How to Write a Cover Letter
Download as PPT, PDF4 likes843 views
The document provides guidance on how to write an effective cover letter, including common mistakes to avoid. It recommends customizing each cover letter for the specific job and company by highlighting relevant skills and experience, demonstrating strong motivation, and validating claims with examples. Template letters and lying should be avoided, as employers will research applicants and may reject reused or dishonest letters. Proper spelling, punctuation and formatting are also important to make a good impression.
How to Write a Cover Letter
- 1. How to Write a Cover Letter? Good Practices & Common Mistakes Svetlin Nakov Telerik Academy academy.telerik.com Technical Trainer www.nakov.com
- 2. Secrets of Successful Cover Letter Good design / layout Use your own words! Be unique Point what you want next Write what the employer wants! Explain you have the skills! Demonstrate motivation!
- 3. Table of Contents Why We Need a Cover Letter? Template-Based Cover Letters How to Write a Good Cover Letter? Lying in the Cover Letter? Donât Make Mistakes! Good and Bad Cover Letters â Live Examples
- 4. Why Do We Need a Cover Letter?
- 5. What is the Cover Letter? The cover letter (CL) is a way of: Introducing yourself to a potential employer Explaining why you are suitable for the position Employers look for individualized and thoughtfully written cover letters You put time writing CL ď you are serious This is a method of screening out applicants who Are not sufficiently interested in their position Who lack necessary basic skills
- 6. What is the Cover Letter? (2) Cover letters can be: The application letter or invited cover letter Responds to a known job opening The prospecting letter or uninvited cover letter Inquires about possible positions
- 7. Why We Need a Cover Letter? The cover letter is the best way to show how motivated you are Also known as letter of motivation Why you want to start a career in this particular company? Why at exactly this position? Why in this sphere? Why you have the skills? Etc.
- 8. Companies Requesting Cover Letters Some people think that nobody reads the cover letters Consider them a meaningless requirement Such people believe that strong CV and rich experience is enough In some companies this could be true, but in the best employers this is great mistake If a cover letter is requested Be sure it will be read At least at a glance
- 9. What We Gain from Cover Letter? In the most prestigious and well-structured companies the cover letter is very important The human resources (HR) team at the company definitely reads it If the cover letter is impressive You will be immediately contacted and invited to an interview Even if your experience is not great Impressive cover letter opens doors !
- 10. Cover Letters: Remember It is always worth to send a well-prepared and impressive cover letter Unique, especially written for exactly this company and exactly this job position Never "reuse" your cover letters! A great cover letter for certain company and job position is bad for another company / position
- 11. Cover Letters: Beware If you apply for a second time in given company Be sure to rewrite your cover letter Most good companies will disregard your application when you reuse the cover letter The same cover letter means that Your motivation has not changed Your qualification is not changed They should reject you again
- 12. Recruiters Will Research You! Be sure that the HR professionals will try to find all the information about you they can They will search in Google about you They will try to find your Facebook profile They will try to find information about you from current employees
- 13. The HR Will Research You (2) The HR professionals never forget if you had ever sent a bad job application They will find you, be sure! Thatâs why you should always carefully prepare your job application before sending it Think a bit how to proceed the next time when you apply for a job
- 15. Template-Based Cover Letters The best way to guarantee a failure when applying for a job is To use a template-based cover latter Once we received a really "nice" cover letter: â Dear âŚ, I would like to apply for Your Company because I am skillful and highly enthusiastic candidate. I want to grow in Your Company, to improve my knowledge and skills. Your company is the best and I want to be part of it. I am hard worker and I am sure I will help your business to grow.â
- 16. Template-Based Cover Letters (2) When using a template for cover letters You say nothing about why you want exactly this position in exactly this company How your experience in the past will help you do exactly this job Why you really match the requirements from the job offer Phrases like â Your Company â are always evil ! Once we received a cover letter starting with â Dear ⌠â (with dots left from the template)
- 17. How to Write a Good Cover Letter?
- 18. A Good Cover Letter A good cover letter : Shows that you apply exactly for this company , not some other You are interested in this particular company and this particular position Not just looking for some job Shows you have a clear idea of the position What your future responsibilities will be, etc. Your skills match the requirements You have great motivation for this job
- 19. What is a Good Cover Letter? Good cover letter writers first carefully read About the company About the offered position The detailed job description The requirements stated in the job offer Hint : write 1-2 sentences for each requirement Not directly following the job description Not exactly in the order as in the job offer Not exactly with the same words and phrases
- 20. Example Job Offer Requirement You could write for example: examine and analyze the technical documentation of competitors In my previous job I had to read a lot of technical documentation and thus I believe that I will be able to find, read and analyze various types of articles, documents, manuals, etc. Donât use exactly this sentence in your CL Say it with your words, matching your experience If you donât have similar experience, say for example: Use your own words I like to read blogs and articles and I know that technical documentation is different but it should also be interesting and challenging.
- 21. Example Job Offer Requirement (2) It is a bad idea to write: How you prove this? What are your arguments? If you are not good in something Just skip writing about it You canât say you are good at something without any arguments How you know you are good in this Just describe it I am very good in examining and analyzing the technical documentation of competitors.
- 22. Matching the Requirements You could write something like: The above could never be used as a template It depends on your past experience, interests, skills, personal character qualities, etc. excellent communication skills I believe I have a sense of communication because I had organized a small technical seminar at school and at the university where I needed to contact the speakers, arrange the seminar venue, invite the attendees, attract sponsors, etc. Given the following requirement:
- 23. Bad Ideas Example of a bad way to directly match the requirements: Similar nonsense claim is: Saying something without arguments is always a bad idea Either argument well your statement or just donât talk about it I have excellent communication skills. I am 18 years old and I have very rich experience in professional project management in large teams.
- 24. Who to Address in the Cover Letter? This is a common question It is best if you can research who will be reading your cover letter That way you can address him directly It is risky You can misspell the name, e.g. If you don't know the exact person Write ' Mr./Mrs. ', ' HR Manager ', etc. Something more common Dear Svetlin Nikolov and Training staff,
- 25. Lying in the Cover Letter? Do You Really Need to Do It?
- 26. Lying in Cover Letter Never lie ! Example: If you lie in your CV or cover letter You will be caught at the interview and you will get fired Write in the cover letter something Matching the requested requirements Supported by true, valid arguments I have 10 years of experience with Silverlight.
- 27. Validate Your Arguments You could prove that you match certain requirements either By showing similar experience By saying you have read about this in the past By sharing that you have a friend who always talks to you about this and have show it to you You explain you want to learn this, you had read an article and watched a video tutorial Always use valid arguments and never lie If you say you are âŚ, find supporting arguments
- 28. Validate Your Arguments (2) Another example: How you prove this? You could say that or better explain that Use valid arguments based on past experience Not only work experience, but general I am a hard-worker ⌠at the university I always had high grades because I always have come very well prepared for the exams ⌠⌠when an important work is waiting, I cannot sleep until I get it done âŚ
- 29. Donât Make Mistakes! Spelling, Punctuation and Formatting Mistakes
- 30. Avoid Mistakes When writing your CV and cover letter, use a spell checker Donât make spelling mistakes, punctuation mistakes, etc. MS Word / Google Docs / OpenOffice have very good spell checkers Just use them!
- 31. Formatting Mistakes Format your CV and cover letter well At this point you can use templates Just type " sample cover letter " in Google and you will find examples Be sure to use only the styles, layout and formatting from the best examples you find Never use the text inside Some employers use an automated software to check for template-based cover letters Be sure to write it entirely in your words
- 32. Good and Bad Cover Letters Live Demo
- 33. Homework Find in Internet a job opening related to you skills and interests Research the employer and offered position Following our guidelines write a cover letter for applying for this job position Carefully prepare and send a job application Just for training, to gain experience You could always cancel an eventual interview invitation
- 34. How to Write a Cover Letter? Questions?
- 35. Thank You!