cover letter writing- undergraduate students
DESCRIPTION
This presentation will help graduate students learn to effectively write cover letters.TRANSCRIPT
Cover Le(er Wri+ng – Undergraduate Students
Career Center
Cover Le(er
• Concise, professional document tailored to a specific posi7on, organiza7on, and industry
• Purpose: – Express your interest – Highlight the skills, knowledge, and quali7es that show your fit
– Demonstrate how you will contribute
Agenda
• Analysis & Research
• Structure
• Demonstrate Fit
• Examples
Analysis & Research
• Analyze the role descrip7on
• Research the organiza7on
Analysis & Research: Industry Expecta7ons
• Nonprofits, Educa+on: Speak to your match with their mission.
• Finance, Business, Consul+ng: Results-‐oriented, conserva7ve, brief.
• Engineering: Some7mes op7onal. Keep it concise and focus on the technical.
• Journalism, Crea+ve, Arts: Make sure your wri7ng style shines. Show passion here.
Structure
• Introduc+on: Make your strongest argument
• Body: Connect experience to qualifica7ons/requirements (acquired through analysis & research)
• Next Steps: What’s YOUR next ac7on
Demonstrate Fit: Skills
• Focus on relevant qualifica7ons/requirements • Gallup’s 21st Century Skills: – real-‐world problem-‐solving, knowledge construc7on, collabora7on, self-‐regula7on, skilled communica7on, technology, and global awareness
• Gallup defines real-‐world problem-‐solving as (Actual Survey Ques7ons): – “Worked on a long-‐term project that took several classes to complete”
– “Used what you were learning about to develop solu7ons to real-‐world problems in your community or in the world”
Demonstrate Fit: Elaborate on Experience
• Iden7fy specific experience that exemplify qualifica7ons/requirements
• Connect directly to role/organiza7on
Examples
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Career Center
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