Don’ts:
- “Average is not enough”. Your motivation letter has to be different than that of others. So dont copy your motivation letter from others, but make sure that the letter is tuned to the company and job you are applying for. A motivation letter is a personal letter, so use your own style to show who you are.
- “Stick to the point”. Companies want to know why you want to work in their company, so don’t use complex language constructions or long poetic phrases. Be as concrete as possible.
- “Don‟t let your motivation letter and your CV „echo‟”. The motivation letter should be complementary to your CV where you can highlight some of the relevant items of your CV. Don’t list all the items of your CV in the motivation letter.
- “Don‟t exaggerate”. Make sure that you don’t mention new items in your motivation letter (work or education or other skills) which are not mentioned in your CV.
- In case of sending your letter via e-mail: Make sure that you have a “serious” e-mail address ( and don’t use an e-mail address of you current employer in case you have a job).
Do’s:
- Mention clearly why the company has to choose you for the stage/ job. Be concrete, convincing, without being arrogant.
- If you know the name of the responsible person, start your letter with this name. This person will feel personally approached by your letter, which is always positive.
- Start always with your positive points, weak points they will ask in the talk, so don’t mention them in your letter.
- Formulate your letter positive and future oriented. Example:”I am eager to learn and prepared to adapt myself to the new working situation…”, instead of “I have no experience in this working field.”
- Motivate your statements with facts and experiences. Use for example experiences in your personal life: “I have three year experience in leading and animating children in the regional scouts team”
- Collect information about the company. In this way you show interest and you can adapt your letter better to the company needs and function.
- Put only the most relevant facts and experiences in your motivation letter. Keep it brief and clear. Don’t forget to tell something about you as a person.
- Mention what you have reached for so far at educational and or professional level (former work or stages) and your career perspective.
- Tell in which way you distinguish yourself from others with the same education and diploma.
To check before sending your letter….
- Did I mention clearly the function I want to apply for?
- Did I motivated clearly why I want to apply for that function?
- Did I mention why I fit this job/ stage?
- Am I as concrete as possible, with examples where relevant (from my CV or other experiences)
- Did I gave an impression of who I am?
- Did I checked my motivation letter on errors?
- Did I checked if my CV is still up to date and relevant for the function?
EUMOVE_How to write a motivation letter_July2010