Tutorial 3

1. TUTORIAL
3 | cover letters
T01 & T07
TA: CELIA BEKETA

2. TUTORIAL
3 | cover letters
1. what’s your brand?
2. cover letters
3. hook activity
4. action items

3. what’s your brand?

4. what’s your brand?
• 2 minutes to jot down 4-5 words that describe you best
• To do with skills, personality etc.
THINK: If you had 30 seconds to describe who you are…
what would you say?

5. CAN you do
the job?
Do you
WANT
the job?
Are you
the right
FIT?

6. cover
email
resume
& cover
letter
interview

7. why do we write cover
letters?

8. why cover letters
• shows your intentions and interests
• sincerity and research
• demonstrates ability to communicate
• creative and personal
• opportunity to elaborate on your stories and personality
• drawn from your skills matrix

9. resume vs. cover
letter?

10. the resume is about you
the cover letter is about
them

11. elements of a cover letter
openi
ng
skills
matching
closing
integration
branding

12. opening
Dear hiring manager,
my name is celia beketa and I’m
applying for your full-time analyst
position. I believe I have the necessary
qualifications to fit this role.

13. opening
Dear hiring manager,
my name is celia beketa and I’m
applying for your full-time analyst
position. I believe I have the necessary
qualifications to fit this role.

14. opening
• expresses keen and genuine interest for the position
• Genuine and unique primary and secondary research
indicating interest in company
• Name drop (where applicable)
• makes a clear expression of the skills/experience
matching the job description

15. opening - examples
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 Woodson, a
recent hire, Dion Chen, and other industry 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:

16. the hook
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.
My passion is “impact”.

17. activity time

18. activity

19. skills matching

20. skills matching
• Skills from your skills matrix match the job description (use
STARL)
• Best relevant experiences
• Link education and other training to the job, and link to the
co/position if it’s not obvious
• Any other qualifications

21. skills matching
• 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

22. skills matching - examples

23. closing

24. 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 perfect
fit for ABC position. Thank you very
much and I hope to hear from you
soon.”

25. 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 perfect
fit for ABC position. Thank you very
much and I hope to hear from you
soon.”

26. closing
• 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)

27. closing - example

28. closing – one other note
N
O.
address the
elephant!
• grades
• year off
• etc.

29. branding

30. branding
• 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.

31. integration

32. integration
• 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

34. formatting

35. formatting – beginning
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]

36. formatting – end
[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.)

37. cover emails

38. cover emails – what does it look like?
• <150 words
• Utilize bold face type to emphasize important points
• Show your brand & personality
• Make them want more!
• I.e. Resume, Cover Letter and and Interview!

39. Subject: Job Title – Your Name OR come up with a very short hook for example “Beer & people lover
has found her dream internship” or “Your new HR Intern is inside” or “HIRING MANAGER NAME, I’m
excited!” Depending on how cool the company is.
To: Name of job poster/whom it may concern/hiring manager (never write Dear Sirs – hello sexism!),
Your advert posted on WEBSITE NAME for JOB TITLE really caught my attention; Labatt has “good things
brewing” and I would love to be a component of the “good things”. I believe my XYZ (people
management) experience alongside my drive, tenacity and exemplary communications skills are a solid
match to your needs. I also match the job requirements in the following ways:
• 2 years of leadership experience
• Exceptional presentational skills
• Advanced Excel capabilities
• UBC Innovation Award recipient
• 5 years’ experience organizing team building activities
I am confident that I will be a fantastic addition to your team! I have attached my resume and cover
letter, please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions you may have or to set up an
interview on 778-XXX-XXXX.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Kind regards,
Your name
(778)-XXX-XXXX
Email address
LinkedIn profile URL

40. questions?

41. action items

42. action items
• TUTORIAL Next week
• For tutorial – 2 hard copy Cover Letter drafts for Peer review
• Skills Matrix due Friday, October 14th @ 2pm on Turnitin
• Sign up for Office Hours
• register for turnitin:
• t01 CLASS ID: 13710262 PASSWORD: pickles (all lower case)
• t07 class id: 13710299 password: pickles (all lower case)

43. action items – T01
NEXT MONDAY IS THANKSGIVING
COME TO MY WEDNESDAY TUTORIAL (9-10 HA296)
or email me if you can’t make that time