COMM 202

T20, T21 & T27Week 3: The Cover Letter

Garret LaValley

No Laptops or Cellphones, NameCards

out please!

Agenda

1. Cover Letter

2. Activity!

3. Action Items

Why?

Why?Interest

Why?InterestCommunication Skills

Why?InterestCommunication Skills

Elaborate on Experiences

The Resume is about

The Cover Letter is aboutYOU

THEM

FORMATTING & INTEGRATION

BRANDING TO COMPANY

OPENING

5 Elements of a Cover Letter

SKILLS MATCH

CLOSING

Opening

Opening

Dear ___________,

My name is ________, and I’m applying to _________.

Opening

Dear ___________,

My name is ________, and I’m applying to _________.

Opening Takeaways Express a genuine interest or passion for the position

Clearly expresses the skills/experiences matching the job description

Utilizes unique primary and secondary research in the company (Make sure research shown is tied to your interest)

Name drop (where applicable)

Who knows what this is?

Who knows what this is?Growing up in Calgary, I remember seeing donkey pumps across the province’s gorgeous foothills and became immediately fascinated by Oil & Gas. As I’ve gotten older I’ve learned more about the industry through family members and personal research and felt a desire to be part of the exploration, development, and improvement of the Alberta oil sands. This desire ultimately attracted me to Suncor, which is dedicated to being a leader on climate change, and reducing its environmental impact. Speaking with Kyle Anderson about Suncor’s Co-op mentorship program has solidified my belief that Suncor is the greatest company to expand upon my knowledge of Alberta oil operations, as I believe mentorship is key to building a strong team culture. My experience as an insurance underwriter has made me most interested in the areas of performance analysis and credit risk.

How to make it better?

The most important lesson I’ve learned from years of marathon training is that results are directly linked to effort put in. This is an attitude that has led me to Boston-qualifying marathon times, achievement on the UBC rowing crew, winning finishes at triathlons, and placement on the Dean’s Honour Roll. Accounting works much the same; the only path to excellence is through hard work and persistence. This attitude of persistence and teamwork has carried me through my previous challenging work experiences and is one that I have found aligns with PwC’s core values of excellence, teamwork, and leadership. Some of my applicable skills gained from those previous positions include:

You need a HOOK!

Another Example: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:

Show me your HOOK!

Co-op Program

Skill-Matching

Skill Matching

Skills From Job Description, Job Research Assignment & Skills Matrix

Experience Your best relevant experiences

Eduaction How you will leverage your BCom

Matching Qualifications Any other qualifications

If it doesn’t belong, don’t include it

Skill Matching - Bullets

Skill Matching - Paragraphs

Skill Matching Takeaways

• Use STAR(L) to your advantage – Focus on Action and Link

• Each line proves you have the necessary skills & aptitudes to perform the job

• Always create a link to the job/experience if not obvious

• Use skills listed in the job posting or implicit to the responsibilities

• Use of at least one hard and one soft skill

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

“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 Takeaways• Make a good final impression

• Show your passion again

• Restate skills in a different way than originally worded

• Give genuine thanks

• Leave a call to action

• Tie to previous examples or stories throughout the letter

Closing• Address the Elephant in the room…

• Bad Grades

• Relocation

• Year of study

While I understand that my academic record may not be as competitive as other applicants, I firmly believe that the time I dedicated to varsity athletics developed my skills as a dynamic team player beyond that of my peers. As a firm that values inspiring and leading others as the defining characteristics of leadership in business, I sincerely hope that you will view my unique experience and skillset as a valuable asset to your firm. Thank you for your time and consideration of me as a prospective summer associate for PwC Calgary in 2014. I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

Branding

Branding Takeaways

• Consistent throughout Cover Letter

• Fits with the company’s values and your own

• Makes a good impression

• Utilizes the Research Assignment – Industry Terms

What do you know about us?

Integration

Integration Takeaways

• CL & resume use same formatting

• Helps you to stand out!

• CL reflects & expands upon resume

• Be Mindful of spacing

Formatting

Formatting – Address Line

Date

Contact Name (if known)Their TitleCompany NameAddress 1Address 2 (if extra space needed)City, Province, Postal Code

Re: Position Title and Reference Number (if provided)

Dear Mr. or Ms. Or Mrs. (Last Name only) or Hiring Manager (choose one)

[Opening Paragraph]

These spaces

are mandatory!

Country is typically unnecessary unless applying outside of

Canada

AVOID: “To Whom it May Concern”

“Dear Sir or Madam”

These spaces

are mandatory!

Formatting – Signature Lines

[Closing Paragraph]

Sincerely Or Kind regards,

Full NameBCom Candidate, (year of completion)Sauder School of Business, UBC

Attached: Resume (in a real application may also include transcripts, etc.)

BCom BTM Co-op Candidate 2016

Cover Letters – Can. Want. Fit.

Do I want the job?Am I the right fit?

Can I do the job?

This Thursday @ 12:30 - HA 492

Come meet Dan Moore, President –

Southwestern Advantage

Speaking on:“Certainty in a Completely Uncertain

Future”

What can you do now to be ready for just about anything as our world

changes increasingly fast?

*202 bonus marks eligible

Action Items

Bring in two hard-copies of the Cover Letter to next Tutorial And a copy of your Job Posting

Sign up for Office Hours!

Job Posting Research (2 worksheets) due Sunday February 7th Submit to Turnitin

Skills Matrix due February 12th

Submit to Turnitin, use the template provided