ELL3044 Practical Business English - 실용비즈니스영어 Cover Letter A. Warmup Questions 1. Have you ever written a cover letter? What company / position was it for? 2. What s the difference between a cover letter and a resume (and an application)? 3. Why should you write a cover letter? B. Vocabulary What do these underlined words/phrases mean? a. I understand why people like him he s never passive or aggressive. He has a bold, assertive personality. What s the difference between assertive and aggressive or passive? b. The applicant / candidate sent her cover letter and resume to the company in hopes of getting an interview. What s the difference between an applicant and a candidate? c. It was hard to get to know Karen. She felt cold and impersonal so I didn t know her well. d. The cover letter can highlight your skills and experience for a particular job. e. Make your cover letter count! It could be the difference between a job and no job so make it count! f. My resume is enclosed with my cover letter in the package I sent you. g. What is this letter regarding, is similar to what is the topic / theme of this letter? h. There is a job vacancy at our company so I encourage you to apply. C. What is a Cover Letter? A cover letter is a one-page business letter that you send to an employer with your resume. A cover letter acts as a bridge between your resume and the job advertisement. It allows you to connect your skills to what the job advertisement is looking for. A good cover letter not only explains which job you are applying for and why you think you would be a good applicant, but also who you are as an individual (strengths for this job). It is important because it gives you the opportunity to talk more in depth about some of the skills and experiences on your resume that are applicable to the job you are applying for. D. Sample Cover Letter page 2 1. Who is she? address? phone no.? email? 2. How is her address written (Korea vs American style?) 3. What position is she applying for? Where is the job? 4. After her salutation (Dear ), what comes next? Does she use a comma or a colon? 5. Can I use To whom it may concern or Dear Sir/Madam? 6. What does the RE mean at the top of the letter? 7. What does the ENC mean at the bottom of the letter? 8. Did she indent the paragraphs? 9. What was the difference between paragraph 2 and paragraph 3? 10. What does the last paragraph contain? 11. Why does she type her name under her signature? 1
September 27, 2018 3 Maple Street Toledo, OH 48872 Milton District High School 931 E. Land Drive Cleveland, OH 49218 Dear Mr. E. Mackay, Principal: Re: Job Opening My name is and I am applying for the open position of English teacher at Milton District High School as advertised in the Cleveland Times. I believe that I am an excellent candidate for the position because of my experience teaching at my present high school, Toledo South High School, which the Cleveland Times ranked last year as one of the most challenging schools in the state of Ohio. Although I have thoroughly enjoyed my 14 years of teaching at Toledo South, my husband is being transferred by his company to Cleveland, so I will need to find a new teaching position at a different school. As you can see from my attached resume, I have taught at Toledo South High School for 14 years. Although teaching for 14 years at one school is not a particularly long period of time, I believe it is worth noting that of the 35 teachers who were employed full-time at Toledo South when I began my job there in 2001, 31 of them have quit or retired. Although I easily could have quit as well and moved on to an easier school, I deemed it more important to teach in an environment where students suffer from a variety of problems and school resources are scarce. By facing such challenges, I feel that I have developed a unique skill set that allows me to deal with any problem I face. For example, drugs and gang fights are not uncommon at Toledo South. As a result, teachers encounter stressful situations every day, often putting themselves at risk. Having dealt with such major obstacles, I believe that I am thus well-equipped to deal with some of the similar problems that Milton District High School faces. Outside of the classroom, I have also taken the time to get involved in students lives. In addition to teaching, I have coached students for speech and debate competitions, as well as helped students rehearse for school plays. Finally, I have encouraged students to take part in sports, such as track & field (which I coach), in order to prevent student idleness after school. I believe my involvement in track & field would be a particularly strong asset to Milton District High School, as I not only coach my students, but I also train and run with them. I am very interested in learning more about Milton District High School and welcome the opportunity for an interview. Should you have any questions, please contact me by email at anne.jones@gmail.com or by phone at (440)-568-2298. Thank you very much for your time. Sincerely, Enc: Resume, Copy of University Diploma, Teacher Certificate 2
E. Label the Cover Letter Label the cover letter with these titles: employer s address? enclosed resume? today s date? name? conclusion? signature? body? concluding statement? applicant s address? introduction? salutations? what the letter is regarding? 3 Maple Street Toledo, OH 48872 Milton District High School 931 E. Land Drive Cleveland, OH 49218 Dear Mr. E. Mackay, Principal: Re: Job opening My name is and I am applying for the open position As you can see from my attached resume, I have taught at Outside of the classroom, I have also taken the time to get involved in students lives... March 27, 2018 I am very interested please contact me by email at anne.jones@gmail.com or by phone at (440)-568-2298. Thank you very much for your time. Sincerely, Enc: Resume, Copy of University Diploma, Teacher Certificate 3
F. Cover Letter Tips 1. Spelling Mistakes and Grammar Mistakes any mistakes will disqualify you as you look unprofessional and lazy. Proofread! Proofread! Proofread! Ask a friend to proofread to get some advice. 2. Consistency use consistent spelling (Chonnam vs Jeonnam; Gwangju vs Kwangju; British English vs American English, date format, etc.) is it all the same? Keep your consistency the same throughout the letter. March 30, 2017 (North American) 30 March 2017 (British, European) 3. Formatting proper formatting (paragraphs are not indented), easy to read font, correct use of bold 4. Concise people are busy so cover letters should be only a page long. Don t ramble, be concise, and remember each word counts! 5. Research find out who is going to read your letter! Try to avoid To whom it may concern or Dear Vice President of Marketing or To Human Resource Department. Find out who will receive the letter and address it to them Dear Mr. J. Bond, President of Secret Spies: 6. Research what is the company looking for? Why are you that person that they should hire? Research what projects that company is doing. 7. Personalize your cover letter write a specific cover letter to a specific job don t just use one cover letter for multiple jobs. 8. Assertive and Positive use assertive language! Instead of I think I will be a good employee write I will be a good employee ; instead of I wish you will contact me write I look forward to hearing from you. 9. DON T REPEAT YOUR RESUME don t just write what is on your resume, instead highlight what is on your resume and how it could help in your new job. How do your skills match with the job being advertised? You have to match your skills (on your resume) to the skills the employer wants (in the job advertisement). 10. You are a product, sell yourself! G. A Bad Cover Letter What is wrong with the cover letter on the next page? 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 4
27 / 09 / 2018 Ontario, Toronto 876 Main Street Hilton Electronics 57 Westlane Avenue Vancouver, British Columbia Dear Hiring Manager, Hello! How are you? I found your job advertisement in the newspaper and I think you will find I am an excellent candidate for this position that is available at your company. I am 24 so I think I will fit in your company. I am an accomplished advertiser and salesperson. I got my degree in the business program at Jeonnam University. When I was studying at CNU, I took many diverse courses, which could help me learn a lot about business, economics, math and English. Over the past five years, I have studied about marketing and have experience at different companies as an intern during the summer and winter break. These companies are shown on my resume. I am now seeking a position where I can use my degree. My friends describe me as being very organized. I think that is my best skill. I wish to work at your company. I saw some of your advertisements on TV. I think they are great. I am a fan of saving the environment and I think your technology is excellent. I really can t wait to start working. I did a summer program which emphasizes leadership skills at SNU. Please choose me to work with you. My qualifications are detailed in the attached resume. If you are not too busy, and you have time, I really really really wish you will contact me. Goodbye! 876 Main Street Ontario, Toronto 5
September 27, 2018 1550 Robin Road Gotham, California, USA 90210 Tel: (555) 345-6789 bruce.wayne@gmail.com Jane Harris Head of Marketing Hilton Electronics 57 Westlane Avenue Victoria, British Columbia, Canada L9T 5J6 Dear Ms. Jane Harris, Head of Marketing: Re: Sales Coordinator opening It is with great enthusiasm that I submit my application for the position of Sales Coordinator for Hilton Electronics. As a marketing salesperson with over ten years experience, I know my skills and qualifications will make me an asset to Hilton Electronics. As you will see from the attached resume, I ve built my career in a variety of positions; mostly in small companies where I was did many various jobs. Throughout the years, being in these jobs I have had many responsibilities which made me grow both as a person and to develop my skills. My focus in university was in marketing and sales, afterwards I have obtained many certificates to upgrade my skills and make a better contribution to the places I worked. In addition to being flexible and responsive, I m also very organized particularly when it comes to presentation. One of my recent projects involved developing a 50-page presentation on the advantages and disadvantages of my last company s marketing strategy. The result was a success and due to that our company was able to secure the contract. I believe in using my talents for a challenge and think my qualifications and personality can make a difference for your company. Hilton Electronics will give me the opportunity to use my experience to the best of my ability. The new advertisement used by Hilton Electronics is one that I admire and I believe my skills will continue to benefit the company. Hilton Electronics green technology is one that I agree with as I am a supporter of cleaning our environment and using the latest possible technology to make this world safer and cleaner for everyone. In closing, I have attached my resume and am ready to begin at the soonest possible time. I appreciate your consideration and look forward to hearing from you. Enc: resume, photocopies of certificates Yours truly, Tel: 905-854-2350 Email: bruce.wayne@gmail.com 6