Motivation letter for work

SpeakStarter tells you how to write the perfect application for employment.

The rules for creating such an application are very normalized, you can not just write what you want, you can not write a small creative letter about yourself. There is a list of things that should be in this application and what should not be there. Such an application necessarily includes a summary and a motivation letter in a strict style, and letters of recommendation from previous employers or teachers.

Today we will talk about the motivation letter and the general rules that will be needed in the compilation of other documents.

At first, you need to learn as much as you can about the company you are applying to in order to have a clear motivation. One can not write one letter and send it to all potential companies in the hope that someone will agree. For each company you need to write a separate motivational.

A perfect letter should be about one page long. No one else will read. Of course, you send your resume in parallel, but it will not play a key role. This is the main difference between filing a job in a German-speaking country. In Germany, the main thing is your motivation. Do not repeat your resume, but emphasize the key points that will be important to the potential employer. “I worked two months there, where I learned something and it will be important in working for you because”, if some line of your resume is not interesting to the future employer, do not write about it separately. It is not superfluous to mention your hobbies, which can potentially be useful in the work.

Very much try to write all competently and to issue all correctly. It is possible that if you see grammatical errors or a crooked design, your letter will not finish reading. They will think: “The applicant obviously did not spend a lot of time on it, did not even re-read, probably, this robot is not necessary to him”. Ideally, find a German who reread what you wrote. After all, everything should be in German, unless otherwise indicated.

Use convincing words: “maybe I can do it”, “probably if they hire me”, but say: “I’m sure”, “I can manage”, “I can do it.” Why hire you, if you yourself do not believe that you are coming? But do not press too much and especially beg. Remember, it’s you they need, and not they to you =)

Start with a personalized appeal. Most ads include the name of the person who will review your application. For this, “Sehr geehrte Herr / Frau …” is suitable. More details about the design of letters you can learn from our separate article on letters.

Provide your name and contact information so that your letter is not lost.

Try to avoid platitudes and cliches, otherwise you will lose the attention of the reader.

Copies of your passports or other personal documents are not required of you.

If you submit your documents in hard copy, it is expected that they will be signed. If in electronic, they are expected to be in PDF format.

Finally: do not try to lie. They check. If you say that you wrote a thesis on the theme of “Economic” miracle “of Germany”, they can easily call the university and clarify this. If you are seen as a potential candidate, you will be inquired about. If it turns out that the professor who “wrote” you a letter of recommendation has never heard of you, you will not get a job. Be prepared to provide not only your diploma, but old contracts from your previous work. Can request recommendations from previous jobs. Went to Australia 5 years ago for 3 months? Be kind, show scans of the foreign passport. You have to be prepared for everything. The Germans take this very seriously.

Next, let’s talk about an ideal resume and letters of recommendation.