COMM 202

COVER LETTERS

Sarah Brennan

Wednesday 3:30pm [T06]

– Thursday

9:30am [T12]

TUTORIAL 3

AGENDA

Course Timeline

Cover Letters

Hook Activity

Action Items

COURSE OVERVIEW

COURSE TIMELINE

Week 5 Week 6 Week 7

•  Intro to cover letters

•  Skills matrix draft due

•  Cover letter peer review

•  Skills matrix due Friday, October 14th

•  Resume peer review

•  Bring 2 hard copies of resume & job posting

After that its Linkedin, Networking, Info Interviews, & Employment Interviews

CAN CAN YOU DO

THE JOB?

FIT DO YOU FIT THE

CULTURE?

WANT DO YOU WANT THE

JOB?

CAN CAN YOU DO

THE JOB?

FIT DO YOU FIT THE

CULTURE?

WANT DO YOU WANT THE

JOB?

60 – 70 %

CAN SKILLS MATRIX

FIT ALIGNMENT Job,

Company, & Industry

WANT JOB RESEARCH ASSIGNMENT

Cover Email

Resume & Cover Letter

Interview

Get the important info to your potential employer as easily as possible, give them the info so they don’t have

to dig!

WHAT’S YOUR BRAND?!

WRITE 4-5 words that best describe you! (Personality, values, skills, interests, etc.)

If you had 30 seconds to describe who you are, what would you say? Think elevator pitch style

WHY DO WE WRITE COVER LETTERS?

Stress your INTENTIONS & INTERESTS ! Shows SINCERITY and RESEARCH

Demonstrates ABILITY TO COMMUNICATE ! CREATIVE and PROFESSIONAL

Opportunity to elaborate on YOUR STORIES & PERSONALITY

! Drawn from your SKILLS MATRIX

COVER LETTERS

RESUME VS. COVER LETTERS

Resume is about YOU

WHY & HOW YOU CAN HELP

Cover Letter is about THEM

OPENING BR

AND

ING

&

TAILOR

ING

CLOSING

SKILL-MATCHING

INTEG

RATIO

N

5 COMPONENTS

OPENING BR

AND

ING

&

TAILOR

ING

CLOSING

SKILL-MATCHING

INTEG

RATIO

N

5 COMPONENTS

THE OPENING.

ü  UNIQUE. ü  LINKS YOU TO JOB. ü  ENTICES CURIOSITY. ü  NEW INFORMATION.

¡ Expresses keen and genuine interest and/or passion for position

¡ Genuine and unique primary and secondary research indicating interest in company (Make sure the research you show is tied to your interest)

¡ Makes a clear expression of the skills/experience matching the job description

¡ Name Drop (where applicable)

OPENING

Dear Hiring Manager,

My name is Sarah Brennan and I am applying to your HR Intern Position.

THE OPENING

Dear Hiring Manager,

My name is Sarah Brennan and I am applying to your HR Intern Position.

THE OPENING

THE HOOK.

ü  INTEREST + PASSION. ü  SKILLS SUMMARY. ü  COMPANY FIT. ü  OPTIONAL NAME DROP.

HOOK EXAMPLE#1 – H.R.

Dear Hiring Manager,   “What do you want to be when you grow up?” It’s a question every child is asked, but no child can really answer. The best response: Space Cowboy.   That child, thinking outside of the box, has the creative freedom to dream of a fulfil l ing career unbound by societal structures that dictate what is and is not possible. My Space Cowboy mission is to work in a role where I can harness the power of people’s potential at a company who believes their human capital is the organization’s greatest asset. This company harnesses social enterprise through innovation working with local and global partners to achieve economic prosperity. This company is MaRS.

HOOK EXAMPLE #2 – ACCTNG

Dear Hiring Manager, The most important lesson I’ve learned from years of marathon training is that results are directly linked to effort put in. This is an attitude that has led me to Boston-qualifying marathon times, achievement on the UBC rowing crew, winning finishes at triathlons, and placement on the Dean’s Honour Roll. Accounting works much the same; the only path to excellence is through hard work and persistence. This attitude of persistence and teamwork has carried me through my previous challenging work experiences and is one that I have found aligns with PwC’s core values of excellence, teamwork, and leadership. Some of my applicable skills gained from those previous positions include:

HOOK EXAMPLE #3 – FINANCE

Dear Hiring Manager, How fast can you change four tires? One hour? Ten minutes? A few years ago I witnessed a Formula One team do it in 2.7 seconds. They said a perfect run would be just one second. In everything that I do I strive to reach that one second – that perfect test score, that perfect presentation, that perfect career. After speaking with Jake Wo o d s o n , a r e c e n t h i r e , D i o n C h e n , a n d o t h e r i n d u s t r y professionals, I know that my personality and passion lies in sales and trading. Through my unique athletic background and passion, I will provide competitiveness and drive that will set a benchmark for future interns. I cannot wait to sit on a trading floor, execute trades, and engage in research while receiving mentorship from the most world-renowned investment bank. A career with Goldman Sachs is my one second and this is how I will help Goldman reach its own one second ideal:

LET'S PRACTICE THE HOOK.

ACTIVITY TIME

THE SKILLS MATCHING.

ü  REQUIRED SKILLS OR ATTRIBUTES FROM JOB DESCRIPTION.

ü  2-3 STORIES. ü  OTHER QUALIFICATIONS.

YOU JOB

1.  Skills from your skills matrix match the job description (use STARL)

2.  Best relevant experiences

3.  Link education and other training to the job, and link to the co/position if it’s not obvious

4.  Any other qualifications

SKILLS MATRIX

¡ Use STARL to your advantage – Action and Link!

¡ Each line proves you have the necessary skills &

aptitudes to perform on the job

¡ Always link to the company/position if not obvious

¡ Use skills listed in the job description

REMEMBER…

SKILLS EXAMPLE #1

Communication is undeniably an important aspect of any job, although especially in a consulting position, where constant and effective interaction with clients is essential. I have accumulated over ten years of both amateur and pre-professional theatre experience, which have shaped me into an outgoing and enthusiastic person who is eager to communicate with the public. This interest became so great that in my senior years of high school I won first place in the province for my speech on the environmental impacts of the Alberta Oil Sands. Reeve Consulting offers services from engaging, reputable professionals and strives to engage in effective, comprehensible communication; a value that I too possess and have had experience in applying.

SKILLS EXAMPLE #2

¡  Financial Analysis – As a Financial Analyst for RSA Insurance Group, I was tasked with assessing credit default risk and analyzing financial reports for various contractors. I successfully assessed these companies through financial ratio and break-even in excel, in addition to due diligence work. With a focus on accuracy, I helped produce over $1 million in insurance premium by presenting my findings succinctly, and identifying to management companies suitable for support. With this experience I believe I can quickly contribute, and excel in the performance analysis or credit risk divisions.

SKILLS EXAMPLE #3

THE CLOSING.

ü  REITERATE INTEREST. ü  RESTATE SKILLS USING

DIFFERENT WORDING. ü  THANK THEM. ü  CALL TO ACTION.

“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 FIT FOR ABC.”

THE CLOSING

“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 FIT FOR ABC.”

THE CLOSING

Dear Hiring Manager   Flying off a jump in a Super G course at 100km/hour leaves little room for error.   As a competitive alpine ski racer for 10 years of my youth, I realized the overall team results depend on you giving your best individual performance. My coaches taught me the importance of discipline and dedication. Through training, I learned how to become resilient during rough times and to adapt in fast-paced environments. The freedom of skiing allowed me to push my limits while staying within set boundaries. I took calculated risks, embraced the consequences and learned from my mistakes. I believe the skills I learned as an alpine ski racer have provided me with the foundation to thrive at Whistler Blackcomb as the Marketing Intern dedicated to providing visitors and residents alike the opportunity to create memories at the best mountain resort.

Alpine ski racing is results focused. The time clock shows your performance and the podium declares the winner. Unlike horseshoes, close doesn’t count because at 100km/hour, every millisecond matters. I apply this philosophy to all areas of my life – I consider myself to be optimistic with a strong work ethic and willingness to learn in dynamic environments. Whistler Blackcomb maintains high standards of excellence through the recognition of awards – quantifying what it means to be the “best mountain experience”.   Being named the No.1 overall best ski resort in North America is your goal medal performance. Bring me on your team and I promise to shave one more millisecond off your time.

¡ Make a good final impression ¡ Show your passion ¡ Restate skills with a different wording ¡ Give genuine thanks ¡ Leave a call to action ¡ Tie to previous examples/stories (tie to hook)

CLOSING

¡ Consistent throughout cover letter ¡ Fits in with the company’s values & yours ¡ Create the image you want to project ¡ Use Job Research Assignment

Remember your brand?

Use it

BRANDING

¡ Clear consistent branding throughout the resume and cover letter documents

¡ All necessary information is displayed, format/tone/font/style is appropriate, and the candidate displays the best impression of him/herself

INTEGRATION

Date

Contact Name (if known) Their Title Company Name Address 1 Address 2 (if extra space needed) City, Province, Postal Code

Re: Position Title and Reference Number (if applicable)

Dear First Name Last Name,(unless you know for sure the woman's marital status then you can put Mrs. Ms. Or Mr. If in doubt, “Hiring Manager”)

[Opening Paragraph]

FORMATTING THE START

[Closing Paragraph]

Sincerely or Regards or Kind Regards,

Full Name BCom Candidate, (year of completion) Sauder School of Business

Attached: Resume (in an actual application you may also be including transcripts, etc.)

FORMATTING THE END

COVER EMAILS

¡ <150 words ¡ Utilize bold face type to emphasize important

points ¡ Show your brand & personality

¡ Make them want more! § Ie. Resume, Cover Letter and and Interview!

COVER EMAIL

Subject : Job T i t le – Your Name OR come up wi th a ver y shor t hook for example “Beer & people lover has found her dream internship” or “Your new HR Intern is ins ide” or “HIRING MANAGER NAME, I ’m exc i ted!” Depending on how cool the company is . To : Name of job poster/whom i t may concern/hi r ing manager (never wr i te Dear S i rs – he l lo sex ism!) ,   Your adver t posted on  WEBSITE NAME   for  JOB T ITLE   rea l l y caught my at tent ion; Labatt has “good th ings brewing” and I would love to be a component of the “good th ings” . I be l ieve my  XYZ   (people management) exper ience a longs ide my  dr ive , tenaci ty and exemplar y communicat ions sk i l ls  are a so l id match to your needs. I a lso match the job requi rements in the fo l lowing ways: ¡  2 years of leadership exper ience ¡  Except ional presentat ional sk i l ls ¡  Advanced Excel capabi l i t ies ¡  UBC Innovat ion Award rec ip ient ¡  5 years ’ exper ience organiz ing team bui ld ing act iv i t ies   I am conf ident that I w i l l be a fantast ic addi t ion to your team! I have at tached my resume and cover let ter, p lease do not hes i tate to contact me wi th any quest ions you may have or to set up an inter v iew on 778-XXX-XXXX.   I look for ward to hear ing f rom you.   K ind regards, Your name (778) -XXX-XXXX Emai l address L inkedIn prof i le URL

ACTION ITEMS

1. Tutorial next week

2. 2 Hard copies of your Cover Letter for Peer Review

3. Skills Matrix due October 14th @ 2pm on Turnitin

4. Sign up for Office Hours

ACTION ITEMS