I composed this cover letter this morning in response to a Craigslist ad for a "Corporate Trainer." I got a call back within 2 hours. Sadly, they started with the travel requirements of the job which were just too high for me. But I was still excited to get the call. Thought I'd share the cover letter.

I'm an excellent cook. That's got nothing to do with training, but after reading 1,500 cover letters, I hope you'll find it's different than the same old opening. It also means I'm not only confident in my job-related skills, but I can sweeten the pot with some awesome dishes at office potlucks.

While it's been a while since I was on stage, I emceed the open mic at a major Los Angeles comedy club in the late 1980s, and in the 90s I presented online marketing seminars to business groups around Los Angeles. I am comfortable and natural speaking in front of large groups on a variety of topics.

I also have extensive writing experience, experience with documentation and courseware development, and solid web development and content management experience.

I've attached my resume and I believe you'll find that my broad range of experience and skills makes your task of finding the right person for this job that much easier.

Just got the following e-mail slipping through my spam filters. I'll post it below, then show you how to tell it's a scam.

From:Enid Friend <[they used MY e-mail address as the From address]>
Received: from [93.122.135.24] (helo=abbotsford.k12.wi.us)
Subject: Position Opening

Hello

Prime Group has a new vacancy opened in your region.
Please read this email and see if you will be a good match for this available position!
Prime Group Inc. is a world-famous company founded in Eastern Europe with branches throughout Europe, Asia and North America.

Two to three hours a day in the leisure of your home performing your duties over the Internet is sufficient for this position.
We provide one month paid training period. During your training you receive online training and phone support.
At the end of the evaluation period supervisor will make the final decision to extend job offer or not.

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Just got the following scam spam slipping in through my mail filters. I'll post the e-mail, then point out the red flags after it.

From: Arline Hazel <bhufruau5579@hotmail.com>
Subject: ProLineGames_J0B (700).

Company name: ProLineGames ltd.
Job title: Project Coordinator
Position type: Part-Time/Virtual office
Location: US only
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Seems like every time I update my resume on Careerbuilder, I can expect three groups to contact me: franchise consultants, people pushing MLM opportunities, and insurance companies looking for people to become agents. The most consistent of the ones in the third category is Farmer's Insurance.

Whether or not I mention a sales background on my resume, whether or not I express an interest in sales, Farmer's can be relied upon, like Clockwork, to send me a recruiting e-mail.

"Based on my initial review of your resume, I believe you may be an excellent fit for our Career Opportunity in sales..." Like how he capitalizes "career opportunity"? At least it's not in all caps. Still, what about my resume made him believe I'd be an excellent fit? I've e-mailed that question to the sender and I'll let you know what he says... if he responds.