COMM 202 TUTORIAL 3: COVER LETTERS

T13 & T19

COMM 202 TUTORIAL 3: COVER LETTERS

WHAT’S YOUR BRAND? WHAT’S YOUR BRAND?

2 minutes to jot down 4-5 words that describe you best

-skills, personality, etc. THINK: if you had 30 seconds to describe who you are, what would you say?

TIMELINE TIMELINE

Week 5 Oct 3-7

Week 6 Oct 11-14

Week 7 Oct 17-21

•  Intro to cover letters

•  Skills matrix draft due

•  Cover letter peer review

•  Skills matrix due Friday, October 14th

After that it’s LinkedIn, Networking, Info interviews and Employment interviews!

•  Resume peer review

•  Bring in 2 copies of your resume draft and job posting

AGENDA

COVER  LETTERS    

HOOK  ACTIVITY    

COVER  EMAILS    

ACTION  ITEMS  

AGENDA

AGENDA

COVER  LETTERS    

HOOK  ACTIVITY    

COVER  EMAILS    

ACTION  ITEMS  

AGENDA

AGENDA THE PROCESS THE PROCESS

COVER EMAIL RESUME &

COVER LETTER INTERVIEW

GET HIRED!

CAN you do the job?

Do you WANT

the job?

Are you the right

FIT?

WHY WRITE A COVER LETTER?

WHY WRITE A COVER LETTER?

WHY COVER LETTERS? WHY COVER LETTERS?

•  shows your INTENTIONS & INTERESTS –  shows SINCERITY and RESEARCH

•  demonstrates ABILITY TO COMMUNICATE –  CREATIVE and PROFESSIONAL

•  opportunity to elaborate on YOUR STORIES & PERSONALITY –  drawn from your SKILLS MATRIX

RESUME VS. COVER LETTER

RESUME VS. COVER LETTER

WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE?

RESUME VS. COVER LETTER RESUME VS. COVER LETTER

the resume is about YOU

the cover letter is about THEM

ELEMENTS OF COVER LETTER ELEMENTS OF COVER LETTER

OPENING

SKILLS MATCHING

CLOSING

INTEGRATIO

N  

BRANDIN

G  

AGENDA OPENING OPENING

Dear Hiring Manager,

My name is Georgia Sakurai and I am

applying to your Marketing intern position. I believe I have the necessary

qualifications for this role.

AGENDA OPENING OPENING

Dear Hiring Manager,

My name is Georgia Sakurai and I am

applying to your Marketing intern position. I believe I have the necessary

qualifications for this role.

OPENING TAKEAWAYS OPENING TAKEAWAYS

•  expresses keen and genuine interest and/or passion for position

•  genuine and unique primary and secondary research indicating interest in company (make sure the research you show is tied to your interest)

•  name drop (where applicable)

•  makes a clear expression of the skills/experience matching the job description

AN EXAMPLE AN EXAMPLE

ANOTHER EXAMPLE ANOTHER EXAMPLE

THE HOOK THE HOOK

How fast can you change four tires? One hour? Ten minutes? A few years ago I witnessed a Formula One team do it in 2.7 seconds. They said a perfect run would be just one second. In everything that I do I strive to reach that one second – that perfect test score, that perfect presentation, that perfect career. After speaking with Jake Woodson, a recent hire, Dion Chen, and other industry professionals, I know that my personality and passion lies in sales and trading. Through my unique athletic background and passion, I will provide competitiveness and drive that will set a benchmark for future interns. I cannot wait to sit on a trading floor, execute trades, and engage in research while receiving mentorship from the most world-renowned investment bank. A career with Goldman Sachs is my one second and this is how I will help Goldman reach its own one second ideal:

YOUR TURN! YOUR TURN!

SKILLS MATCHING SKILLS MATCHING

SKILLS MATCHING SKILLS MATCHING •  skills from your skills matrix

match the job description (use STAR)

•  best relevant experiences (2-3)

•  link education and other training to the job, and link to the co/position if it’s not obvious

•  any other qualifications

if it doesn’t belong, don’t include it!

SKILLS MATCHING EXAMPLE SKILLS MATCHING EXAMPLE

SKILLS MATCHING EXAMPLE SKILLS MATCHING EXAMPLE

SKILLS MATCHING SKILLS MATCHING

•  each line proves you have the necessary skills &

aptitudes to perform on the job

•  always link to the company/position if not obvious

•  use skills listed in the job description

CLOSING CLOSING

CLOSING CLOSING

“Thank you for looking at my application. I hope that I have shown you that my interpersonal skills, my leadership skills, and my ability to perform on a team make me a perfect fit for ABC position. Thank you very much and I hope to hear from you soon.”

CLOSING CLOSING

“Thank you for looking at my application. I hope that I have shown you that my interpersonal skills, my leadership skills, and my ability to perform on a team make me a perfect fit for ABC position. Thank you very much and I hope to hear from you soon.”

CLOSING CLOSING

•  make a good final impression

•  show your passion

•  restate skills with a different wording

•  give genuine thanks

•  leave a call to action

•  tie to previous examples/stories (tie to hook)

CLOSING EXAMPLE CLOSING EXAMPLE

CLOSING CLOSING

NO! address the elephant in the room

-grades -year off -etc.

CLOSING EXAMPLE CLOSING EXAMPLE

CLOSING EXAMPLE CLOSING EXAMPLE

BRANDING BRANDING

BRANDING BRANDING

remember your brand? USE IT

•  consistent throughout cover letter

•  fits in with the company’s values & yours

•  create the image you want to project

•  use job research assignment

INTEGRATION INTEGRATION

INTEGRATION INTEGRATION

•  cover letter & resume use SAME formatting

•  stands out!

•  cover letter reflects and expands on resume

•  be mindful of spacing

FORMATTING FORMATTING

FORMATTING- START FORMATTING- START

FORMATTING- START FORMATTING- START

FORMATTING- END FORMATTING- END

FORMATTING- END FORMATTING- END

COVER EMAILS COVER EMAILS

COVER EMAILS COVER EMAILS

•  <150 words

•  utilize bold face type to emphasize important points

•  show your brand & personality

•  make them want more! –  ie. resume, cover letter and and interview!

COVER EMAILS COVER EMAILS Subject: Job Title – Your Name OR come up with a very short hook for example “Beer & people lover has found her dream internship” or “Your new HR Intern is inside” or “HIRING MANAGER NAME, I’m excited!” Depending on how cool the company is. To: Name of job poster/whom it may concern/hiring manager (never write Dear Sirs – hello sexism!),   Your advert posted on WEBSITE NAME for JOB TITLE really caught my attention; Labatt has “good things brewing” and I would love to be a component of the “good things”. I believe my XYZ (people management) experience alongside my drive, tenacity and exemplary communications skills are a solid match to your needs. I also match the job requirements in the following ways: •  2 years of leadership experience •  Exceptional presentational skills •  Advanced Excel capabilities •  UBC Innovation Award recipient •  5 years’ experience organizing team building activities   I am confident that I will be a fantastic addition to your team! I have attached my resume and cover letter, please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions you may have or to set up an interview on 778-XXX-XXXX.   I look forward to hearing from you.   Kind regards, Your name (778)-XXX-XXXX Email address LinkedIn profile URL

QUESTIONS? QUESTIONS?

ACTION ITEMS ACTION ITEMS

•  TUTORIAL next week!

•  for tutorial: 2 hard copy cover letter drafts for peer review

•  SKILLS MATRIX DUE FRIDAY, OCTOBER 14TH @ 2PM ON TURNITIN

•  sign up for office hours

REGISTER  FOR  TURNITIN:    T13:        CLASS  ID:  13730071  PASSWORD:  cookies    T19:        CLASS  ID:  13730071  PASSWORD:  cookies  

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!