Writing of a cover letter workshop

I. Brainstorming on the content of the cover letter

a) The thinking

With the participants i twill matter to find information about them and sencibilise them about the importance to talk only about the experiences related to the job. We will also talk about mistakes not to do.

Contact information (phone number, adress, email adress, name)

The courtesis (Sir, Madam, Sincerely etc.) Se mettre en avant

Show oneself interested and dynamic

Talk about significant experiences

Proove oneselfs personal and professional quality

 

Do not :

  • Negative sentences
  • Too long sentences
  • Repeting oneself

 

b) The content

Writing a cover letter is difficult. It is thanks to this letter that a potential employer will have a first look at your candidature and will judge if it suits the job. To have better chances to obtain an interview appointment and find a job, it is very important to write a good cover letter.

I will show you today how to write a cover letter. There is no an universal way for it, but I will propose you an effectif one.

 

c) The fundamental writing rules

  • Do not turn your sentences in a negative form (I can not, unfortunately… )
  • Give preference to positive verbs such as : imporve, contribute, evolve, learn…
  • Show confidence, but do not show off
  • Some humour is often welcomed, but this is not mandatory
  • Be proactive, propose improvements.

By following these rules, you will be sure to write a good letter.

 

II. The letter plan

Your text should articulate around 3 parts : me, you, us. This principle consists in :

  • Me : talk about you at the beginning
  • You : talk about the firm and the job you want to abtain
  • Us : imagine your mutual collaboration

 

 

Your name and surname

Your adress

Post code

Tel. N°

Mail

 

Firm

To « Name of your interlocutor »

Adres

Post code and city

 

 

 

Strasbourg, date

Subject : …

Job offer reference : …

 

Us (project yourself in the firm and describe what you could accomplish together)
You ( talk brievely about the firm)
Me (talk about your experience related to the referred place)
Your offer caught my attention…

Sir, Madame,

III. The cover letter responding to an offer

a) Analyzing the job offer

You found the offer interesting and you would like to propose your candidature. Before beginning the redaction of your cover letter, an important stage must be accomplished : analyse the requested competences.

Your letter must respond to these requirements by saying : « I have those competences, I am the perfect candidate ». This is the messagewemust deliver to our potential employer.

How to proceed to the analysis ?

Lets take the example of an offer find on internet.

The most interesting paragraphs for us are « description de la mission » (description of the mission) et « profil recherché » (requested profile) because they will explain the type of candidates the firm is looking for.

If we concentrate on the description of the mission we may take out crucial points for us.

One of our schools : means that you will be a cook in a school and your clients will be children. If you have experience with children or in a school make sure you mention it. For example you may have worked as babysitter, animator or even worked as a cook in another school.

Hot meal distribution channel, the client hosting and the waitering : this line describes concretely your missions. Again, if you have similar experiance, do not hesitate to talk about it.

Your team spirit and your polyvalence : this means that you will work in a team. Show in your letter that you already have this type of experience.

So lets recap everything you will have to talk about :

  • You have a diploma in cooking area
  • An experience with children
  • Talk about your experiance in distribution of meals/ hostin/ waitering
  • Mention that you are a teamplayer

b) Writing the letter according to the offer

Lets now analyze the strong points of this cover letter :

Name Surname

Adres

Phone

 

 

Sir, Madam,

Me : “Cook for over 3 years, I want to evolve in the gastronomic world, expand my recipe and become a long-term master cook. Your job offer seemed very interesting because it seems to fit my profile while getting closer to my professional ambition ».

Indicate why the offer seemed interesting, project yourself in the future of the company.

Presenting a professional project in which you wante to become a master cook is very well perceived by companies, it shows ambition and character.

You : « The Elior group, the world’s 3rd largest restaurant operator, is present in 13 countries and provides daily service to 3.8 million customers. You are an ambitious group looking for professional collaborators. »

We talk briefly about the company to show that we made the effort to learn about the company we are aiming for.

Us : « From my experience, I have daily prepared and served meals to customers and this always in good spirit. Speed ​​and efficiency are my favorite colleagues when I work. Moreover, thanks to my experience in childcare; I am used to take care of your tipe of clients : children. »

It is shown that you have the necessary experience to perform the missions and we also try a touch of humor.

We try to add an added value to our application by indicating that we know the public and know how to work with.

 

My ability to work in a team, my rigor at work and my own culinary knowledge are assets that I can bring you to help improve your services. Let’s work together to make the Elior group the world’s leading restaurant company.

We present the quality we can bring to the structure. If possible, try to propose a project that you and the company could do together. Here I propose to make the group Elior in 1st position.

This opportunity to work together now depends only on you.

I remain at your disposal for any interview.

 

IV. Spontaneous cover letter

There is no offer corresponding to you, you must create your own offer.

The spontaneous cover lette ris more difficult to write because we do not respond to an offer, to requests. Let’s try do write a cover letter for a cashier job search.

Name Surname

Adress

Phone

Sir, Madam,

I would like to offer you my spontaneous application for a job as a cashier in your store.

Regularly frequenting your store for your attractive prices and your hospitable employees, I myself want to take part in this adventure.

I have a very concrete idea of ​​the missions of the job of cashier:

– guest care

– inform the customer about additional services (delivery, delivery, free credit, loyalty card)

– record sales of items

– collect

– check the cash fund

– replenish the rays

 

I have the qualities necessary to practice this profession.

Serious, smiling and dynamic, I particularly appreciate the contact of the customers. I also have the taste of the numbers, which can only be an asset for the operations of giving back change and cashier’s fence.

Aware of the number of applications you receive, I hope nevertheless to have the opportunity to stand out and make a difference during an interview.

Analysis of the letter

« I would like to offer you my spontaneous application for a job as a cashier in your store. » This is a spontaneous candidature, so do not forget to mention the position you are aiming.

« Regularly frequenting your store for your attractive prices and your hospitable employees, I myself want to take part in this adventure. » You show that you are attentif of what surrounds you and that you know the working enviroment you want to integrate.

« I have a very concrete idea of ​​the missions of the job of cashier:

– guest care

– inform the customer about additional services (delivery, delivery, free credit, loyalty card)

– record sales of items

– collect

– check the cash fund

– replenish the rays »

 

If you never worked in this domain, show that you know what they are waiting for (on internet you can find descritptions to all positions in companies).This way, even if you do not have any experience, you show your motivation by making evident your research concerning the position.

 

« I have the qualities necessary to practice this profession.

Serious, smiling and dynamic, I particularly appreciate the contact of the customers. I also have the taste of the numbers, which can only be an asset for the operations of giving back change and cashier’s fence. » In this paragraph you describe qualities you think are relevant to do this job.

« Aware of the number of applications you receive, I hope nevertheless to have the opportunity to stand out and make a difference during an interview. » The aim of this lette ris to meet the person. It is therefore important to propose the interview by yourself. This shows your involvment.