It is very hard finding a satisfying job nowadays. Candidates try their best to get a chance working in the most successful companies. The majority thinks that the main secret finding a dream work is to create a superb resume. An applicant has to own a perfectly written CV, but what about a motivational letter?
People usually provide concise information about their skills and previous experience in their resumes. Some employers think this info isn’t full enough to be confident if a person is right for a company. You can attach a document with explanations why you are perfect for a position and inform about personal traits. A motivational letter can help with it. No doubts, it will make an employer interested, and you get higher chances to gain employment.
So, what is a motivation letter? It is a document people usually send together with the resume to impress a future boss. This magic piece of writing has to convince any employer that you are an irreplaceable employee they were waiting for.
Individuals are welcome to inform about their strongest traits. It is a must to represent yourself in a favorable light. Remember that a document should not look like a stream of consciousness. Nobody knows a success formula on how to write a motivational letter but there are some secrets to draw the attention of any employer. We will be glad to share them with you.
Common Motivational Letter Mistakes
People usually make a lot of mistakes when working on a motivation letter. Writing is usually a hard task. Many job-seekers make typical mistakes over and over again. To avoid some of them, read this list of the most common ones.
Wrong Spelling
One of the most common mistakes is the wrong spelling of the document. Some people type letter of motivatio or letter of motivaton. It can happen because they don't know a language well, are in a hurry or simply misprinted some words. Make sure that you have a clear mind and that you are not tired while typing such an important paper like this one. Statistics say that more than 65% of recruiting managers decline documents with typos. Check important documents ten times before sending them to the right company. There should be no grammatical and lexical mistakes. Being responsible will make you one step closer to the desired position.
Remember that a bad beginning makes a bad ending. So, be attentive while naming a document, you should write - a letter of motivation.
Being too Wordy
One of the biggest mistakes is being too wordy. Remember the time when you were a student. Did you like reading extremely long reports? Definitely no. As a rule, people are not interested in reading overly wordy letters, documents, reports, etc. It makes them feel bored and tired. We hope that these are not feelings you wish the prospective employer to feel. It is advised to include around 200-250 words to the cover letter.
Recruiters know a lot about the time management and are not willing to waste it reading endless papers. More than that, some of them prefer looking through cover letters on their mobile devices. It will be tough to deal with wordy docs on the small screen.
Telling about Every Job You Have Had
There is no need to tell about every job you have ever done in your life. If you plan to be a project manager but worked as a dishwasher being a student, there is no need to mention it. Inform only about positions which are relevant to the desired position.
Focusing only on Yourself
Some think that they should write only about personal traits in cover letters, but it is a mistaken opinion. One has to tell what he can do for a company, and what he can contribute. Inform about personal achievements that will be useful for the applied position.
Using a Template
There are a lot of cover letter templates on the net. They were created to help you to write your own unique paper. Don't try to fool recruiters and employers, using samples of someone else. Keep in mind that copying info from templates will not bring you much success.
Being a Company's Crazy Fan
Even though you are a great fan of a company, you should not tell about it in a motivational letter. Of course, recruiters are looking for passionate workers, but not too fanatic ones. Remember about it heaping praises on the chosen company.
Talking about Salary
People are looking for new jobs because of many reasons, and one of them is a higher salary. No doubts that representatives of business will talk to you about your money expectations, but the motivational letter is not the best place discussing it. Leave this topic until the personal interview.
Providing False Info about Previous Jobs
Never lie about places you have worked in the past. Remember that recruiters can check this information and ask for some references. It is better not to risk and not to spoil your reputation. Lack of necessary skills for a position is much better than exaggeration. It is never too late to study and to improve yourself. So, don’t be ashamed to admit that you are not a perfect one.
Helpful Advice to Keep in Mind
To write a perfect motivational letter, look at the following pieces of advice. They will draw your attention to the main points, aimed to create an ideal document.
Identify the Issue
As a rule, a company needs a new clerk when they can’t cope with some duties or face new challenges. Lack of qualified and skilled workers can lead to a situation when nobody can solve a problem, and there is a need in a breath of fresh air. Here you can see a problem, there is a piece of work, but nobody can do it. For example, if a business is looking for a Project Manager, it means that such specialists are in high demand. Keep in mind that it is vital to meet the requirements and make a company know that you are the right one for them. A business owner has to be aware that you are a clue to solving a problem.
Suggest Solutions
You have to provide reasons why you are a person who can help with solving problems. It is necessary to define what steps have to be taken to find the best solution. A worker can share his experience in dealing with such kind of questions. If you persuade an employer that you are the best one, consider that you have got the position.
Get Involved
Show that you are interested in requiring a workplace. Don't forget to add some enthusiasm. It is not enough to fulfill tasks, it is vital to show that you are reluctant to tackle problems. Demonstrate a great wish to be employed exactly in this kind of business. One can end a motivational letter informing that he//she will be interested in knowing more information about a company and a department. An employer has to see that you have a great wish to be involved in the working process.
Don't Make It too Long
One page of the text will be enough to make the necessary impression. Even if you are a highly-qualified professional and want to tell a lot, it is better not doing it. Include only the most essential information. The shorter your letter is, the more interesting it will be to a person who reads it. It is a well-known fact that too long documents make people bored and when they finish reading them, they don't remember what was in the beginning.
Make a Letter Unique
It is not recommended to send the same sample to all employers. If you wish to get a new job quickly, provide different documents to every employer. Of course, your head will burst if you start writing unique motivational papers. We recommend to create one document where it is possible to add some specific details.
A person who reads your letter should have the impression that it was addressed only to him/her.
Be Yourself
There are no doubts you wish to make your motivational letter the best, but try not to lose yourself. It will be better to avoid using too formal words, choose a simple and understandable language. Believe us, recruiters are tired of reading numerous cliched phrases and words. Avoid language that is hard to understand.
Don't Forget to Edit a Letter
Managers who hire employees to deal with hundreds of papers every day. They have a great eye and can mention even the most insignificant mistake, like one missed letter, lack of a spacebar or wrong punctuation. Read your letter several times. It is advised to use special programs that correct grammatical and lexical mistakes. You can ask your friend or parents to look through a motivation letter. Maybe they will mention some misprints in the document.
Types of Motivation Letters
If you think that there is only one type of the motivational letters, you are mistaken. They can be divided into such categories:
Standard
It is the most common one. People usually send it with their resume when applying for a particular job.
Cold Contact
Individuals usually choose it to send to companies that are not looking for new workers. Choosing cold contact letter you wish to know if there are some positions which suit you the most.
Referral
Referral letters are usually sent in a case when somebody from the company recommends you for a definite position.
Networking
This type of letter is sent to an employee, working at a particular company to know more about business and to ask for recommendations from this person.
A Motivation Letter Example and Its Structure
A motivational letter can be structured in several ways. Some prefer three paragraphs structure, including such parts as an introduction, body and conclusion.
As a rule, an introduction includes personal info, the desired position and explains why you wish to apply for a definite job. Please, remember to add your contact details at the top of a document.
Then goes the body of the letter. It is a significant part where you provide more detailed info about your skills, qualifications and achievements. A person may write about his passions, working experience and tell about things which distinguish him from other candidates.
There should be a conclusion in the end. Don't forget to say thanks to a person who is going to read a document and to summarize previously written information.
Some applicants prefer writing 6-7 paragraphs in the document. In this case, a body is divided into shorter paragraphs.
It is advised using three-paragraph structure if you are going to write the body of the letter like the one story. In case you plan to provide more facts, better give preference to the structure with six or seven paragraphs.
Look through this motivation letter sample to have more idea how to write such documents.
Taking into consideration all these pieces of advice, you will become a guru of writing a superb motivation letter for job, you have always dreamed of getting.
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Placing an order on the service is quite easy. It includes only four steps. The first one is filling an order form. Here you have to provide all the necessary requirements. Then it is needed to attach a CV, in case you don't have it, tell about your working experience, personal traits and the desired position. The third step is the submitting of payment details. They depend on a type of work and a deadline. That’s all, get an ideally written motivation letter, and have more chances to find your dream job.
Conclusion
Summing up, let's remember the key points of the article.
- A motivation letter is a document, people send with their resume to impress a possible employer.
- There are some mistakes that people usually do while writing cover letters. They are being too wordy, make grammatical and lexical mistakes, use a template and talk about salary. To avoid them use our tips and don't make letters too long. Edit a document and show that you are interested in being employed.
- There are several types of motivational letter, and one has to choose a particular kind depending on the main aim.
- Like any document, a motivation letter has its structure. The most common one includes three main parts: introduction, body and conclusion.
- In case our advice did not help, and you still have doubts whether you can cope with writing an ideal motivational letter or not, we recommend using Resume101, a writing service which provides high-quality CVs, motivation letters and resumes.
Suggested Reading:
- How To Write A Resignation Letter
- How To Create A Job Winning Resume With No Experience