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8/13/2019 Tell a Story - internships in international organizations
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/tell-a-story-internships-in-international-organizations 1/19
Cover letters:
communicating with impactShayna Main
LSE Careers
8/13/2019 Tell a Story - internships in international organizations
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This session• Cover letters should be recruiter-centred• How to approach competency and motivation
sentences• Tips on language, sentences and structure• Common pitfalls
NB points covered today are relevant to completion of questionson on-line applications
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Recruiter-centred
• Put yourself in reader’s shoes • 50-100 cover letters to read•
Really happy when cover letters are – Relevant – Easy to read – Short & concise – Interesting & specific
8/13/2019 Tell a Story - internships in international organizations
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Recruiter –centred applicationsThink about reader• Who is he/she? Purpose of cover letter?Think about job• What are most important requirements?• Identify from speaking to recruiter, company
website or other researchWhat are your main messages?• Motivated, competent & achievement-oriented• Someone who should definitely be interviewed
8/13/2019 Tell a Story - internships in international organizations
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Competence to do the job or be
trained• based on your experience to date• use matrix to generate ideas & evidence
8/13/2019 Tell a Story - internships in international organizations
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Demonstrating skills to employersCompetenciesGrid
Academic Work ExtraCurricular
Interests
Teamwork
Leadership
Problem solving
VerbalCommunication
Resilience
Adaptability
Innovation
8/13/2019 Tell a Story - internships in international organizations
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8/13/2019 Tell a Story - internships in international organizations
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Competency exercise• ‘What we are looking for’ • Example from company website• Identify 2 competencies the recruiter is looking
for (may be implied).• Write 2 or 3 sentences to demonstrate you have
that competencyNB when making your own applications ensure you research the website
thoroughly
8/13/2019 Tell a Story - internships in international organizations
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8/13/2019 Tell a Story - internships in international organizations
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/tell-a-story-internships-in-international-organizations 10/19
Writing efficiently and effectively
Active not passive• A decision was made by the team to..• The team decided to..
Verbs more than nouns• ‘Changed’ not ‘Made changes to’ • ‘Reduced’ not ‘Led to a reduction in’
Sentences• structure: subject + verb + object• 15 -25 words• one idea = one sentence
8/13/2019 Tell a Story - internships in international organizations
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Writing efficiently and effectively
Be specific• ‘91%’ better than ‘a large percentage’ •
Names• ‘Senior managers’ not ‘senior management’
First word of paragraph• Try to avoid ‘I’ every time
8/13/2019 Tell a Story - internships in international organizations
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Motivation exercise
• In pairs• Think of a job you really want to do•
Tell your partner what it is and 3 reasons whyyou would like this job• Partner to write down reason(s)•
Together turn it into a motivation paragraph
8/13/2019 Tell a Story - internships in international organizations
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Connecting with organisation• ‘The role of public finance and credit rating plays an
increasingly important role in public management inAfrica, an area I am strongly interested in. This is whyI consider role x at y best way to pursue my career….’
• ‘I am motivated to work with leaders, and X strikes
me as the ideal place to do this, both in terms ofbusiness leaders who make up X’s client list, and theconsultants who work in X.’
8/13/2019 Tell a Story - internships in international organizations
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Structure ICME!
IntroductionPosition you are applying for, where advertised
Competence
2 or 3 key selling points –relevant and supported by the CVMotivation
Why you want the job, why you want to work for company
EndingPositive close – thanks, enthusiasm, looking forward
Four or five paragraphs
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Common pitfalls• Too long or too short – one page only• Just repeats content of CV• Contains information not supported by the CV• Spelling and grammatical errors. Apostrophes• Is “generic” - not targeted• Rambling with no structure• Contains negative information• Has too many adjectives and adverbs• Is either too formal or informal
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8/13/2019 Tell a Story - internships in international organizations
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A powerful cover letter..• Focuses on the recruiter• Highlights relevant education, competencies
and experience• Highlights ability to achieve results• Provides evidence of communication skills• Communicates interest and motivation
through specific examples• Short, concise, easy to readTip: read it out loud, ask someone else to read it
8/13/2019 Tell a Story - internships in international organizations
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Resources
• LSE Careers website:http://www.lse.ac.uk/intranet/CareersAndVacancies/careersService/CVCoverApps/CoverLetters/Home.aspx
• Look at Cover Letter resources in this section of website,contains many links eg
– Guardian careers – Prospects. ac.uk
• Making Applications – AGCAS booklet• The Global Resume and CV Guide, Mary Anne Thompson,
Wiley, 2001• book advice session or CV / cover letter check via Career Hub• CV and Cover letter resources in LSE Careers, 3 rd Floor, Tower 3
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Any questions??