Motivation Letter Sample

To put it very generally, a motivation letter is written by an applicant to any such person that is reviewing his application. A motivation letter is simply a letter, which should, after reading, motivate the reader to seriously consider the candidature of the applicant and review the person for selection.

What Makes a Motivation Letter

Now, a motivation letter is not too different from a cover letter which go with resume writing, in fact a lot of people do tend to confuse between the two. But while the point that both these letters are trying to highlight, is that the candidate feels that he is well suited for a job, is a slight distinction can be made between the two. Firstly, it is a less formal type of letter writing than the standard cover letter. Secondly, the cover letter is just supposed to state the facts, while the motivation letter is a more detailed letter, elucidating the aptness of the writer's candidature. So we can see that the motivation letter can be an important tool for career development.

So to that end, the writer of this letter has to press on about his qualities, which he feels qualify him to be fit for the post he's sent his job application to. Such letters are more often written to colleges and throw light upon the qualities that the applicant has, which may or may not be apparent in his college application.

Motivation Letter Format

So the letter is like any formal business letter. The letter starts with a respectful address to whom it is written and then continues with the subject. The first paragraph is a self introductory one, who you are and what you have applied for. The next paragraphs talk about the qualities you have which you feel make you a fitting candidate for the post applied to.

Of course the letter may continue to the fourth and even fifth paragraphs, if it has to. It should contain the details of your achievements, what you have done and how these achievements are relevant in context to the post applied. But your letter should, ideally, not exceed 2 pages, after which the reader might get slightly bored.

A Sample Motivation Letter

Your context and content will obviously vary from what is given. So you can make the changes to this template as the need arises.

Respected Sir/Madam, I, My Name, currently in my first year at XYZ College would like to apply for a 6 month internship for a post in the marketing department of your reputed company. I am currently pursuing my masters in marketing and at our college we understand the importance of gaining practical knowledge which will complement the textbook classroom knowledge and helps the students gain a wider perspective of the subjects. During this course I have found that I am decently skilled in the art of persuasion, as my teachers and my former employer of 5 years will rightly testify. I've had a knack of getting my point across very well, communicating with people, understanding their needs and providing them with a value proposition which is truly hard to refuse. My skills lie in my ability to comprehensively read and understand the situation and act quickly and yet smartly. But of what use is a raw skill, unless it is sharpened? So to this end, I decided to enroll myself in the prestigious XYZ College to help me understand more about the subject I truly adore, to help me understand the mind of the consumer better and to learn some soft skills which have proven to be effective over many years. And laden with textbook knowledge, I wish to now implement the skills that I have learned in the real world. I want to prove to myself that I have truly been benefited by this education and what better place to start, than a company as reputed as yours? So an internship with you, is something I look forward to very keenly. I have enclosed by resume and cover letter as well. Thanking You, My Name.

As you can see from the above example, the motivation letter is more of a persuasive writing exercise. Writing these letters can be tough, so I hope that you can use this sample to good effect!