FINDING A JOB

DOCUMENTS USEFUL
C OV E R L E T T E R S C ARTAS D E AP RE SE NTA O SAMPLE COVER LETTER FORMAT GUIDELINES

Your Street Address City, State Zip Code Telephone Number E-mail Address Month, Day, Year Mr./Ms./Dr. FirstName LastName Title Name of Organization Street or P. O. Box Address City, State Zip Code Dear Mr./Ms./Dr. LastName: Opening paragraph: State why you are writing; how you learned of the organization or position, and basic information about yourself. 2nd paragraph: Tell why you are interested in the employer or type of work the employer does (Simply stating that you are interested does not tell why, and can sound like a form letter). Demonstrate that you know enough about the employer or position to relate your background to the employer or position. Mention specific qualifications which make you a good fit for the employers needs. (Focus on what you can do for the employer, not what the employer can do for you.) This is an opportunity to explain in more detail relevant items in your resume. Refer to the fact that your resume is enclosed. Mention other enclosures if such are required to apply for a position. 3rd paragraph: Indicate that you would like the opportunity to interview for a position or to talk with the employer to learn more about their opportunities or hiring plans. State what you will do to follow up, such as telephone the employer within two weeks. If you will be in the employers location and could offer to schedule a visit, indicate when. State that you would be glad to provide the employer with any additional information needed. Thank the employer for her/his consideration. Sincerely, (Your handwritten signature [on hard copy]) Your name typed (In case of e-mail, your full contact info appears below your printed name [instead of at the top, as for hard copy], and of course there is no handwritten signature) Enclosure(s) (refers to resume, etc.)

SAMPLE COVER LETTER FOR ADVERTISED POSITION, E-MAIL VERSION [EXEMPLO DE CARTA DE APRESENTAO PARA OFERTA PUBLICADA, VERSO EMAIL]

Subject line: (logical to recipient!) Application for sales representative for mid-Atlantic area April 14, 2010 Mr. William Jackson Employment Manager Acme Pharmaceutical Corporation 13764 Jefferson Parkway Roanoke, VA 24019 jackson@acmepharmaceutical.com Dear Mr. Jackson: From the Acme web site I learned about your need for a sales representative for the Virginia, Maryland, and North Carolina areas. I am very interested in this position with Acme Pharmaceuticals, and believe that my education and employment background are appropriate for the position. You indicate that a requirement for the position is a track record of success in meeting sales goals. I have done this. After completion of my B.S. in biology, and prior to beginning my masters degree in marketing, I worked for two years as a sales representative with a regional whole foods company. My efforts yielded success in new business development, and my sales volume consistently met or exceeded company goals. I would like to repeat that success in the pharmaceutical industry, using my academic background in science and business. I will complete my M.S. in marketing in mid-May and will be available to begin employment in early June. Attached is a copy of my resume, which more fully details my qualifications for the position. I look forward to talking with you regarding sales opportunities with Acme Pharmaceuticals. Within the next week I will contact you to confirm that you received my e-mail and resume and to answer any questions you may have. Thank you very kindly for your consideration.

Sincerely, Layne A. Johnson 5542 Hunt Club Lane, #1 Blacksburg, VA 24060 (540) 555-8082 lajohnson@vt.edu

Resume attached as MS Word document (assuming company web site instructed applicants to do this)

SAMPLE COVER LETTER FOR ADVERTISED POSITION, E-MAIL VERSION [EXEMPLO DE CARTA DE APRESENTAO PARA OFERTA PUBLICADA, VERSO EMAIL]

Subject line: (logical to recipient!) Application for marketing research position #031210-528 March 14, 2010 Ms. Charlene Prince Director of Personnel Large National Bank Corporation Roanoke, VA 24040 cprince@largebank.com Dear Ms. Prince: As I indicated in our telephone conversation yesterday, I would like to apply for the marketing research position (#031210-528) advertised in the March 12th Roanoke Times and World News. With my undergraduate research background, my training in psychology and sociology, and my work experience, I believe I could make a valuable contribution to Large National Bank Corporation in this position. In May I will complete my B.S. in Psychology with a minor in Sociology at Virginia Tech. As part of the requirements for this degree, I am involved in a senior marketing research project that has given me experience interviewing and surveying research subjects and assisting with the analysis of the data collected. I also have completed a course in statistics and research methods. My experience also includes working part-time as a bookkeeper in a small independent bookstore with an annual budget of approximately $150,000. Because of the small size of this business, I have been exposed to and participated in most aspects of managing a business, including advertising and marketing. As the bookkeeper, I produced monthly sales reports that allow the owner/buyer to project seasonal inventory needs. I also assisted with the development of ideas for special promotional events and calculated book sales proceeds after each event in order to evaluate its success. I believe my combination of business experience and social science research training is an excellent match for the marketing research position you described. Enclosed is a a copy of my resume with additional information about my qualifications. Thank you very much for your consideration. I look forward to receiving your reply. Sincerely, Alex Lawrence 250 Prices Fork Road Blacksburg, VA 24060 (540) 555-1234 alex.lawrence@vt.edu Resume attached as MS Word document

SAMPLE COVER LETTER FOR ADVERTISED POSITION [EXEMPLO DE CARTA DE APRESENTAO PARA OFERTA PUBLICADA]

1000 Terrace View Apts. Blacksburg, VA 24060 (540) 555-4523 stevemason@vt.edu March 25, 2010 Ms. Janice Wilson Personnel Director Anderson Construction Company 3507 Rockville Pike Rockville, MD 20895 Dear Ms. Wilson: I read in the March 24th Washington Post classified section of your need for a Civil Engineer or Building Construction graduate for one of your Washington, DC, area sites. I will be returning to the Washington area after graduation in May and believe that I have the necessary credentials for the project. Every summer for the last five years I have worked at various levels in the construction industry. As indicated on my enclosed resume, I have worked as a general laborer, and moved up to skilled carpentry work, and last summer served as assistant construction manager on a two million dollar residential construction project. In addition to this practical experience, I will complete requirements for my B.S. in Building Construction in May. As you may know, Virginia Tech is one of the few universities in the country that offers such a specialized degree for the construction industry. I am confident that my degree, along with my years of construction industry experience, make me an excellent candidate for your job. The Anderson Construction Company projects are familiar to me, and my aspiration is to work for a company that has your excellent reputation. I would welcome the opportunity to interview with you. I will be in the Washington area during the week of April 12th and would be available to speak with you at that time. In the next week to ten days I will contact you to answer any questions you may have. Thank you for your consideration. Sincerely, (handwritten signature) Jesse Mason Enclosure

SAMPLE COVER LETTER FOR ADVERTISED POSITION [EXEMPLO DE CARTA DE APRESENTAO PARA OFERTA PUBLICADA]

L E T T E R S O F M OT I VA T I O N C ARTA S D E C A N D I DAT U RA ES PO NT N EA SAMPLE LETTER OF MOTIVATION, EMAIL VERSION [EXEMPLO DE CARTA DE CANDIDATURA ESPONTNEA, VERSO EMAIL]

Subject: (logical to recipient!) Inquiry about software engineering position after completion of M.S. in computer engineering December 12, 2009 Mr. Robert Burns President, Template Division MEGATEK Corporation 9845 Technical Way Arlington, VA 22207 burns@megatek.com Dear Mr. Burns: Via online research in Hokies4Hire through Career Services at Virginia Tech, I learned of MEGATEK. Next May I will complete my master of science in computer engineering. From my research on your web site, I believe there would be a good fit between my skills and interests and your needs. I am interested in a software engineering position upon completion of my degree. As a graduate student, I am one of six members on a software development team in which we are writing a computer-aided aircraft design program for NASA. My responsibilities include designing, coding, and testing of a graphical portion of the program which requires the use of ZX-WWG for graphics input and output. I have a strong background in CAD, software development, and engineering, and believe that these skills would benefit the designing and manufacturing aspects of template software. Enclosed is my resume with further background information. My qualifications equip me to make a contribution to the project areas in which your division of MEGATEK is expanding efforts. I would appreciate the opportunity to discuss a position with you, and will contact you in a week or ten days to answer any questions you may have and to see if you need any other information from me. Thank you for your consideration. Sincerely, Morgan Stevens 123 Ascot Lane Blacksburg, VA 24060 (540) 555-2556 mstevens@vt.edu Resume attached as MS Word document

SAMPLE LETTER OF MOTIVATION [EXEMPLO DE CARTA DE CANDIDATURA ESPONTNEA]

2343 Blankinship Road Blacksburg, VA 24060 (540) 555-2233 StacyLeeGimble@vt.edu January 12, 2010 Ms. Sylvia Range Special Programs Assistant Marion County Family Court Wilderness Challenge 303 Center Street Marion, VA 24560 Subj: Wilderness Challenge internship position Dear Ms. Range: This semester I am a junior at Virginia Tech, working toward my bachelor's degree in family and child development. I am seeking an internship for this summer 2010, and while researching opportunities in the field of criminal justice and law, I found that your program works with juvenile delinquents. I am writing to inquire about possible internship opportunities with the Marion County Family Court Wilderness Challenge. My work background and coursework have supplied me with many skills and an understanding of dealing with the adolescent community; for example: * 10 hours per week as a volunteer hotline assistant for a local intervention center. After a 50-hour training program, I counseled teenagers about personal concerns and referred them, when necessary, to appropriate professional services for additional help. * Residence hall assistant in my residence hall, which requires me to establish rapport with fifty residents and advise them on personal matters, as well as university policies. In addition, I develop social and educational programs and activities each semester for up to 200 participants. My enclosed resume provides additional details about my background. I will be in the Marion area during my spring break, March 6-10. I will call you next week to see if it would be possible to meet with you in early March to discuss your program.

Thank you for your consideration. Sincerely, (handwritten signature) Stacy Lee Gimble Encl.

SAMPLE LETTER OF MOTIVATION [EXEMPLO DE CARTA DE CANDIDATURA ESPONTNEA]

Dear Madam/Sir, Please kindly allow me to inform you that I would be much interested and motivated in offering my services to your organization, mainly for any writing and edition tasks, translation, research and review of documents, event coordination, and/or related issues as well as for temporary work and projects your organization may need (in order to strengthen your goal). As described in my CV, Im highly interested by international and humanitarian environments and I would be grateful to meet with the department who may need my services. I am at your disposal for any questions you may have. Thanks very much for your time to review my CV and for considering my application in your workplace.

Yours sincerely, Gabriella Palmentieri Galati 16 Grand-Montfleury, 1290 Versoix Genve

J O B I N T E RV I E W S EN T REVI STA S D E EM P RE G O JOB INTERVIEW TIPS [ENTREVISTA DE EMPREGO DICAS]

PREPARATION 1. Learn about the organization. 2. Have a specific job or jobs in mind. 3. Review your qualifications for the job. 4. Prepare answers to broad questions about yourself. 5. Review your rsum. 6. Practice an interview with a friend or relative. 7. Arrive before the scheduled time of your interview.

Personal appearance: Be well groomed. Dress appropriately. Do not chew gum or smoke.

The interview: Relax and answer each question concisely. Respond promptly. Use good manners. Learn the name of your interviewer and greet him or her with a firm handshake. Use proper Englishavoid slang. Be cooperative and enthusiastic. Use body language to show interest. Ask questions about the position and the organization, but avoid questions whose answers can easily be found on the company Web site. Also avoid asking questions about salary and benefits unless a job offer is made. Thank the interviewer when you leave and, as a follow-up, in writing.

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Information to bring to an interview: Social Security card. Government-issued identification (drivers license). Rsum. Although not all employers require applicants to bring a rsum, you should be able to furnish the interviewer information about your education, training, and previous employment. References. Employers typically require three references. Get permission before using anyone as a reference. Make sure that they will give you a good reference. Try to avoid using relatives as references. Transcripts. Employers may require an official copy of transcripts to verify grades, coursework, dates of attendance, and highest grade completed or degree awarded.

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JOB INTERVIEW QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS [ENTREVISTA DE EMPREGO PERGUNTAS E RESPOSTAS]

Question - Tell me about yourself. My background to date has been centered around preparing myself to become the very best _____ I can become. Let me tell you specifically how I've prepared myself . . .

Question - Why should I hire you? Because I sincerely believe that I'm the best person for the job. I realize that there are many other college students who have the ability to do this job. I also have that ability. But I also bring an additional quality that makes me the very best person for the job--my attitude for excellence. Not just giving lip service to excellence, but putting every part of myself into achieving it. In _____ and _____ I have consistently reached for becoming the very best I can become by doing the following . . .

Question - What is your long-range objective? Where do you want to be 10 or 15 years from now? Although it's certainly difficult to predict things far into the future, I know what direction I want to develop toward. Within five years, I would like to become the very best _____ your company has. In fact, my personal career mission statement is to become a world-class _____ in the _____ industry. I will work toward becoming the expert that others rely upon. And in doing so, I feel I will be fully prepared to take on any greater responsibilities that might be presented in the long term.

Question - How has your education prepared you for your career? As you will note on my resume, I've taken not only the required core classes in the _____ field, I've also gone above and beyond. I've taken every class the college has to offer in the field and also completed an independent study project specifically in this area. But it's not just taking the classes to gain academic knowledge--I've taken each class, both inside and outside of my major, with this profession in mind. So when we're studying _____ in _____, I've viewed it from the perspective of _____. In addition, I've always tried to keep a practical view of how the information would apply to my job. Not just theory, but how it would actually apply. My capstone course project in my final semester involved developing a real-world model of _____, which is very similar to what might be used within your company. Let me tell you more about it . Question - Are you a team player? Very much so. In fact, I've had opportunities in both athletics and academics to develop my skills as a team player. I was involved in _____ at the intramural level, including leading my team in assists during the past year--I always try to help others achieve their best. In academics, I've worked on several team projects, serving as both a member and team leader. I've seen the value of working together as a team to achieve a greater goal than any one of us could have achieved individually. As an example . . .

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Question - Have you ever had a conflict with a boss or professor? How was it resolved? Yes, I have had conflicts in the past. Never major ones, but certainly there have been situations where there was a disagreement that needed to be resolved. I've found that when conflict occurs, it's because of a failure to see both sides of the situation. Therefore, I ask the other person to give me their perspective and at the same time ask that they allow me to fully explain my perspective. At that point, I would work with the person to find out if a compromise could be reached. If not, I would submit to their decision because they are my superior. In the end, you have to be willing to submit yourself to the directives of your superior, whether you're in full agreement or not. An example of this was when . . .

Question - What is your greatest weakness? I would say my greatest weakness has been my lack of proper planning in the past. I would overcommit myself with too many variant tasks, then not be able to fully accomplish each as I would like. However, since I've come to recognize that weakness, I've taken steps to correct it. For example, I now carry a planning calendar in my pocket so that I can plan all of my appointments and "to do" items. Here, let me show you how I have this week planned out . . .

Question - If I were to ask your professors to describe you, what would they say? I believe they would say I'm a very energetic person, that I put my mind to the task at hand and see to it that it's accomplished. They would say that if they ever had something that needed to be done, I was the person who they could always depend on to see that it was accomplished. They would say that I always took a keen interest in the subjects I was studying and always sought ways to apply the knowledge in real world settings. Am I just guessing that they would say these things? No, in fact, I'm quite certain they would say those things because I have with me several letters of recommendation from my professors, and those are their very words. Let me show you . . .

Question - What qualities do you feel a successful manager should have? The key quality should be leadership--the ability to be the visionary for the people who are working under them. The person who can set the course and direction for subordinates. A manager should also be a positive role model for others to follow. The highest calling of a true leader is inspiring others to reach the highest of their abilities. I'd like to tell you about a person who I consider to be a true leader . . . Question - If you had to live your life over again, what would you change? That's a good question. I realize that it can be very easy to continually look back and wish that things had been different in the past. But I also realize that things in the past cannot be changed, that only things in the future can be changed. That's why I continually strive to improve myself each and every day and that's why I'm working hard to continually increase my knowledge in the _____ field. That's also the reason why I want to become the very best _____ your company has ever had. To make positive change. And all of that is still in the future. So in answer to your question, there isn't anything in my past that I would change. I look only to the future to make changes in my life.

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