Most people believe that by writing a resume, they already have a good chance of being hired by their dreams. However, few know that a single resume, or Curriculum Vitae (CV), is not enough. It is necessary to make sure that the employer of the many resumes sent to him is the first to consider yours. You can (and should) tell about your suitability and motivation by using a cover letter - Cover Letter (or Cover Letter for CV). An example in English will be covered in this article.
How to write Cover Letter in English
You will learn what a cover letter should include and get a widespread algorithm for writing a cover letter for your resume. For some professions, how to write Cover Letter in English, an example will be given separately.
The named letter includes the words of greeting, the reason for the letter, a description of the skills and abilities of the candidate for the position and the words of farewell. Further, we will similarly consider each item.
Greetings or greetings
As in any other letter, an address to the addressee must be present in the Cover letter. Example in English: âDear Mr. Smith! " (Dear Mr. Smith!) Or âDear Ms. Adams! " (Dear Mrs. Adams). If there is such an opportunity, then you should find out the name of the person you are going to contact. If this is not possible, then you can restrict yourself simply to âDear Hiring Manager!â (Dear HR Manager). Greetings like âHelloâ or âHiâ (Hello) should be avoided, as it involves more informal communication. Also, it is not worth writing in a generalized way: âTo whom it may concernâ.
However, if you are writing a cover letter in English for a Russian company, then âGood morning, Alexander Mikhailovichâ (Good morning, Alexander Mikhailovich) or âHello, Marina Segreevnaâ (Hello, Marina Sergeevna) may be more familiar.
After the greeting, you need to leave one line blank and introduce yourself. âMy name is Maria Pavlovaâ (My name is Maria Pavlova) or âMy name is Sergei Kotovâ (My name is Sergey Kotov). After this sentence, you also need to skip one line.
Reason for writing
Next, you need to state the purpose and reason for the letter in your Cover Letter. Example in English: âI am writing to apply for the position of a manager ...â (I am writing to you about the managerâs vacancy ...) or â I saw your job vacancy on the ... websiteâ (I found your vacancy on the ... website â. In the latter case, you can attach a link to the vacancy.
If someone you know recommended the job in question, you could write: âI was told that your company was looking for a photographerâ (I was told that your company is looking for a photographer).
There may be such an option when your potential employer asks you to send him your resume. Even if he does not say anything about the cover letter, this does not mean that he does not need to be written. Itâs just that the employer takes for granted that the candidate already knows that the resume should be supported by a cover letter. In this case, you can write the following phrase in Cover Letter: "I'm now sending you my resume as you asked" (I am sending you my resume, as you requested). If your friend recommended this job or company, you can write: âAlex Jones, a colleague of mine, said that your company is looking for a lawyerâ (My colleague Alex Jones told me that your company is looking for a lawyer).
Here are some more examples:
âI would like to learn about employment opportunities in the sales department mentioned on website of your companyâ (I would like to know about the employment opportunities in the sales department that were mentioned on your companyâs website).
It is also worth mentioning that you attach your resume (and portfolio, if required) to the cover letter. âPlease find my resume and portfolio attached to this emailâ (I am enclosing an archive with my resume and portfolio in this letter).
A brief description of your skills
Before a potential employer opens your resume, first he will probably read the cover letter to the end. Therefore, it is very important to interest the employer in this part of the letter.
In this part, it is worth briefly telling about your education and specialty. Here you can describe your professional skills, achievements and skills that could relate to the position in question. In order not to be unfounded, we can reinforce the above with examples. What specific skills did you acquire, how did you use them in your previous job, what results did this bring for the company. Here you can draw a parallel and try to describe how your experience and achievements can affect the company in which you would like to work. All this should be briefly described in your Cover Letter.
English example
A design engineer or a nurse, a teacher or a photographer - all of them are united by the fact that one of the main indicators in their employment is experience. Therefore, you can start as follows: âHaving 5 years experience in the sales department and a strong educational background I strongly believe that can make a significant contribution to ...â (Having five years of experience in the sales department and competitive education, I believe that I can bring benefit of your ... company).
"Presently I am deputed as a senior software programmer, working at ... for the last six years" (I currently hold the position of deputy senior programmer at the company ... for 6 years now).
âI have extensive experience in programming in C ++, Java and .Netâ (I have extensive experience in programming in C ++, Java and .Net).
It is also worth âdirectingâ a potential employer to continue the conversation. For example, like this: âHope it will help you to make a decision about future possible collaborationâ (I hope this helps you decide on a possible future collaboration). Or "You may reach me at 8-999-999-99-99. I look forward to speaking with you "(You can contact me by phone 8-999-999-99-99. I will wait for your call).
Parting
Such letters imply fairly simple and standard phrases of farewell. For example: âBest regards, Maria Pavlovaâ (Best regards, Maria Pavlova). An empty line should be left between the last sentence in the letter and the phrase âBest regardsâ. Your first and last name should be written on a new line.
Features of writing Cover Letter for different professions
Today, many students from Russian universities have the opportunity during the summer holidays to go on an internship abroad. Work and Travel programs are also popular. But in order to get a job abroad, as a rule, you need to send your resume (CV) with a cover letter (to the potential employer).
Example for a student in English
In this case, a greeting may be standard. However, it will be much better if you know who to contact in the letter. This will make a positive impression on you.
In the next part, indicate the reason for the letter. For example: âI am interested in applying for the scientific research summer internship position in your company that was listed through the ... University Career Centerâ (Iâm interested in the summer scientific practice at your company, which I learned about in the center of my universityâs career). Or "Through ... website, I learned about your bank's present career opportunities" (On the site ... I found out about employment opportunities in your bank).
If you have already graduated from a university or college and are looking for a long internship, you can start like this: "I have recently graduated from ... University / College and I am currently looking for a job in in advertising" work in the field of advertising).
Further, it is worth talking about your work experience, about previous internships, about participating in conferences and similar events. Tell us where you study or studied: âI am currently in my second year at the ... University and am concentrating in finance and accounting" (Now I am in my second year at ... university, my specialty is finance, accounting). Tell us about your internships: âOver the summer I completed an internship with ...â (Last summer, I did an internship at ...). It is worth describing the experience that you acquired during your internship: âMy experiences have provided me with a detailed knowledge of financial institutions and have enhanced my interest in pursuing a financial careerâ (In practice, I gained detailed knowledge about financial institutions, which increased my interest to development in the financial sector).
If you are writing to a potential employer in another country, then it will hardly be convenient for him to call you on the phone. Therefore, after parting, it is advisable to indicate, in addition to the phone, several other contact details so that the employer can choose the most convenient one from them. For example, you can write an email address (if you are not writing an email), skype, a Facebook account.
How to write cover letter to a doctor
If you have just completed graduate school at a medical university or you are a medical practitioner and want to change your job, you will have to write Cover Letter. An example in English for a doctor, we now consider.
Greeting and the reason for the letter may be standard, as at the beginning of the article. In this case, it is worth focusing on the description of your education and work experience. Write what position you are applying for. Tell us about your education: âI am a student at ... University, pursuing bachelor's degree in Biology" (I study at ... university with a bachelor of biology) or
"My 9 years' extensive experience, associate degree in medical assisting would enable me to contribute to ... Clinic in the role of a Medical Assistant" (My extensive nine years of experience, a scientific degree in medical care, will allow me to contribute to ... the clinic as a medical assistant).
It is not so important what position you apply for. In any case, you must attach a cover letter to your resume. So, even the waiters will be useful to write a good cover letter, especially if you want to get a job in a prestigious restaurant.
How to write cover letter in the service sector
Now another Cover Letter - an example in English for a waiter. In it, after a standard greeting and a description of the reason for the letter, go on to describe your experience and education. Here you can specify any work related to customer service. Your summer part-time job at a fast food restaurant or part-time bartender is also an experience. For example: âI have previous waitressing experience and strong customer service skills, having worked as a waitress for over two years while studying at high schoolâ (I have experience as a waiter and good customer service skills that I have gained by working for more than two years a waiter while studying at school). Or "I worked in a four star hotel restaurant for 3 months last summer in Greece" (For three months I worked in a restaurant at a four star hotel in Greece last summer).
If you have little experience, then itâs worth briefly telling about your responsibilities and what you have learned during this time: âI am great at multi-tasking and can take on many guests at one timeâ. at the same time). Further it is worth telling about your personal qualities: âI am personable and welcoming and have really enjoyed working as a waiterâ (I am sociable and friendly, and I really liked working as a waiter). At the end of the letter, you can indicate the desired type of communication, say goodbye and mention the attached resume.
As you can see, writing a cover letter is not so difficult. The main thing is to be sincere and not write too long cover letters. Dozens, and sometimes hundreds of applications that they must read come to employers. Your task as a candidate is to write a concise letter that will attract a potential employer the first time.