COMM 202 Tutorial 4 – Cover Letters
Week 8, Tutorial 4| TA: Jaime Reston | February 26th/27th
“I’m so happy reading week is over, I missed 202 and midterms”
-Drake
Agenda
1 – Stop Start Continue2 – Cover Letters3 – Cover Letters4 – Talk About Our Feelings5 – Cover Letters
STOP START
CONTINUE
STOP START
CONTINUE
WHY?
WHY?INTENTIONS
WHY?INTENTIONS
WRITTEN SKILL
WHY?INTENTIONS
WRITTEN SKILL
ELABORATE ON SKILLS MATRIX
WANT
CAN
FIT
WANT
CAN
FIT?
YOU DO THE JOB?
DO YOU
THE JOB?ARE YOU A GOOD
THE RESUMEIS ABOUT YOU
THE COVER LETTERIS ABOUT THEM
THE RESUMEIS ABOUT YOU
THE COVER LETTERIS ABOUT THEM
1. OPENING
My name is _________ and I’m applying for _______
My name is _________ and I’m applying for _______
Your opening should: • Be Unique• Be Employer-Centric • Show Genuine Interest • Leave the reader curious • Show relevant research
SUCH UNIQUE!
SO CENTRAL TO THE EMPLOYER!
LEAVES YOU MUCH CURIOUS!
MANY TELLS YOU SOMETHING YOU DON’T KNOW!
SUCH UNIQUE!
SO CENTRAL TO THE EMPLOYER!
LEAVES YOU MUCH CURIOUS!
MANY TELLS YOU SOMETHING YOU DON’T KNOW!SO MUCH GENUINE INTEREST!
SUCH UNIQUE!
SO CENTRAL TO THE EMPLOYER!
LEAVES YOU MUCH CURIOUS!
MANY TELLS YOU SOMETHING YOU DON’T KNOW!
VERY EMOTIONAL APPEALS!
SUCH UNIQUE!
SO CENTRAL TO THE EMPLOYER!
LEAVES YOU MUCH CURIOUS!
MANY TELLS YOU SOMETHING YOU DON’T KNOW!
MUCH RELEVANT RESEARCH!
SUCH UNIQUE!
SO CENTRAL TO THE EMPLOYER!
LEAVES YOU MUCH CURIOUS!
MANY TELLS YOU SOMETHING YOU DON’T KNOW!
VERY EMOTIONAL APPEALS!
SUCH UNIQUE!
SO CENTRAL TO THE EMPLOYER!
LEAVES YOU MUCH CURIOUS!
MANY TELLS YOU SOMETHING YOU DON’T KNOW!
VERY EMOTIONAL APPEALS!
MUCH RELEVANT RESEARCH!
What else works?• Ask a question
• Align your values to theirs
• Name Dropping (if applicable)
• Current business affairs
2. Skills Matching
What Skills?
What Skills?
SKILLS (From Skills Matrix and job description)
+
EXPERIENCE (2-3 examples)
+
EDUCATION (How you will leverage Bcom)
+
MATCHING QUALIFICATIONS (And any other qualifications)
Key Takeaways
Use STARL to your advantage!
Each line PROVES you have the necessary skills to be successful on the job
ALWAYS link back to the company/position!
Use skills listed in the job description
You either die a hero
Or write enough To see yourselfBecome the villain
4. Closing
4. Closing• Restate Skills in Different
Wording• Give Genuine Thanks• Call to Action• Tie it all Together (Hmph Factor)
“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.”
“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.”
AddressTheElephant
Key Takeaways
Make a good final impression
Show your passion
Restate your skills with different wording
Thank them
Use a call to action
4. Branding
5. Integration
Consistent throughout the CL
Fits with both company’s values and yours!
Leave an overall good impression!
Use industry jargon/company specific language
Word choice, tone, stories
Branding
What are the main products or services the company offers? Why is this interesting to you? In what locations do they operate/how many employees/annual revenues?
How would you describe the organizational culture? What do you think the working environment will be like?
What are the values and/or mission statement? How do these align with your values system?
What are the names of the top local executives/recruiters? Who will you address your cover letter to? Do you know anyone within the organization? What is the nature of that relationship?
Who are the primary competitors? What do they do better and where can they improve? (A brief SWOT analysis of the industry)
What is the topic of a recent media article about this company? Please summarize the main points.
Does the company have a Twitter/Facebook/LinkedIn/Glassdoor presence?
Have you connected with them via social media? What did you learn?
What are your most marketable skills for this position?
What are your strongest most relevant stories from your Skills Matrix assignment
Integration
Cover letter and resume use the same formatting
STAND OUT!
Cover letter reflects and expands on the resume
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 applicable)
Dear Mr. or Mrs. or Ms. or Hiring Manager or Hiring Committee (choose one),
[Opening Paragraph]
[Closing Paragraph]
Sincerely or Regards or Kind Regards,
Full NameBCom Candidate, (year of completion)Sauder School of Business
Attached: Resume (in an actual application you may also be including transcripts, etc.)
Differentiate yourself
Resumes are you, CLs are them
Personal connection
TAKE AWAYS:
NEXT WEEK IS TUTORIAL!
Skills MatrixDue February 27th @ 14:00[E-mail me technical problems by 13:55]
Resume E-Module & QuizDue Next Tutorial
Come to Office Hours