COMM 202 welcome to

Tutorial #5 � TA: Laura Wong � Thursday, Mar 6

Introduction to COVER LETTERS

1. Importance

R

WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENCES BTW A RESUME & COVER LETTER?

eModules recap:

1 minute

Importance of Cover letters

•  Lets employer know your intentions •  Demonstrates written communication

skills – ZERO mistakes

•  Elaborate on your stories – Use your Skills Matrix

WHY YOU?

Demonstrates the 3…

Am I a good

Fit?

Do I Want

the job?

Can I do the

job?

But remember…

RESUME is about YOU…

COVER LETTER is about THEM

and WHY you make a good match!

5 essential elements

Opening

Skill-Matching

Closing

Branding/Tailoring

Integration

1) The Opening

Intro to the hook

Interest/Passion + Company Fit + Summarize Skills (+ optional name drop)

R

IN GROUPS OF 6, CREATE A HOOK

Activity:

5 minutes

2) Skill-Matching

Skills (from Skills Matrix) +

Experience (2-3 examples) +

Education (how you will leverage BCom)

+ Matching Qualifications

(any other qualifications that set you apart)

2) Skill-Matching

Each paragraph proves that you have the necessary skills to be successful on the job

Don’t forget to always link back to the job

posting!

Context Action Result Link

3) Branding/Tailoring

•  About leaving a good impression

•  Must be consistent throughout your cover letter

•  Make sure it fits with both the company’s values, culture, and your expectations

•  Use industry jargon/company-specific language

4) Closing

•  Your chance for final impression!

•  Restate your skills, but use different wording

Summarize strengths + Show your passion

+ Thank them + Use a call to action

(follow up)

“Mr Smith, 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 perfect fit for ABC position. Thank you very much and hope to hear from you soon.”!

5) Integration

•  Visual matching: your cover letter & resume must use same formatting

•  Do NOT send in generic cover letter & generic resumes (big part of your grade is matching!) – There are 400 of you in COMM

202, and even more applying for your dream job. Find a way to stand out.

What Else?

•  Cover letter allows you to address any “elephant in the room” situations (e.g. relocation, bad grades, etc.)

•  Word choice – overly emotional words (“deeply honoured”, “it would be a blessing…”) – Want to show that you are on an equal playing

field and are qualified for the role

•  Grammar & spelling – 2+ mistakes = -40%!

Olympics Analogy

3 key takeaways from today?

1.  Important to grab reader’s attention with a good hook

2. Resume is about YOU, cover letter is about THEM (company)

3. Address elephants in the room as necessary (grades, relocation)

Action Items þ  Cover Letter Assignment

Ø  Write your cover letter draft

Ø  Bring two printed cover letter drafts to next tutorial for

peer review

Ø  Final Resume & Cover Letters due Mar 21st, 2PM

Ø  Group Office Hours (next week) Ø  Sign up on COOL

Ø  Bring your resumes & cover letters

Next week: TUTORIAL