Motivation Letter

Every document a university or recruiter asks for serves a special purpose. Often than not, candidates are confused between the two such documents – Cover Letter and Motivation Letter. A cover letter is a professional letter given to an employer/recruiter along with a resume or CV. Cover Letters are generally used by companies, employers and recruiters as opposed to motivation letters that are used by university admission offices, educational institutes and internships. Both letters are intended to inform the recruiter or educational officer of why you are the perfect candidate and allow candidates to explain at length about their motivation, interests, hobbies, achievements and career/academic future.

To put it simply, a cover letter is more of an introductory letter to your resume to the hiring authority whereas a motivational letter is mainly utilised as how your interests, motivations and aspirations match the academic program you want to study or a job profile you want to apply for. All the elite organizations are in search of individuals who would prove out to be an asset to the company. Thus, it should deliver your intent and excitement using the key feature as your motivation.

Often students get confused between a cover letter and a motivational letter, it is important to keep in mind that the purpose of a cover letter is to accentuate some specific information mentioned on your resume and align it with the job requirements as well as the company profile.

For Admission: If you are applying to a university or college to get enrolled in an educational program for any level (undergraduate or postgraduate).
For Training/Internship: If you want to get into a full-time internship with an organization.
For Employment: When you want to apply for a job profile at an organisation.
For Jobs in Social Sector especially NGOs: Non-profit organisations generally demand motivation letter to analyse the interests and intentions of job aspirants.

A motivation letter describes why you are a perfect candidate for a certain program/position. It is usually a one-page document that gets attached alongside your resume. Commonly there are 4 purposes for which one is required to draft it:

Applying merely through a resume may reflect the general academic and professional information about you but it can also be seen as the lack of influential representation of the motivation and dedication you possess. This is where a Motivation Letter comes to the rescue as it is usually asked by academic institutions as well as organizations from the applicants. Through a motivational letter, you can convincingly transmit your passion, eagerness and diligence regarding how your dream course can enlighten your career path along with the benefits you wish to bring out to the institution or organization (whether as a student or an employee). Let’s explore how to write a motivational letter with the help of samples/examples for university, job application, internship and more!