3. ELEMENTS OF A COVER
LETTER
Opening
Closing
Skills Matching
Branding
Integration
Formatting
4. INSTRUCTIONS
Write your table number on ALL documents
Put all cover letters in a pile in the middle of the table
Get out your marking utensils
For each new slide section, pass your cover letter to the RIGHT
6. FORMATTING
Left aligned (NOT justified)
No indents on paragraphs
Consistent bullet points vs. paragraphs
2-3 relevant skills
Consistent font size (min size 10.6)
Appropriate font
Equal margin sizes
Adequate white space and spacing between
paragraphs
7. ADDRESSING THE COVER
LETTER
Date
Contact Name
Title
Company Name
Address 1
Address 2
City, Province Postal Code
Re: Position Title and Reference Number (if applicable)
Dear [First name Last name] or Dear Hiring Manager/Committee
[Opening Paragraph]
8. CLOSING THE COVER
LETTER
[Closing Paragraph]
Sincerely, / Regards, / Kind Regards,
(Written signature if you want)
Full Name
BCom Candidate 20XX
Sauder School of Business
Attached vs. Enclosed: Resume
10. OPENING
Expresses keen and genuine interest and/or passion for the position
Genuine and unique primary and secondary research that is tied to your
interest in the company
Name drop where applicable
Makes a clear expression of the skills/experience matching the job
description
HOOK
12. SKILLS MATCHING CONTENT
Describes skills that are clearly matched to the job description, referencing
specific examples that leverage experiences and qualifications
Experiences highlighted are specific and concise linking past experiences
through transferable skills
Results show success or strength in past experiences
STARL format is followed, with an emphasis on action and link where
applicable
In team experiences, the individual’s contributions are clear and unique
from the team’s
Show me, don’t just tell me
14. CLOSING
Clear reference to specific skills
Interest and request for meeting - call to action
Gracious and genuine thanks
Tie to previous stories and your hook
16. BRANDING
Insightful research demonstrates knowledge and interest in the industry
or organization
Clearly illustrates how the candidate will “fit” into the industry or
organization
18. MAJOR🔑 TO SUCCESS
Ask friends for feedback
Sign up for office hours on COOL
Work through it for 20 min every day
19. ACTION ITEMS
Skills Matrix due Friday, October 14th @ 2 pm on Turnitin
Watch resume e-module and/or Outline to a Chronological Resume
On course blog under Assignments Resume Draft
Sauder Career Success Cycle
Bring 2 hard copies of resume draft and job posting to tutorial next week
Next week: Tutorial!
Editor's Notes
-We’ve been working a lot on figuring out your strengths
-When we shift to skills matrix and employment in general, we want to be talking more about SKILLS
-These are my top five strengths, translated into skills
-Strengths are like descriptors of an individual, skills are the attributes that someone brings to a job
Impression they’re left with after they finish reading your cover letter
BRANDING YOURSELF TO THE ORGANIZATION
Emphasize attached vs. enclosed
NO SIGNATURE NEEDED
Personal example for when applying to a job…
Impression they’re left with after they finish reading your cover letter
BRANDING YOURSELF TO THE ORGANIZATION
Emphasize attached vs. enclosed
NO SIGNATURE NEEDED
