MOTIVATION LETTER Discuss with your partner: Why do we write motivation letters? Have you ever written a motivation letter? What was it for? Was your application successful? What should a motivation letter contain? 1. Read the motivation letter below. a) Would you employ Mr Johnson? Discuss with your partner why. b) What suggestions would you give to Mr Johnson? Are any corrections necessary? Mr. John adams, Wellington Corporation 555 interview road 333 Well road any town, mn5111Tampa, Fl 22244 11-02-15 Dear John, Iam writing to you to ask you for a job. There are many reasons you should consider me for this pistion. I think you would be a fool not to hire me. I have attend Elite college since 1995 and have a masters in computers. I’m on the deans list and have an A average grade. I’m also part of our local church group. We help out with conseling many of the students here at the college. My source tells me that you’re looking for a salesman. While I have no sales experience per se. I am a hard worker and would like to start my career at your company. This will be a nice stepping stone for me. I currently would like to work with computer but I think this would suit me fine for now. I am currently working at my local church while I finish up scholl. We help counsel students at the local colleges. It doesn’t pay much so I am having to look elsewhere. I have to yrs experience with doing this and work well with people. I know your customers will love me, most people do. I wil be anxiously waiting to hear from you on when I can start. Please call anytime. If I am busy please leave a massage on my voice mail and I will get back to you at my earliest convenience. Thank you, Joe Johnson 2. Find words in the text which mean a) to think about something carefully before making a decision ________________ b) a stupid person __________ c) a senior official at a university ________________ d) by itself/as such ____________ e) a step that helps you move forward to your goal _______________ f) I will do it when I feel like it ________________ 3. Decide which recommendations will help you write a good motivation letter and why? 1) You should enlist all the schools you’ve attended, your grades and the jobs you’ve done in a motivation letter. 2) Assess the employer's needs and your skills. Then try to match them in the letter in a way that will appeal to the employer's self-interest. 3) You should be as specific as possible and use concrete examples. 4) It’s recommendable to insert pictures and links in a motivation letter. 5) Copy-pasting is a good tip for preparing a motivation letter especially if you write more of them. 6) Arrange the points in a logical sequence; organize each paragraph around a main point. 7) A suitable length for a motivation letter is one and half to two pages. 8) Demonstrate, if possible, some knowledge of the organization to which you are applying. 9) Most of the sentences should start with “I”. 4. Order these questions so that the answer would form an efficient motivation letter. _ How do my skills and abilities relate to the position offered? _ Have I thanked the reader for considering my application? _ What attracts me to the position? _ Where did I found out about it? _ Why should I be chosen? _ What am I applying for? _ Am I available for an interview? _ What are my strong points? 5. Decide which phrases are appropriate to answer the questions above. - I gained some experience while … - I am waiting for an affirmative reply from you - I would welcome the opportunity to discuss further details of the position with you personally. - I believe that combination of my skills, experience, and knowledge suits your expectation regarding profile of intern for advertised position. - Your position for … strongly appeals to me because … - I am writing with reference/in response to your advertisement, which I saw … - I am writing to apply for the position of …… as advertised in … - I look forward to hearing from you. - II am particularly interested in this job, as… - FFurthermore, it would afford me the opportunity to apply this knowledge in both a practical and challenging context - I am highly motivated and look forward to the varied work which a position in your company would offer me. - I have a lively interest in … and would appreciate the opportunity / chance to broaden my knowledge by working with you. - I graduated from Barcelona University last year with a degree in … - Thank you for your time and consideration. I look forward to the opportunity to personally discuss why I am particularly suited to this position. Please contact me via… - I see new tasks / this position as a welcome challenge, which I look forward to. - My time at … has equipped me with strong … skills - I would be well suited to the position because… - You can contact me as per your convenience 6. Application - You want to apply for an Erasmus exchange program to study one semester at the medical faculty of the prestigious University of Edinburgh. Look at the questions in 4 and consider what your answer to them would be in order to write a successful motivation letter. What you need to apply …Along with your application, you will need to submit a motivation letter which should explain why you wish to study at the University of Edinburgh and provide any additional information that you feel may support your application, such as your interest in and suitability for chosen courses, extracurricular activities, etc. The length of your motivation letter should be around 160 words.