Laura's Tutorial #5 - Cover Letters
Transcript of Laura's Tutorial #5 - Cover Letters
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COMM 202 welcome to
Tutorial #5 � TA: Laura Wong � Thursday, Mar 6
Introduction to COVER LETTERS
1. Importance
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WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENCES BTW A RESUME & COVER LETTER?
eModules recap:
1 minute
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Importance of Cover letters
• Lets employer know your intentions • Demonstrates written communication
skills – ZERO mistakes
• Elaborate on your stories – Use your Skills Matrix
WHY YOU?
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Demonstrates the 3…
Am I a good
Fit?
Do I Want
the job?
Can I do the
job?
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But remember…
RESUME is about YOU…
COVER LETTER is about THEM
and WHY you make a good match!
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5 essential elements
Opening
Skill-Matching
Closing
Branding/Tailoring
Integration
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1) The Opening
Intro to the hook
Interest/Passion + Company Fit + Summarize Skills (+ optional name drop)
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IN GROUPS OF 6, CREATE A HOOK
Activity:
5 minutes
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2) Skill-Matching
Skills (from Skills Matrix) +
Experience (2-3 examples) +
Education (how you will leverage BCom)
+ Matching Qualifications
(any other qualifications that set you apart)
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2) Skill-Matching
Each paragraph proves that you have the necessary skills to be successful on the job
Don’t forget to always link back to the job
posting!
Context Action Result Link
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3) Branding/Tailoring
• About leaving a good impression
• Must be consistent throughout your cover letter
• Make sure it fits with both the company’s values, culture, and your expectations
• Use industry jargon/company-specific language
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4) Closing
• Your chance for final impression!
• Restate your skills, but use different wording
Summarize strengths + Show your passion
+ Thank them + Use a call to action
(follow up)
“Mr Smith, 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 hope to hear from you soon.”!
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5) Integration
• Visual matching: your cover letter & resume must use same formatting
• Do NOT send in generic cover letter & generic resumes (big part of your grade is matching!) – There are 400 of you in COMM
202, and even more applying for your dream job. Find a way to stand out.
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What Else?
• Cover letter allows you to address any “elephant in the room” situations (e.g. relocation, bad grades, etc.)
• Word choice – overly emotional words (“deeply honoured”, “it would be a blessing…”) – Want to show that you are on an equal playing
field and are qualified for the role
• Grammar & spelling – 2+ mistakes = -40%!
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Olympics Analogy
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3 key takeaways from today?
1. Important to grab reader’s attention with a good hook
2. Resume is about YOU, cover letter is about THEM (company)
3. Address elephants in the room as necessary (grades, relocation)
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Action Items þ Cover Letter Assignment
Ø Write your cover letter draft
Ø Bring two printed cover letter drafts to next tutorial for
peer review
Ø Final Resume & Cover Letters due Mar 21st, 2PM
Ø Group Office Hours (next week) Ø Sign up on COOL
Ø Bring your resumes & cover letters
Next week: TUTORIAL