Lifestyle / Dose of Encouragement
The guide on writing motivational letter for your first job
27 Feb 2019 at 10:52hrs | Views
With a high amount of competition existing in the workforce today, it's hard to stand out above all the rest. It can take a while to find the job you've been desiring but you won't be alone in seeking this job. This is where a motivational letter can be a critical part of you becoming hired.
You might not know to start when writing a motivational letter and this article will lead you through the ins and outs of putting together the perfect one.
Why Write A Motivational Letter?
A resume, or CV, is a great way to list your background, education, employment, and achievements but it doesn't say a lot about who you are. As important as a resume is they are mechanical and they have trouble sharing your passions and intent.
A motivational letter is where you get to sell yourself to a prospective employer. It's a great way to show your true interest in the job and company and how you will be the best person for the position.
Probably the most important part of a motivational letter is that you will show the company how you will solve their problem. They need a position filled or they wouldn't be hiring. It's important to remember that they're the ones needing help and you are the person that will help them with this problem.
Research The Company
A key part of a motivational letter is showing you've done your homework. You don't want to put together a generic letter that seems like they were mass produced. This is where solving their problem comes back into play. You want to find out as much as you can about the company you're applying for. Learn about their history and growth and find out why this position is now being offered.
Show the company you're aware of the problems and challenges they face regarding the position and how you can offer the perfect solution. This is where you want to share all the relevant things that will make you the perfect fit. Share the relevant skills, jobs, and achievements that will make them see you are the right choice for them to move forward. Let them know the benefits they will be getting when they choose you,
How To Put Together A Motivation Letter
You will want to keep things short and precise. Think about when you meet someone face to face for the first time, you only have a few seconds to make a good impression on them. Your motivational letter acts in the same way. Since a company will go through so many applications and resumes they don't have a lot of time to pour over every motivational letter.
You have maybe 20 seconds to capture the attention of the person reading and doing the hiring so it can't be long and indirect. Keep it short, sweet, and to the point.
This letter needs to be only one A4 page and if you have a motivational letter that is longer there's a good chance you won't even have it looked at. It's like handing in a 5-page resume, someone can see it as trying too hard and also unnecessary. You may eventually come up with a solution as buying research papers to do your editing and proofreading.
When you put together this letter there are a few things that will be important for you to include.
- First off will be your name and contact details. Make sure you're using your best e-mail address and information that will allow you to be contacted easily.
- Next, include the name of the company you're applying to along with their address. This will at least show you're not firing off a ton of these reproduced motivational letters.
- Put the date that you're sending in the application.
- If you know the name of the person doing the recruiting include it here if not you can use Sir/Madam.
- The content.
- Finish by saying sincerely and then your name and signature
How To Structure Your Motivational Letter
There are a few ways you can do this. A tried-and-true approach is going with three paragraphs. People respond well to things that are in threes and it can increase the readability and approach of your motivational letter.
With three paragraphs you will include an introduction, a body, and a conclusion. This is where you can break things down for them by using the introduction to understand the needs of the company and the problem they have in having to fill this vacant position.
The body is where you can show them how you can provide that solution and tell them what you would bring to the table. This is where to show some of your experience and achievements that lend themselves to this position. This is the part of the motivational letter where you will really showcase yourself and show what a good fit you will be.
The conclusion is important, or even the most important part of the motivational letter. This is where you sign off but you do so with confidence. You want to make it clear the high level of interest you have in the job and the company. A few ways you can express this is by saying"
"I would love to be a part of this team and be able to start contributing as soon as possible"
"I would love to find out more about the specific department and how I can become part of it"
"I would be happy to elaborate on my motivation letter and CV in a face-to-face interview."
Another option is going with 3-7 short paragraphs. This will be very concise and direct and will express all the relevant information for the position you are applying to. These paragraphs should only be 1-3 sentences long.
Important Tips For A Motivational Letter
Regardless of the job you're applying for, there are a few key-tips you need to keep in mind when putting together your letter:
1. Share your personal objectives- Don't be afraid to share where you see yourself in the future and what you would hope to achieve with the company.
2. Support what you say- don't just use bland or cliche phrases but support your points and show why you have these traits. Use specific examples when you can.
3. Don't just re-list your CV- they already have this and can refer to it easily. Just use select examples from it that can illustrate how you will be the best choice for the job.
4. Don't be arrogant- come across as confident and sure of yourself but don't make this a showcase all about how great you are.
5. Be direct and concise- remember, you don't have a lot of time to get their attention and having rambling, or long running sentences can lose them. Keep sentences straight and to the point. You only have one page and don't want it to be rambling.
A Motivational Letter Example
When writing your letter start by saying dear (name of the person or sir/madam).
First Paragraph:
The first paragraph will say how interested you are in the company and that you've seen they are in need of having this certain position filled. You understand how you know they want this position filled as soon as possible.
You can then share how you believe that your experience, and the skills you bring, will be the solution they need for this problem they have. This is when you can share more information you have on the company from the research you've done. If you have any connections to them or personal recommendation you can mention it here.
Second Paragraph:
This is where you can share your past jobs and experience related to the position. Share the number of years you had been involved in this and specific experiences and projects worked on. Express how these past experiences you have will be very important for the company in order to further their success and development.
At this point, you could list some specific examples related to the job you're pursuing and share a few career highlights. Keep it to 2-3 achievements max as this is not meant to be your CV but examples that will be specific to this position and situation. Now you can share how excited you are to see this job opening and opportunity with a company you want to be involved with. Continue to show how they need you and how you will make this company grow.
Conclusion Paragraph:
Express how your experience and skill set would make you a perfect fit for (name of the company). Here you will mention about having your resume attached so they can look at some more detail about your professional career and any references that they may want to consult.
Finish with confidence about not only your abilities but how much you would love to become a part of the team and to start contributing right away or with one of those examples shared above. You can then share your information so that they can easily contact you (email address, phone number)
Sign off saying sincerely and then your name
Wrapping It Up
The pursuit of a new job can be a real struggle and waiting for that perfect opportunity to come along can be frustrating.
When it presents itself you want to make sure you've organized everything together to present yourself in the best way. A motivational letter can be that first foot in the door to help get you to the next stage.
You might not know to start when writing a motivational letter and this article will lead you through the ins and outs of putting together the perfect one.
Why Write A Motivational Letter?
A resume, or CV, is a great way to list your background, education, employment, and achievements but it doesn't say a lot about who you are. As important as a resume is they are mechanical and they have trouble sharing your passions and intent.
A motivational letter is where you get to sell yourself to a prospective employer. It's a great way to show your true interest in the job and company and how you will be the best person for the position.
Probably the most important part of a motivational letter is that you will show the company how you will solve their problem. They need a position filled or they wouldn't be hiring. It's important to remember that they're the ones needing help and you are the person that will help them with this problem.
Research The Company
A key part of a motivational letter is showing you've done your homework. You don't want to put together a generic letter that seems like they were mass produced. This is where solving their problem comes back into play. You want to find out as much as you can about the company you're applying for. Learn about their history and growth and find out why this position is now being offered.
Show the company you're aware of the problems and challenges they face regarding the position and how you can offer the perfect solution. This is where you want to share all the relevant things that will make you the perfect fit. Share the relevant skills, jobs, and achievements that will make them see you are the right choice for them to move forward. Let them know the benefits they will be getting when they choose you,
How To Put Together A Motivation Letter
You will want to keep things short and precise. Think about when you meet someone face to face for the first time, you only have a few seconds to make a good impression on them. Your motivational letter acts in the same way. Since a company will go through so many applications and resumes they don't have a lot of time to pour over every motivational letter.
You have maybe 20 seconds to capture the attention of the person reading and doing the hiring so it can't be long and indirect. Keep it short, sweet, and to the point.
This letter needs to be only one A4 page and if you have a motivational letter that is longer there's a good chance you won't even have it looked at. It's like handing in a 5-page resume, someone can see it as trying too hard and also unnecessary. You may eventually come up with a solution as buying research papers to do your editing and proofreading.
When you put together this letter there are a few things that will be important for you to include.
- First off will be your name and contact details. Make sure you're using your best e-mail address and information that will allow you to be contacted easily.
- Next, include the name of the company you're applying to along with their address. This will at least show you're not firing off a ton of these reproduced motivational letters.
- Put the date that you're sending in the application.
- If you know the name of the person doing the recruiting include it here if not you can use Sir/Madam.
- The content.
- Finish by saying sincerely and then your name and signature
How To Structure Your Motivational Letter
There are a few ways you can do this. A tried-and-true approach is going with three paragraphs. People respond well to things that are in threes and it can increase the readability and approach of your motivational letter.
With three paragraphs you will include an introduction, a body, and a conclusion. This is where you can break things down for them by using the introduction to understand the needs of the company and the problem they have in having to fill this vacant position.
The body is where you can show them how you can provide that solution and tell them what you would bring to the table. This is where to show some of your experience and achievements that lend themselves to this position. This is the part of the motivational letter where you will really showcase yourself and show what a good fit you will be.
"I would love to be a part of this team and be able to start contributing as soon as possible"
"I would love to find out more about the specific department and how I can become part of it"
"I would be happy to elaborate on my motivation letter and CV in a face-to-face interview."
Another option is going with 3-7 short paragraphs. This will be very concise and direct and will express all the relevant information for the position you are applying to. These paragraphs should only be 1-3 sentences long.
Important Tips For A Motivational Letter
Regardless of the job you're applying for, there are a few key-tips you need to keep in mind when putting together your letter:
1. Share your personal objectives- Don't be afraid to share where you see yourself in the future and what you would hope to achieve with the company.
2. Support what you say- don't just use bland or cliche phrases but support your points and show why you have these traits. Use specific examples when you can.
3. Don't just re-list your CV- they already have this and can refer to it easily. Just use select examples from it that can illustrate how you will be the best choice for the job.
4. Don't be arrogant- come across as confident and sure of yourself but don't make this a showcase all about how great you are.
5. Be direct and concise- remember, you don't have a lot of time to get their attention and having rambling, or long running sentences can lose them. Keep sentences straight and to the point. You only have one page and don't want it to be rambling.
A Motivational Letter Example
When writing your letter start by saying dear (name of the person or sir/madam).
First Paragraph:
The first paragraph will say how interested you are in the company and that you've seen they are in need of having this certain position filled. You understand how you know they want this position filled as soon as possible.
You can then share how you believe that your experience, and the skills you bring, will be the solution they need for this problem they have. This is when you can share more information you have on the company from the research you've done. If you have any connections to them or personal recommendation you can mention it here.
Second Paragraph:
This is where you can share your past jobs and experience related to the position. Share the number of years you had been involved in this and specific experiences and projects worked on. Express how these past experiences you have will be very important for the company in order to further their success and development.
At this point, you could list some specific examples related to the job you're pursuing and share a few career highlights. Keep it to 2-3 achievements max as this is not meant to be your CV but examples that will be specific to this position and situation. Now you can share how excited you are to see this job opening and opportunity with a company you want to be involved with. Continue to show how they need you and how you will make this company grow.
Conclusion Paragraph:
Express how your experience and skill set would make you a perfect fit for (name of the company). Here you will mention about having your resume attached so they can look at some more detail about your professional career and any references that they may want to consult.
Finish with confidence about not only your abilities but how much you would love to become a part of the team and to start contributing right away or with one of those examples shared above. You can then share your information so that they can easily contact you (email address, phone number)
Sign off saying sincerely and then your name
Wrapping It Up
The pursuit of a new job can be a real struggle and waiting for that perfect opportunity to come along can be frustrating.
When it presents itself you want to make sure you've organized everything together to present yourself in the best way. A motivational letter can be that first foot in the door to help get you to the next stage.
Source - Byo24News
