1. Under Pressure:
WRITING YOUR COVER
LETTER
Olga Rakhmatullova
Counter-Trafficking Unit
IOM Mission in Ukraine

2. Plan
What is cover letter? Why cover letter?
How a cover letter should look?
What should be in a cover letter?
Cover letter checklist
FUN and LEARNING

3. What is Cover Letter?
 A document that accompanies your
resume when applying for jobs/internships
Why Cover Letter?
 To personalize your resume;
 Highlight specific information about you
and the Company that make two of you a
perfect fit

4. Prepare for Writing:
Gather facts on yourself, company job
Read an advertisement; highlight main
requirements and duties
Make a list of your achievements,
experiences and coursework that
correspond to the job description
Do formal research on the company
Do informal research on the position

5. EXERCISE 1
“JOB-COMPANY-YOU”

6. How should a Cover Letter look?
Keep your letter to one side of A4
Use clear, readable and professional font
Aim for no more than 4-5 paragraphs, keep
sentences short
Make sure you your letter has good
margins; put 2 spaces between paragraphs
to make a letter look neat
Use “Madam/Sir” or “Internship
Coordinator” or similar of no names are
provided

7. What should be in a cover letter?
MAIN RULES:
Keep it brief, get across important points
Make it confident, positive and enthusiastic
Avoid repetition of information stated in your
resume (rather supplement it)
Address it to the person, not organization
Refer reader to CV where relevant
Ensure you include all contact information
Have people you trust proofread it
DOUBLECHECK for misspellings and typos

8. What should be in a cover letter?
Paragraph 1
2-3 sentences in length
State what position you are applying for,
where you learned about it
Mention any personal contacts with the
company
Create interest by stating in one sentence
why you think you will do a good match
for the position

9. EXERCISE 2
“INTRODUCTORY
PARAGRAPH”

10. What should be in a cover letter?
Paragraph 2-3
3-5 sentences in length
Emphasize a match between the skills and
expertise you possess and Employer’s
requirements
Present your achievements (both academic
and professional) that relate to the position
you are applying for

11. EXERCISE 3
“THE BODY OF YOUR
COVER LETTER”

12. What should be in a cover letter?
Paragraph 4
Thank for the time and
consideration
State your availability dates
Provide information on how to
contact you to receive additional
information

13. EXERCISE 4
“CONCLUDING YOUR
COVER LETTER”

14. How to make your Cover Letter
Stronger?
Giver preference to active rather than
passive voice (“I presented industry
analysis” rather than “case analysis was
presented by me”)
Prefer verbs to adjectives
Provide evidence/examples for your
statements
Don’t begin every sentence with I

15. Cover letter checklist
 Done your research on the company
 Addressed your covering letter to the right person
 Used an easy-to-read font
 Stated what the job is and where you saw it
advertised
 Made it clear why you want to work for them and
why your skills match the job
 Reflected the job advertisement's tone
 Made yourself sound positive and enthusiastic
 Kept it clear and brief, with good presentation
 Checked and double-checked for errors

16. Useful links
 http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/onelife/work/applic
 http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/550
 http://www.reslady.com/coverletters.html
 http://www.susanireland.com/letterguide/rules.
 http://www.careers.lon.ac.uk/output/page219.a