CEU Alumni Relations and Career Services
Nádor u. 9., H-1051 Budapest, Hungary
Tel.: (36-1) 327-3215
http://arcs.ceu.hu/career http://careers.ceu.hu E-mail: career@ceu.hu
COVER LETTER
GOAL: to introduce your CV, to stimulate the employer to want to read more about you.
While a resume on its own simply shows what you have done, the cover letter highlights and expands on
those things you have done that are relevant to this particular job. It is in effect a guide to the “best bits” of
your resume.
Cover letters come in two types:
speculative letters, which are written to a company to ask if there is a job they could consider you for;
replies to job advertisements, where you are writing to apply for a specific and clearly described
position.
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Cover Letter DOs and DON’Ts
DO address your cover letter to a named individual. If necessary, call the company and find out to
whom it should be sent.
DO show personality, through your writing style, direct statements about your character, or
testimonial references.
DO show that you know something about the company and the industry. This is where your research
comes in.
DO express confidence, but not arrogance.
DO send a neatly formatted and printed letter on A4 (or US letter) paper in a plain white envelope,
the same color as your resume.
DO keep it brief, no more than one page in easily read paragraphs.
DO try to answer the employer’s question; “Why should I hire this person?”
DO use simple, uncomplicated language and sentence structure.
DO clearly express your objective and state what sort of position are you applying for.
DO request action and follow up.
DO provide a reachable address and phone numbers.
DO make a copy of each cover letter to use for future references.
DO write a second time after a reasonable time, if you did not receive a response.
DON’T ever send your resume without a cover letter.
DON’T be negative or too humble.
DON’T overuse the word ”I”
DON’T use clichés.
DON’T send a cover letter with misspellings, grammatical errors or smudges.
DON’T send letters, which are obviously photocopied or mass-produced.
DON’T write your letter by hand, unless requested by the employer.
Cover Letter – CEU Handout
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CEU Alumni Relations and Career Services
Nádor u. 9., H-1051 Budapest, Hungary
Tel.: (36-1) 327-3215
http://arcs.ceu.hu/career http://careers.ceu.hu E-mail: career@ceu.hu
USUAL STRUCTURE OF THE COVER LETTER
Purpose of the letter
Example:
I read with interest your advertisement in the Economist of December 13, 2002 for the post of
Administrative Manager in the Archives Section of the National Library and I would like to
apply for this position.
Career objective
This paragraph should normally indicate how this particular job or company would fit into your own
career plans. A Company is much more likely to employ someone they think will enjoy working for
them than someone who will leave at the first opportunity.
Example:
A job at the National Library is particularly appealing to me, as it would give me the chance
to expand my interest and experience in archaeological research. I feel sure that the Library
would also prove a stimulating work environment that would enable me to offer my best.
One or two key resume items
One or two paragraphs that make convincing points about your qualifications or personal skills. You
should concisely elaborate on those aspects of your experience or qualifications, which are related to
this company’s needs. If you are replying to an advertisement, carefully read the requirements for the
position and how your experience meets each of them (if you cannot meet one of the requirements,
do not apologize or emphasize your shortcomings: either suggest what alternative experience or
qualifications you might be able to offer instead or if you have none, just do not mention that point).
Example:
My experience in working with a team of four colleagues at the University of Riga has enabled
me to develop the skills of collaboration, negotiation and cooperative problem solving. While
in this position, I also designed and put into operation a unique database system for the
storage of data about archaeological sites.
Action follow-up (”what happens next”)
This paragraph should initiate action, by explaining what will you do next, or should instigate the
reader to call you, to set up an interview. If you are confident enough and you find it comfortable,
indicate that you will cal back in a few days to follow up your application.
USEFUL LINKS:
http://europe.vault.com/index.jsp Vault's free sample cover letters, Job advice section
http://jobsearch.about.com/od/coverlettersamples/a/coverlettsample.htm
http://www.career.vt.edu/JOBSEARC/coversamples.htm
http://www.resume-resource.com/
http://www.resumeedge.com - the official resume writing partner to Yahoo!HotJobs and the CareerJournal
(Wall Street Journal). See ”Career Resources” section for Cover Letter samples.
If you need more assistance in writing your application (CV, Cover letter) for a specific job, please call or
write us an e-mail, in order to set up an appointment.
Cover Letter – CEU Handout
2
CEU Alumni Relations and Career Services
Nádor u. 9., H-1051 Budapest, Hungary
Tel.: (36-1) 327-3215
http://arcs.ceu.hu/career http://careers.ceu.hu E-mail: career@ceu.hu
Example 1: Speculative letter
Peter Peters
Central European University
Modern Social Studies Department
Nador u. 9, 1051 Budapest
Z98pet33@student.ceu.hu
Tel: (36 1) 123 4567
Mr. John Jones
Position
Company ABC
Address ZZZ
Country
Date
Dear Mr. Jones:
Ms. Jodi Jode, the Director of Human Resources of the XYZ Association, suggested I contact you to explore
employment opportunities within your organization. At present, I am working towards a Master’s degree at
Central European University in Budapest, Hungary. My major is Modern Social Studies, with special
emphasis on Modern Communication and Culture and upon graduating I intend to begin a career with an
international organization such as Company ABC, focusing on issues of cross-cultural communication
training in a business environment.
I believe my experience would enable me to be a valuable contributor to the Company ABC team. While
working for the United Nations Special Research Project, for example, I developed particularly strong
analytical and communication skills, which would be beneficial to Company ABC. My major strengths are
my dedication to completing assigned tasks, ability to work independently on projects as well as in a team.
Having supervised several research projects on communication and culture, I have extensive research
experience and a solid understanding of the current situation in the region. My education has served to
compliment my work experience by providing me with a more complex understanding of multi-dimensional
developing societies in the reason on a comparative basis.
I am enclosing a resume that highlights my educational background, skills and professional experience in
more detail. I am available for further discussions about your organization and how I can contribute to its
future success at any time and would be happy to provide additional information about myself if requested.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Yours sincerely
(Sign here)
Peter Peters
Cover Letter – CEU Handout
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CEU Alumni Relations and Career Services
Nádor u. 9., H-1051 Budapest, Hungary
Tel.: (36-1) 327-3215
http://arcs.ceu.hu/career http://careers.ceu.hu E-mail: career@ceu.hu
Example 1: Response to job ad
Job
Advertisment:
Unilever Hungary
has a vacancy for a
Junior Sales Manager
to work in the area of sales and marketing, particularly with our household product lines.
Applicants should have previous experience in the area of sales and marketing, as well as an
excellent command of English, appropriate computer skills and a full current driving license.
Applications, including full curriculum vitae and references to:
Mr. Henrik Fan, Personnel Manager,
UNILEVER Hungary,
Devay Street 21-23,
Budapest 1059
Closing date: 17 August 1999
Response to Ad:
Martin Feher
Roses Street 68.II.2
Budapest 1213, Hungary
Tel: 00 361 425 4563
Email: mfeher@datanet.hu
10 August, 1999
Mr. Henrik Fan
Personnel Manager,
UNILEVER Hungary,
Devay Street 21-23,
Budapest 1059
Dear Mr. Fan,
I was very interested in your advertisement in the Budapest Sun last week for the post of junior sales manager. I feel
that I would be an excellent candidate for this position and I would like to apply.
Through my work as marketing assistant for Glycom Armenia, I have built a strong record of significant achievement in
progressively more responsible sales and office management positions during my short career. My six months
management placement experience with Palmolive in Great Britain provided me with intensive experience planning,
developing and implementing sales of body care products. In addition, I performed management responsibilities
including the supervision of a staff of five.
Having recently completed a Master’s degree in Economics at Central European University, I have an excellent
command of both written and spoken English, as well as a clear understanding of market forces. I have worked
extensively with Microsoft Word 7.0 and Microsoft Excel both in a work environment and in my recent studies and am
conversant with the most common Internet software. I possess a full driving license.
A position with Unilever Hungary would offer me the opportunity to further develop my experience in the area of sales
and marketing, a field of work which I find stimulating and fulfilling, within the framework of a company with an
established international reputation.
Please find enclosed a copy of my curriculum vitae, with details of references as requested. Should you have any further
questions, you may reach me at the above address, phone number or email. I look forward to hearing from you to
discuss your organization and how my experience can contribute to its success.
Yours sincerely,
Martin Feher
Cover Letter – CEU Handout
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