So you’ve put in your time, you’ve proved your value to the company, and you’re going to continue doing so. And you know that money is tight, so asking for a raise isn’t practical.

What you want are stock options. Or more stock options.

But how do you ask for stock options? What’s your justification; how do you not come off sounding arrogant or pompous or demanding? How do you not put your job on the line?

Here are some specific tips.

I’ve seen thousands of cover letters and hundreds of resumes hiring software developers, web designers, copyeditors, salesman, and admins for my company,

Something about that statistic should jump out at you — I’ve read far fewer resumes than cover letters. That’s because your cover letter is a critical component of getting your resume read.

But there’s another statistic that isn’t as obvious: I don’t read most of the cover letters I receive!

Why not? Because most cover letters are so horrible that they get trashed immediately.

Don’t get auto-trashed. Here’s some tips for writing a killer cover letter that will get your resume into the “Good” pile.