relevance and simplicity

Webster defines creative thinking as "the ability to be productive through imaginative skills". Take a moment to think about what this really says. "The ability to be productive". To be productive , according to Webster, is to "establish results, benefits and profits". And how does he suggest that we do this? He says it should be "through imaginative skills". Notice that he makes no reference to technological skills or training. He says nothing about academic proficiency, administrative talents or scanning Internet. He mentions only one method and that is to utilize imagination And imagination, he reminds us, is Athe forming of mental images (ideas) of things not present to senses or never before wholly perceived@.

IDEAS! As important as modern day technological tools are, it should be realized that throughout all recorded history nothing was ever accomplished, no goal was ever reached, no need was ever met and no problem was ever solved that didn't begin with an idea !