Acover letter,covering letter,motivation letter,motivational letter, or aletter of motivation is aletter of introduction attached to or accompanying anotherdocument such as arésumé or acurriculum vitae.[1]
Job seekers frequently send a cover letter along with theircurriculum vitae or applications for employment as a way of introducing themselves to potential employers and explaining their suitability for the desired positions.[2] It is a pitch describing one's interest in the position, skills and relevant experience for the advertised job. Employers may look for individualized and thoughtfully written cover letters as one method of screening out applicants who are not sufficiently interested in their positions and/or lack the necessary basic skills.[1]
Cover letters are typically categorized according to two purposes:
According to studies, a good cover letter should:
Students are often asked to submit a cover letter for an internship application. Such cover letters should include examples of extracurricular and academic experiences. Despite this specific information, cover letters for internships should have astandard business letter format.
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Résumé cover letters may also serve asmarketing devices for prospective job seekers. Cover letters are used in connection with many business documents such as loan applications (mortgage loan), contract drafts and proposals, and executed documents.
While the resume outlines the professional journey, a cover letter allows the applicant to convey their personality, passion, and potential contributions to the prospective employer.
Cover letters may serve the purpose of trying to catch the reader's interest or persuade the reader of something, or they may simply be an inventory or summary of the documents included along with a discussion of the expected future actions the sender or recipient will take in connection with the documents.
