How

to

write

motivation

letter

The Cover Letter (CL) is the document that accompanies your CV when you are applying for a job. For academic purposes the document used is typically called statement of purpose and is laid out after somewhat different rules. The CL is short (!""#!$" words) with a %uite rigid structure and has the layout of a letter. &ts goal is to introduce the CV to bring to attention aspects of your activity that can help your application and are not listed or not presented in the proper light in the CV. &n short its goal is to answer the recruiter's %uestion( )*hy should & hire this person+). Layout. The layout is that of a formal business letter( your address and contact details come under your name in the upper right corner of the page. ,nderneath aligned left write the name function organisation and address of the person you are writing to. &t is a lot better to -now the name of the person who is going to read your letter. .ou should address the letter directly to him or her. &n the case you do not -now the name an email a little digging in the net or a phone call should help you get that name in case it is not mentioned in the official announcement. ,nder the receiver's address but aligned right write the date of the day when you are writing the letter. .ou should spell the name of the month and use four digits for the year. .ou can put in front of the date the location li-e /ofia !nd 0ecember !""". &f you do -now the name of the addressee start with 0ear 1r (1ister) 1s (1iss) 1rs (1istress) 0r (0octor) without the full stop that you might e2pect to follow the abbreviation and the surname of the addressee followed by comma (0ear 0r /mith ). &n this case you should end the letter with the salutation .ours sincerely. &f you do not -now the name start with 0ear /irs or 0ear /ir or 1adam and close with .ours faithfully. &n 3merican business correspondence .ours truly is acceptable in both cases. 0o not start the body of the mail with a capital letter since it follows a comma. /tructure. &deally a cover letter has no more than four paragraphs. The goal of the first is to specify what you are applying for and how did you find out about that opportunity. The last one outlines your availability for an interview suggesting in this way a concrete follow#up for your application. The second paragraph should list your s-ills and %ualifications that ma-e you the right person for the position you are applying for. 4ead carefully the announcement identify the re%uirements and see how your s-ills match those re%uired. 0o not simply state you have them prove it. &deally you should start from your e2perience and show how you have developed those %ualifications by doing what you have been doing5learning. /ame as in the case of your CV the result should portrait you as an independent creative person that can ta-e initiative and deal with responsibilities apart from the specific s-ills needed for the job. &n short the second paragraph should show why you are good for the job. The third should point out why you want it. .ou should outline your interest for the s-ills you are going to learn if you get the job. The impression left should be that you can ma-e a genuine contribution to the company's operations while simultaneously deriving satisfaction from your wor-. 3fter the fourth paragraph leave a blan- space same as you should do in the beginning after the salutation (0ear). *rite the proper closing as described above and your name. 0o not forget to leave a blan- space between the closing and your name and to sign the letter in that space. 6nclosure. &t is customary for formal letters to mention whether you have enclosed any documents accompanying the letter. /imply mention enclosure or write curriculum vitae under the heading enclosure at the end of the letter. 7rint the letter on 38 white paper same as that on which your CV was printed and put both documents in an 38 envelope of matching color. &f you are emailing it re%uest a notification that your documents have been received. *ait at least two wee-s since the day you sent your application or after the deadline before writing again in the case you did not get any answer.

Motivation letter example: Engineering

26 2006 11:12 I, XXXXXXXXXXXX, am a 23 year old Ethiopian Ele tri al En!ineer "ho i# intere#ted in $ ien e and En!ineerin! and ha# a head %or it& I am 'rrently employed (y a leadin! tele omm'ni ation# ompany in Ethiopia&

I !rad'ated in )'ly 200* %rom +r(a ,in h -ni.er#ity, Ethiopia "ith a %ir#t la## honor de!ree in Ele tri al En!ineerin!& /'rin! my #t'dy, I "a# e0po#ed to the (a#i prin iple# o% omm'ni ation #y#tem#, "hi h %illed me "ith enth'#ia#m&

/ri.en "ith the pa##ion %or omm'ni ation #y#tem, I #pe iali1ed my#el% in omm'ni ation #y#tem %or my %inal year o'r#e# a# "ell a# %or my %inal year pro2e t, entitled 3+ e##in! /ata(a#e thro'!h 4elephone line5&

-pon !rad'ation, I 2oined Ethiopian 4ele omm'ni ation 6orporation 7E468, the "ell 9no"n tele om #er.i e pro.ider in Ethiopia, "hi h !i.e# me an opport'nity to apply my 9no"led!e in real li%e appli ation& :o" I am "or9in! a# a ,o(ile 6omm'ni ation ;ro2e t En!ineer in <$$ 7<a#e $tation $'(#y#tem8 and ,$$ 7,o(ile $"it hin! $'(#y#tem8 o% :=>I+, ?4E @ EAI6$$=: mo(ile net"or9& +nd I am al#o the one "ho a'thori1ed to (e '#er repre#entati.e o% my ompany %or the di%%erent B$, 7Blo(al $ol'tion %or ,o(ile 6omm'ni ation8 e0pan#ion# pro2e t a eptan e te#t "ith di%%erent %orei!n net"or9 .endor# #' h a# ?4E, :=>I+ and EAI6$$=:& In my "or9, I am re#pon#i(le %or ontrollin! and optimi1in! the mo(ile net"or9 to %'l%ill '#tomer#5 e0pe tation#& Cith my dedi ation, determination and o't#tandin! pro(lem #ol.in! #9ill#, I deli.er a hi!h D'ality re#'lt in all area# o% my "or9& +# a team player, I ha.e (een in.ol.ed in .ario'# mo(ile pro2e t# and ha.e per%ormed "ell (e a'#e o% my adaptation #9ill#& $in e my o'ntry, Ethiopia, ha# not !one a# #' h a !reat #tep in the mo(ile te hnolo!y, it ha# (een my dream to ontri('te %or the de.elopment o% thi# te hnolo!y in the o'ntry& In a#e i% yo' don5t 9no", Ethiopia i# no" at ta9e o%% in tele omm'ni ation te hnolo!y lately& 4he e0pan#ion o% the mo(ile net"or9 a ro## the o'ntry i# the main #e tor that Ethiopian !o.ernment i# %o '#in! on re ently&

+# part o% thi# pro2e t, the mo(ile #er.i e (e ame operational in 'r(an area "hi h "a# limited in r'ral area (e%ore& 4hi# all pro2e t# are done (y Ethiopian 4ele omm'ni ation 6orporation "here I am "or9in! no"& 4he Ethiopian 4ele omm'ni ation 6orporation, the one and only mo(ile #er.i e pro.ider in the o'ntry, i# (y no" implementin! .ario'# mo(ile pro2e t# "hi h are ne" to my o'ntry in l'din! Aoad 6o.era!e ,o(ile ;ro2e t and Implementation o% 3rd !eneration B$, pro2e t in all o.er the o'ntry& ,y ompany ha# #i!ned a ne" a!reement "ith ?4E, :=>I+ and EAI6$$=: net"or9 .endor# to a ompli#h the#e ne" pro2e t# #' e##%'lly %or the ne0t E year#& +# a iti1en and o%% o'r#e a# per moti.ation and de#ire to #t'dy mo(ile omm'ni ation, my #t'dy "ill ontri('te a lot in the implementation o% the#e pro2e t# in my %'t're arrier& Fa.in! (een in mo(ile omm'ni ation %ield %or one year, I ame to reali1e that my 9no"led!e i# #till limited in many area#& In addition to thi#, the %ield i# not !i.en at a !rad'ate le.el in my o'ntry in the "ay I e0pe ted& 4h'#, I de ided to p'r#'e a ,a#ter o% $ ien e de!ree in ,o(ile 6omm'ni ation# in yo'r 'ni.er#ity to #tren!then my 9no"led!e and parti ipate in the de.elopment o% mo(ile te hnolo!y in my o'ntry& I ha.e read thro'!h the o'r#e de# ription# "hi h are o%%ered and I (elie.e that yo'r top le.el pro!ram an (ene%it me in many area#& =(tainin! a D'ality o% ma#ter o% # ien e %rom yo'r 'ni.er#ity "ill not only #tren!then my 9no"led!e in the %ield to ope 'p "ith the %a#t ad.an ement in the te hnolo!y ('t "ill al#o help me to %'l%ill my dream to #ee all people in my o'ntry !ettin! all mo(ile #er.i e# that are 'rrently a.aila(le %or all people in the de.eloped o'ntrie# ('t not in my o'ntry #' h a# $,$, B;A$ and other#& +nd I am #'re my dream ome# tr'e (y o(tainin! a D'ality o% ma#ter # ien e %rom 'ni.er#ity& I ha.e a de#ire to do my po#tGma#ter pro2e t on implementin! E/BE 7Enhan ed /ata rate# %or Blo(al E.ol'tion8 that allo" E46 7Ethiopian 4ele omm'ni ation 6orporation8, B$, =perator, to '#e e0i#tin! B$, radio (and# to o%%er I; (a#ed m'ltimedia #er.i e# and appli ation# at ma0im'm #peed o% 3HE9(p# "ith a (it rate o% EH9(p# per time#lot and 'p to 6I&2 9(p# per time#lot in !ood radio ondition& Cith my #tron! a adami (a 9!ro'nd and rele.ant "or9in! e0perien e, I am on%ident that I am D'ali%ied and a(le to per%orm "ell in thi# pro!ram& I al#o (elie.e that I an ma9e #i!ni%i ant ontri('tion to thi# pro!ram& 4han9 yo' .ery m' h %or on#iderin! my appli ation& I loo9 %or"ard to yo'r po#iti.e re#pon#e&

Jo'r# #in erely, XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Motivation letter
I am a graduate student of MSc in Engineering and Management or simply called technical manager at the University of Miskolc. I am speciali ed in Information !echnology and Mechanical !echnology. I "ould like to take part in a foreign professional practice for a period of #$12 months organi ed %y the &eonardo program 'Starting earliest (uly 2))*+. ,t the university- and even in my high school years I took part in many activities- like summer universities- I "as organi er of conferences- and I took also part in a pro.ect in the field of mechanical engineering$&ifetime Management in Information !echnology. I have several e/periences in foreign countries. I spent 0 months as an Erasmus student a%road at the !ampere University of !echnology in 1inland- "here I studied special kind of management and leadership su%.ects- and communication and enterprise information courses. I speak 2erman and English fluently. I spent one month in 34sseldorf- in 2ermany "here I studied the Intensivkurs 5irtschaftsdeutsch. I spent my summer practice %y the 6ungarian 7oads Management 8ompany- and no" I am looking for a professional practice a%road. I am a%le to "ork alone or as a part of a team- and I like "orking "ith people. I am fle/i%le and open minded- and if it is needed- I en.oy organi ing different tasks. I am a%le to "ork hard- and I love the ne" challenges. I am also eager to learn ne" things. I "ould like to take part in this &eonardo program- and "ork a%road- %ecause this is an e/cellent opportunity to improve my professional skills and to gain a lot of e/periences. Since I "as a little child I "anted to travel- and spend some time in a foreign country and culture. I "ant to do something challenging. I think- it "ould %e a perfect start of my career- and I could %uild up good relationships in my profession- and personal life also. I hope that the a%ove e/periences- kno"ledge- and skills make me convenient for filling a vacancy at your company. 9ours sincerely-

Miskolc- )1. 1). 2)):

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