What is a cover letter

Looking for a standard pattern for writing cover
(or motivation) letters? Unfortunately, there is not
such a thing. In general, a cover letter aims at
convincing your prospective employer that you
are the appropriate candidate.

In order to answer: “why should he/she hire
you?”, try to demonstrate:

› Why your goals are aligned with the company’s
ones.
e.g. As a “green” consumer, I am totally
aligned with your goals and policies.

› Why you derive satisfaction from the specific
role.
e.g. I regard it as a great opportunity to develop
my strengths.

› How you fit to the culture of the company.
e.g. Working for a multicultural organization is
ideal for me since..

› How you can contribute at the company’s
targets.
e.g. I truly believe I can add to the overall
company growth by expanding the existing
market.

A cover letter should

› Reveal experiences and aspects of your
personality that you can not communicate
through your CV.
e.g. Website development is more than a hobby
for me as..

› Express motivation for the position or the
organization you apply for.
e.g. Working for a market leader is important for
me because..

› Link your skills and qualifications with the job
requirements.
e.g. This position requires open-mined people
and my background clearly reveals that..

› Present yourself as someone willing to take
responsibilities/initiatives.
e.g. ..and I look forward to participating in new
projects

Numerous sample motivation/cover letters can
be found here.