Tell a Story - internships in international organizations

8/13/2019 Tell a Story - internships in international organizations

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Cover letters:

communicating with impactShayna Main

LSE Careers



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



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



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



Competence to do the job or be

trained• based on your experience to date• use matrix to generate ideas & evidence



Demonstrating skills to employersCompetenciesGrid

Academic Work ExtraCurricular

Interests

Teamwork

Leadership

Problem solving

VerbalCommunication

Resilience

Adaptability

Innovation



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



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



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



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



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.’



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



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



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



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

http://www.lse.ac.uk/intranet/CareersAndVacancies/careersService/CVCoverApps/CoverLetters/Home.aspx






Any questions??

Tell a Story - internships in international organizations

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