How to write a motivation letter? Features, recommendations and sample

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

The development of the Internet has led to the fact that citizens have free access to all types of knowledge, one of which was the study of a foreign language. Thus, it became possible to receive higher education abroad. However, the most important of the conditions for admission is the passage of the competition, the main purpose of which is to convince the selection committee that you are worthy of getting a place in the desired faculty.

To take part in this event, you must submit a motivation letter, resume, and some other additional papers to the university.

To draw attention to your person, each document must be designed and drawn up accordingly. This helps the admission committee of the educational institution to understand that a particular applicant has a sufficient level of curiosity and discipline, is determined to gain knowledge, knows how to set priorities correctly, and is also excellent at time management. About howthere should be the content of the letter, as well as its structure, and will be discussed in our article.

What is a motivation letter?

This document describes the achievements, interests, and aspirations of the applicant. The letter is attached to the main resume when applying for a job or entering a higher educational institution for undergraduate, graduate and doctoral studies. The basic form of writing this letter is an essay, the length of which reaches 1000 words.

The following will be the basic rules for processing such documents, as well as examples of a motivation letter for study and work.

Before writing…

Before creating a structure, you need to familiarize yourself with the requirements that a higher educational institution or company puts forward. Often, the websites of organizations publish a list of questions that should be answered in a letter. It is important to keep in mind that each company or university has its own priorities and therefore the requirements will be different. As a result, you need to write a separate copy for each place where documents are submitted.

The main rules for writing this letter

• Clarity. When writing a letter, it is necessary to ensure that the final text is correct and not devoid of meaning. It is also important to strictly adhere to the chosen topic, without using complex turns and terms. The main point is given for a structured essence, not a beautifully written essay.
• Desire to get a seat. When writing a motivation letter for a job or a higher educational institution, you need to pay enough attention to the list of your merits and achievements in various fields. Using this information, rather than describing your own preferences, will demonstrate to the admissions committee that the applicant is well educated and interested in the particular location.
• Demonstration of knowledge. In the course of writing an essay, it is necessary to show how well the student is familiar with the subject that he plans to study. The same applies to the employee. In his motivation letter, he must demonstrate the level of awareness of the field in which he plans to work. The more information is indicated in the document, the more confidence the commission will have that the candidate is really worthy to work or study in this institution.
• Calculation for the addressee. The written document will be personally checked by the personnel department or the selection committee, which is interested in getting the most bright and active personnel or students. Thus, when writing a motivation letter, it is important to articulate your desire to build a career in this company as clearly as possible. In the case of applying to a university, you must indicate that you are ready not only to study hard at the chosen faculty, but also wish to engage in research activities.

Next, two examples of a motivation letter will be given: for admission to a higher educational institution and for getting a job.

Structure of the letter for admission

As mentioned earlier, in the content of the motivation letter for study, the admissions committee expects to see answers to questions posted on the university website. Therefore, the following example of writing this document will be answers to the intended questions, grouped under each part of the content.

Introduction

In this paragraph of the letter, it is important to answer the following question: "Why did you want to study this particular subject?" This is the most important point of this part of the letter. Motivation should be meaningful and non-banal. A good option would be to indicate the very first acquaintance with this area, as well as the connection of the beginning of the hobby with some event in life. As an example, in a motivation letter for studying, you can indicate: “My love for programming began the moment I visited a computer technology exhibition.”

It is also necessary to indicate why this subject is important not only for you, but also for society. Thus, you can demonstrate your potential in scientific activities regarding this direction.

Don't embellish your desires and interests. Giving honest examples will only confirm the potential student's enthusiasm.

How can you prove your passion for a subject?

When answering this question in a motivation letter, you should indicate which books have been read, lectures and courses attended, what experience you have regarding this subject. When describing the books you read, it is important to indicate their content.

Next question: "What additional disciplines are you interested in?" Here it is worth indicating what exactly attracts the objects that were chosen. Would you like to choose additional disciplines to study? How does this relate to the main subject?

Main part

In this part of the motivation letter, you must indicate the problem in the selected area that interests you. As an example, you can write the following blank: “I am interested in the “…” area of knowledge. After I enter the university, I want to get enough knowledge in this subject to start studying the “…” problem. Thus, the probability is indicated here that after the completion of the first stage of education, you can move on to a new one (from undergraduate to graduate).

Achievements, plans

This paragraph lists all awards received while at school and other achievements. This includes: diplomas for participating in olympiads, certificates, attendance at extracurricular activities, etc. It is also worth indicating what you have learned by taking part in various events. After that, the letter indicates plans for the future.

Conclusion

Here sums up everything that was written earlier. It is worth additionally recalling the experience in this field and the desire to conduct scientific activities in the chosen direction. End with a sentence listing your qualities and merit, thus letting the commission know that you are a worthy candidate for this position.

Structure of a Sample Motivation Letter for Employment

Before writing this document, you should carefully study all the features of the position you are looking for and the company that posted the vacancy. It would be useful to read about the prospects and plans, about the overall rating of the enterprise among users and competitors. After making sure that all the information received completely suits you, you can start writing.

The structure of the letter supplementing the resume of employment is practically the same as that contained in the document for admission, and therefore its abbreviated version will be presented below:

• greeting;
• main part: highlighting useful skills and knowledge (no more than three); reasons for interest; reasons to hire you for this position;
• farewell.

The following is an example of a motivation letter for a job:

"Dear "…"!

My name is "…". I saw a job posting for “…” in your company posted on the site “…”. I would like to invite you to consider my candidacy for this position.

I work for “…” at the company “…”. She has been practicing “…” for more than “…” years. Over the years of work in this position, I have gained sufficient experience in the “…” field.

Due to the termination of the company's work in the "…" country, I am forced to start looking for a new job.

Thanks to open sources, I wasenough information has been obtained regarding the activities of your company in the “…” area. I have a clear vision of how my skills and experience can help your business improve efficiency as well as increase profits.

I hope my candidacy will interest you. If invited for an interview, I can be contacted on the number “…”, which is always on.

Thank you for your time and attention to my letter.

Respectfully, "…"".

With the template above, you shouldn't have any trouble writing your own cover letter. Following all of these comments will greatly increase the chances of a university or employer being interested in your candidacy.