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Also, if the person mentioned in the article didn’t write it, I try to connect with the writer first to get background info. I usually search Google or Elyion.com. Either way it’s surprising what you can discover. On several occasions, I’ve even called the author of an article when the person appeared in an interview in the business section of the newspaper. Reporters are great resources.

3. Question or headline: “How often have breakdowns in information technology cost your business time and money? I can help.”

I love this approach and use it when all else fails because it’s still a strong opener. I adopted it from Tony Peranello’s book, Selling to VITO (VITO stands for Very Important Top Officer). The book is a brilliant primer on booking appointments. It masterfully explains how to draw attention to your accomplishments in a manner that screams, YOU WANT TO MEET ME!

As a Guerrilla, you know that you may only have a hiring manager’s attention for a few seconds, so get to the point. Once you have a reader’s attention, you must supply him with information that stokes his desire to read more and more until he has to call you.

Every sentence matters. Every paragraph must connect. Your thoughts must be crystal clear and written to benefit the reader—not you—so that when you ask for a meeting, he understands it’s in his best interest.

■ HOW TO ASK FOR THE INTERVIEW IN YOUR LETTER

For years I’ve told friends and colleagues to close their cover letters this way, and it’s worked very well for them. Here’s that example closing again:

I will call you Tuesday, June 10, at 8:30 AM to arrange a time for the two of us to talk. If this is not a convenient time, please ask Ms. Smith to call me and suggest an alternative.

Note: You need to get the name of the hiring manager’s assistant or the person who opens their mail, then put that “gatekeeper’s” name in the letter. The effect of this is extremely powerful. It tells the reader, “Hey, this person was motivated enough to find out who sets my schedule. If they’re doing clever things like this now, before we’ve even met, I wonder what kind of creative solutions this person might deliver when he [or she] is on my team?”

How will the hiring manager respond to this “ask for the interview” tactic?

Like the Sex Pistols, asking for the interview in your cover letter might be loved, it might be hated, but it will always get a reaction. Specifically, the hiring manager who reads it might:

• Throw it out.

• Call you right away.

• Ask his assistant to call you and tell you when he’s available.

• Make a note on his schedule and wait for your call at the appointed time.

More often than not, he or she will call you right away or wait to see if you call at the appointed day and time. People who have used this closing in their letters have reported that the hiring managers have picked up the call on the first ring and said, “I was sitting here waiting to see if you would call.” As you can see, it’s vital that you follow through on this.

If the person isn’t there when you call, leave a message stating, “Sorry I missed you. I will be waiting for your call back between [give a specific time span] today.” If this doesn’t work, call his assistant and ask to schedule a call or meeting. If he is at all interested in you—and he should be because you researched his needs ahead of time—he will call.

■ BONUS! ONE UNUSUAL WAY TO END YOUR GUERRILLA COVER LETTER

Here’s a quirky, unusual and, for true Guerrilla Job Hunters, excellent way to end your cover letter—include a P.S. at the end, after your name and signature.

Let me explain.

Go open your junk mail right now (or fish it out of the trash). By junk mail, I mean all those letters that try to sell you credit cards, magazine subscriptions, 10 CDs for a penny, and so on. Look at the bottom of each sales letter. What do you see? Ninety-eight out of 100 times, you’ll find a P.S. at the end.

Why? Because over the past 100 years, direct-mail copywriters have