An HR Practitioner recently posted the following message on facebook:
“Whoever came up with this motivational letter when applying for job must be given a warm klap! Waste of people’s time. Most HR Practitioner don’t have time to read all those love letters.”
So I duly shared this posting and waited for people’s remarks. And they came; and they were interesting. A senior Human Capital Executive remarked by simply saying ‘True.’ Another person with relevant experience remarked, ‘It is true. I sat in several short-listing sessions and those “love letters” are never looked at.’
Some of the students who commented expressed with amazement how they have been – if I may gamble with the word – conscripted into fine-tuning their ability to write a compelling Cover Letter. ‘I have been wasting my flipping time all along!’ a student remarked.
During the workshops I conduct at universities and Colleges, I often receive a barrage of questions from students and graduates about this "cover letter".
First of all, I have tried to explain to them the objective of a Motivation Letter. I have been saying to them: Instead of worrying about Cover letter, find something you can write to motivate the reader or manager or an HR official to read your CV, or to have the desire to meet even if they did not read your CV. And I call this a motivation letter.
Then I have said to them, let us not put that in a page like it had been done all along; just put it on email. Often they say, what should we put in there? I then say, if the reader did not open your CV, what is it that you would like him or her to know about your suitability for the job?
Students and graduates are often dumbfounded by this. Then I would say: What have you done recently that shows that you are a success waiting to happen? What have you done well? How have you helped somebody using your skills/ education recently?
If the employer is not going to read your Motivation Letter, or your CV, what do you want him/ her to know about you when they read your email? Usually, I pause here as I marvel at how transfixed they would be as they ponder this question. ‘Put that on the email,’ I would say.
“Whoever came up with this motivational letter when applying for job must be given a warm klap! Waste of people’s time. Most HR Practitioner don’t have time to read all those love letters.”
So I duly shared this posting and waited for people’s remarks. And they came; and they were interesting. A senior Human Capital Executive remarked by simply saying ‘True.’ Another person with relevant experience remarked, ‘It is true. I sat in several short-listing sessions and those “love letters” are never looked at.’
Some of the students who commented expressed with amazement how they have been – if I may gamble with the word – conscripted into fine-tuning their ability to write a compelling Cover Letter. ‘I have been wasting my flipping time all along!’ a student remarked.
During the workshops I conduct at universities and Colleges, I often receive a barrage of questions from students and graduates about this "cover letter".
First of all, I have tried to explain to them the objective of a Motivation Letter. I have been saying to them: Instead of worrying about Cover letter, find something you can write to motivate the reader or manager or an HR official to read your CV, or to have the desire to meet even if they did not read your CV. And I call this a motivation letter.
Then I have said to them, let us not put that in a page like it had been done all along; just put it on email. Often they say, what should we put in there? I then say, if the reader did not open your CV, what is it that you would like him or her to know about your suitability for the job?
Students and graduates are often dumbfounded by this. Then I would say: What have you done recently that shows that you are a success waiting to happen? What have you done well? How have you helped somebody using your skills/ education recently?
If the employer is not going to read your Motivation Letter, or your CV, what do you want him/ her to know about you when they read your email? Usually, I pause here as I marvel at how transfixed they would be as they ponder this question. ‘Put that on the email,’ I would say.
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