A motivation letter is an integral part of any college application that must be sent along with your resume, CV, and application form when applying for a course in any university. A motivation letter is a written one-page summary of you describing yourself. In essence, it is the element of your application that will help you establish yourself as a person in the recruiter’s eyes and stand out from the rest. In this motivation letter, you are expected to highlight the best attributes of yourself that make you the best possible candidate for a course, position, or scholarship.
There are a variety of situations and circumstances in which you will be expected to send a motivation letter. These include the enrolment and admission processes for an academic program, a role at a non-profit organization, offering to work as a volunteer at an organization, or securing an internship in a company.
As the name suggests, the letter’s primary objective should be to outline your motivation, intent, source of inspiration, and personal thought process that went behind applying for a role or position. Recruiters are often appeased by individuals who can display genuine interest and excitement to be part of a course, internship, program, or organization.
So, if you are wondering about how to write your motivation letter, then continue reading this article to learn more about motivation letters and how to make them appealing to a recruiter.
Check Out: Experience Letter
Table of Contents
Motivation Letter for Master’s
A graduate-level program such as a Master’s degree program is perhaps one of the first places that will require you to draft a motivation letter in your career. This is an important aspect of your resume and must be given an ample amount of time and attention. This is because a well-worded and attractive motivation letter could be the deciding factor for getting admitted into premier institutions around the world.
A Motivation letter for a Master’s degree, in all likelihood, be the most personalized write-up that will be sent as part of your application. As such, this presents you with a unique opportunity to discuss the driving forces that have taken you thus far in life. It is an incredible opportunity to have a written document drafted that will serve as a testament to your goals, aspirations, personal motivations, and inspirations.
The most crucial point to focus on while writing your motivation letter for Master’s is about which course you would like to apply to, why you chose a particular field to specialize in, and how do you think the course will help you get closer to your goals and dreams.
Motivation Letter for MBA
Motivation Letters become an extremely important part of your application for an MBA program, as recruiters focus on your personality and individuality as a business person. Most of the premier business schools of the world will require you to have a motivation letter or statement purpose, and your admission to the MBA program often hinges on the originality and appeal of your motivation letter.
An ideal motivation letter for MBA should discuss the following points:
- What MBA program do you wish to apply to?
- Why did you choose that branch and specification?
- Your understanding of the Business world
- What excites you when you think about the field of Business?
- Your personal experience in the field of Business
- Personal qualities that make you a better business person
- Your vision for your future
Motivation Letter for Ph.D.
Applying for a Ph.D. program is a massive step in one’s career. With most premier schools having a highly selective number of seats every year, a high-quality motivation letter becomes essential to secure admission into a Ph.D. study program. When it comes to Ph.D. programs, recruiters often tend to focus a great deal more on your motivation letter. This is primarily because these recruiting committees are not looking for merely excellent candidates but are looking for outstanding candidates who can think out of the box to unravel the mysteries of their field by conducting prudent research.
An Ideal motivation letter for a Ph.D. scholar program should discuss the following points:
- Ph.D. program you wish to apply
- Personal qualities that are unique about you as a person and scholar
- What and how do you aim to contribute to the research community?
- Your earnest personal enthusiasm towards pursuing research
- What are your experiences and personal projects that have helped you grow as a researcher?
- What inspires you to stay motivated towards a long-term research project?
- Highlighting your desire and thirst for learning new information
Check Out: Migration Certificate
Motivation Letter for Job
As discussed thus far, writing a motivation letter for educational programs that aptly describes your personal ideas, inspirations and individuality are essential to stand out from other resumes. The same becomes even more critical when drafting a Motivation letter for a job. This is because this will serve as your declaration to the professional world. Job recruiters receive thousands upon thousands of applicants. As such, they are looking for a person who is not merely looking for a job but for someone who is energetic and enthusiastic about becoming an asset to the organization.
Perhaps, one of the most important points to remember when drafting a motivation letter for a job is to ensure that your letter is not basic, generic, repetitive, or long-winded.
A good motivation letter for a job should cover the following points:
- Why do you wish to work as part of this company/organization?
- What makes you a good fit for the company’s work environment?
- What can you bring to the table in terms of experience and contributions?
- Where do you see yourself in the future of the company?
- What do you envision as a dream job for yourself?
- How aware are you of the quality and kind of work the company does?
- What defines you as a person apart from your portfolio?
Motivation Letter for University
When drafting a motivation letter for a University, it is important to make it clear whether you are applying for the position of a student or teacher. In either case, Universities tend to choose candidates who can pitch themselves as worthy candidates who possess an unquenchable thirst for knowledge, information, and research. As such, your motivation letter should help you put your best foot forward by detailing your characteristics, personality, inspiration, and ethos behind applying for a post at the University.
While your motivation letter should emphasize why you would be the perfect fit for the position, you must not confuse a motivation letter with a cover letter. A cover letter merely highlights parts of your resume and academic portfolio that match the requirements of the position you aim to fill. In contrast, a motivation letter goes a step beyond that to portray what makes you, your personality, and your mindset a perfect fit for the role. In essence, a motivation letter for a university or organization serves the purpose of proving to the recruiter that you are not merely words and can back your portfolio up with constant and motivated efforts.
A well-written Motivation letter for a University should focus on the following points:
- Enriched content about yourself that would stand out at a glance to a recruiter
- Crisp outline of your goal and purpose of applying to the University
- Personal qualifications that helped you grow as an individual
- Your experiences that have translated into your work ethic
- Your sources of inspiration that spur you on when you get stuck in life
- A request for a chance to prove yourself
Motivation Letter for Scholarship
A motivation letter for a scholarship can prove to be the most defining aspect of your application. Most scholarships are highly competitive, and almost all applicants possess the same educational qualifications, more or less. Therefore, it becomes imperative to display your knowledge and personality to the scholarship committee through a well-worded motivation letter. A motivation letter that is well-written and drafted should pop out to the interviewer and excite him about you to the same amount you are excited about the scholarship opportunity. In fact, most scholarship committees short-list applicants primarily on the strength of their motivation letters.
An excellent motivation letter for a scholarship should discuss the following:
- What makes you an ideal candidate for the scholarship in concern?
- Your visions of the future
- Your plans upon completing your education and what you aim to do after that
- What has been a primary motivator in your life thus far?
- Your experiences and your expected career trajectory
- Personal qualities and principles that match with the organization providing the scholarship
Check Out: Provisional Certificate
How to Write a Motivation Letter
If you have read thus far, you would hopefully be aware of the weight that motivation holds in your application. Oftentimes, people find that it is not too hard to write a motivation letter but get stuck and draw blanks when trying to write a high-quality motivation letter. If you find yourself in the same category and are clueless about how to proceed with writing your motivation letter, then here are a few pointers that could help you write the perfect, killer motivation letter:
- Make it short and crisp: While it might sound tempting to fill pages rambling in the hopes that the quantity of content will impress the reader, it is actually counterproductive. A motivation letter should be short, concise, crisp and should ideally be a one-pager. So, try to cover your best skills, qualities, and experiences within that single page.
- Make sure it is well-structured: Adhering to the proper format and structure of a motivation letter is essential. Not only does it make it look professional, but will also have a nice flow when the recruiter or reviewer goes through the letter. Try to avoid long paragraphs and poor punctuation, as this may deter people from reading through the content.
- Make sure it is a focussed document: It is also good practice to limit yourself from mentioning some of the less important aspects of yourself, and allow the letter to focus on your best skills and qualities, strongest motivations, and greatest experiences.
- Address them directly: Recruiters value applicants who do a bit of research on their end while applying to the university or organization. Therefore, try to figure out the name of the recruiter and directly address them in your opening remarks. Also, ensure that your motivation letter starts by introducing yourself and declaring where and what your applying to.
- Match your experiences with requirements: Every organization has a pre-determined set of requirements that applicants are expected to have. Recruiters also try to ascertain whether you are capable of satisfying your requirements. Therefore, ensure that your personal skills and experiences match with at least the top 3 requirements of the company.
- Prove that you are a perfect fit: While it is easy to state that you are a good fit for the company or organization, it is important to prove to the recruiter why that is the case. Quote experiences and your personal principles that match with the values of the organization, and thus establish a case for you being a perfect and natural fit into the organization’s work environment.
- Demonstrate your earnest interest: A motivation letter should not be presumptuous or glorifying of yourself. Instead it should help demonstrate to the recruiter that you have a genuine interest to be part of the company or organization, and you are actually excited about the opportunity. It is also important to remember that in your attempt to show interest, you must not plead for the position as this will reduce the value of your motivation letter. The best way to go about this would be to state some of your personal ventures and experiences that have lead you to this moment and what you aim to achieve as part of the organization without showing off too much.
- Be Honest: Recruiters value honesty and earnesty in a motivation letter and therefore abstain from lying here. Apart from being questionable in terms of ethics, it is not good practice to lie on your letter while attempting to pitch yourself. Most recruiters can see through pretentious letters of motivation and will in all likelihood cause more harm than good to your reputation.
Motivation Letter Format
As mentioned in the previous section, sticking to a proper format and structure is important while writing a motivation letter. Ideally, it is a single page document that describes you as a person, your experiences, and highlights your interest to be part of the organization.
In terms of structure, a motivation letter should have 3 paragraphs – An introduction, body and conclusion. This format is best-suited to make the page look clean at first glance, and also helps convey your story in a precise manner with specific focus on your experiences and achievements.
Here is a Motivation letter format that is generally accepted to be the norm by most organizations and universities:
- Contact Details: Here is where you mention your personal contact details such as your name, address, Email-id, LinkedIn profile, contact number, etc.
- Introduction: This paragraph should focus on introducing yourself to the recruiter and answer the questions of “What you wish to apply for” and “Where you wish to work in”. It should also briefly discuss your statement of purpose and answer “Why you wish to be part of this organization in specific”. Generally, this paragraph should not exceed 200 words.
- Body of the Letter: This section should be the highlight of your motivation letter and should focus on your personal experiences that have led up to that moment. It should elaborate on your personal life story and academic profile. It should also have a focus on things, moments and people from your life that have served as sources of motivation and inspiration in your life. Try to make this the section that pops out to the recruiter by giving background information to support your achievements and ensure that you are as factual as possible. Occasionally, you can also split this section into 3 sub paragraphs if you feel it will help ease the flow of reading for the recruiter.
- Conclusion: Just as how the start to the letter is important to set the tone of the motivation letter, the conclusion is important to summarize exactly why you should be considered as a top contender for the role or position. This section can briefly discuss your plans and visions for the future and should end on a note of gratitude to the reader.
Questions that a Motivation Letter Must Answer
As discussed elaborately, a Motivation letter must be attached along with your resume and must stand out from the rest. In order to do this, there are a few questions that must be answered when a reader goes through your Motivation letter. Here are a few of them:
- What caught your eye and attracted you to this program/organization/company?
- In your understanding, what are the Company’s core values and how do you share them
- How does you and your portfolio satisfy the requirements specified?
- What do you intend to contribute during your time here?
- Why do you believe you would fit in this environment and work culture?
Sample for Motivation Letter
Link to Sample:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1fQqs_PEnyp535_dSTXnSFi7iBgw6_f31Us5eYMMYXmo/edit?usp=sharing
FAQs
Ans: Dear [Hiring Manager’s Name], As a [Position Name] with [X] years of experience [Action], I believe that I am the ideal candidate for [Company Name]. I look forward to hearing from you. I can be reached at [Your Email] or [Your Phone Number].
Ans: The motivation statement is a personal statement, up to one page long. The document is written and used to submit application for University program or to apply for job. The motivation statement can show the members of selection committee, why you are good candidate for the position
Ans: Your first sentence should be a brief statement about why you’re writing the e-mail (you’re applying for the job) and how you found out about the position. Next, you write the body of your message. So what gets left out? Usually, it’s the self-promoting paragraphs about previous job experience
Ans: Your motivation letter is actually “part two” of your application. …
Use short, active sentences – get to the point; Ensure your motivation letter is in line with your CV, but avoid identical overlap.
Address details.
Choose a neutral opening or a real distinctive, compelling phrase if you have a talent for writing.
Ans: A motivation letter is a document accompanying an applicant’s CV. … So, an effective motivation letter provides some essential information about you. It includes your academic and working experience, your skills and special abilities. You can add some interesting details about you that will be relevant and appropriate.
Comments (0)