Dear Scott,

I really enjoy reading (and re-reading) your book. It covers so much
using so little and with humor too. I am faced with a problem and
would really like to hear your advice. I am a fresh grad residing in
Singapore and have been looking for a job for about 3 months now. I
know 3 months might not sound long to others and I shouldn't be
panicking, but it doesn't help when all the friends around me are
employed.

My resume is set up according to your instructions and I have always
tried to respect the reader's time. I kept a clear focus and only
applied to openings which I am interested. However, replies were very
few (2 in 30 odd applications) and I get the feeling that my resume
and cover letter isn't doing what they are supposed to do.

I get the (gut) feeling that the problem lies with my lack of work
experience. I gave up my summer holidays and the chance for an
internship to study for my CFA exams. I am interested in entering the
finance industry and be a research analyst and hence my enrollment in
the CFA Program. To date, I have passed the level 2 exams but am
without any work experience.

I badly need your advice as to what I should do; there are very few
companies offering winter internships over here and I really want to
do equities research. During these months, I have been learning Excel
and VBA and reading books on equities and books by Dale Carnegie. I
would really appreciate if you will give some advice to a fresh
graduate like me. Thank you for your time Scott.

Yours Sincerely,
Robby