COVER LETTERS FOR ACADEMIC POSITIONSSUDANESE RESEARCHER’S INITIATIVE

HTTP://WWW.GRAD.ILLINOIS.EDU/SITES/DEFAULT/FILES/PDFS/ACADEMICCOVERLETTERS.PDF

THE BASICSA cover letter must accompany and be

tailored to any application you submit.Before applying for any position, do

your homework and check the institution you are applying for, the research group you are planning to join, the group's publications, and any recent publications by other groups related to the project they announced.

THE BASICS

Address to the individual named in the advertised posting, or with “Dear Members of the Search Committee.”

The cover letter is a writing sample. It must be well written.

Proofread and spell check!

OPENING PARAGRAPHIntroduce yourself Refer to the specific position for which you are

applying and how you learned about the position or institution.

Briefly, but specifically, explain why you are interested in the position and institution, linking that to their mission statement.

Outline the reasons why you are applying for this position and what makes you an excellent candidate.

BODY PARAGRAPHS Address requirements and desired skills

outlined in the job posting. Provide brief, specific examples to

demonstrate your skills and experience—do not to simply repeat your CV.

Stress interest in conducting research and elaborate on the institution’s current research topics.

Emphasize interest, commitment, and past experience in related fields.

CONCLUSION Reinforce your interest and enthusiasm. Indicate what you would like to see as next

steps. For example, state that you look forward to speaking with the people in charge.

Thank them for their time and consideration. End with a professional closing such as

“Kind Regards” or “Sincerely,” and your full name

EXTRA TIPS After you finish writing the 1st draft, take few hours or 1 day

break before you start revising, editing and proofreading what you wrote so that you can catch the errors with a fresh eye.

Ask a qualified person to check your final version, sometimes our minds overlook our writing flaws

Re-read your final version and make sure that you corrected all mistakes, even the tiniest mistake might make you look careless and give a bad first impression about you.

You know that professors receive 100s of applications/position, so make your application stand out and unique. Try not to use the standard available online examples

Formatting is really important so please don't forget about it. Pay special attention to the tiny details that people overlook or forget about most of the time.

For online applications, always save a copy of your cover letter in a Word document.

Curtsey; Rasha AlBashier

Sample Cover LetterMs. Jane Doe Environmental Foundation Scholarship 123 E. 60th Street Washington, D.C.

Dear Ms. Doe,

I learned about the Environmental Foundation Scholarship you are offering from FastWeb and am interested in applying for the award.

I am a freshman at State University, where I have been majoring in Biology and have been very active in the Environmental Club. Upon graduation, I hope to continue my studies in graduate school so that I can eventually achieve my goal of becoming an environmental scientist.

I believe my credentials fit well with this award, and I would appreciate it if you would accept my application for the scholarship.

Thank you.

Sincerely, Sarah Parks 456 Elm Road New York

Note: This is a very simplified version, fir for the limitations of this presentation