A letter of intent (also called memorandum of understanding or precontract) is a written statement expressing the intention of the undersigned to enter

into a formal agreement, especially a business arrangement or transaction. Normally, it does not constitute a definitive contract but signifies a genuine interest in reaching the final agreement subject to due diligence, additional information, or fulfillment of certain conditions. The language used in writing a letter of intent is of vital importance, and determines whether it is only an expression of intent or an enforceable underta ing. Also called A cover letter (also called letter of motivation) is a document sent with your resume to provide additional information on your s ills and experience. COVERING LETTERS The main purpose of writing a covering letter is to prompt a recruiter to read your !". The letter gives you the chance to demonstrate that you understand the nature of the job being advertised# allows you to explain why you want to wor in that area# and show how your s ills and abilities fit the vacancy. $hile your !" tells the employer about you, the letter should concentrate on the position and the company. %emember to fully research the firm, perhaps by visiting its web site, and use this information to help draft your letter. The covering letter is your first contact with a potential future employer and a great chance to mar et your s ills. Do:

&nclude a personalised covering letter with every !" you send out 'eep it short and factual ( four or five paragraphs on one side of A) paper Tell the recruiter where you saw the ad and include any reference numbers %efer to the !" you have attached ( it might go missing and they*ll thin you haven*t sent one Tailor it to each specific application ( outline how your experience matches job re+uirements ,ay why you want the job !oncentrate on telling employers why you would be good for the job, rather than why the job would be good for you &f the job is in a different sector from the one to which you have devoted the past ten wor ing years, draw lin s between the two Try and show that you have done some research into the organisation already ( for example mention that you have read the latest annual report or visited their web site. &nclude any dates when you might be unavailable for interview. &f you are able to ta e calls during the day, then provide a contact number !hec that you have addressed your letter to the right person, that you have used the correct job title and spelt his or her name correctly

-ou may wish to state your current salary and your salary expectations for the job. ,imply send out standard covering letters to different employers .nderestimate the value of the covering letter ( you can use it to lift your !" if your experience is lac ing by drawing attention to your strengths

Don t:

S!EC"L#TIVE LETTERS &f you are not replying to an advertised position, it may be worth writing a speculative letter to a company that you would li e to wor for. &n this instance, begin by stating the specific wor you are see ing, say why you want to wor for this particular company and as for your !" to be held on file for any vacancies that may come up. Covering letter for a speculative $ direct approac% to a compan& /0 1airfax !lose ,tableton 2ristol 2,/0 3%T 'enneth 2rown 4olson plc /)(0) !able ,treet 2ristol 2,0 )%T 03 5uly 6ear 4r 2rown -esterday*s Evening Post reported that you are expanding your sales and servicing activities. &t occurred to me that you might need additional staff for your new branches. & am currently loo ing for opportunities to ma e use of my direct experience of wor ing in a service centre and would therefore be extremely interested in any potential vacancies. 7ver the past ten years & have wor ed in customer services initially in retail and most recently for a major plc. This wor has included8 ta ing boo ings from customers and organising job schedules for service engineers in a service centre# training and supervising a team of three# setting up and running a customer complaints service# handling customer account +ueries.

1ull details of my trac record are contained in my !" which & have enclosed. & will phone next wee to establish whether a meeting would be appropriate. & would very much li e to discuss any potential opening with you. -ours sincerely ,ally 5ones

'o( application letter in response to an advertisement 0) 4ay /99: %ose !ottage %igg ;ane ,toneham ;N/ <N= 5ohn $ellington 1irst %ate %ecruiters /0 6rummond ,treet >lasgow >< )%1 -our reference ?-@ /0< 6ear 4r $ellington Re: regional manager vacanc&: Evening #rgus) *+ ,a& 1rom a varied sales and mar eting career in the car industry# & would li e to highlight the following relevant s ills and experience8

,uccessful planning of the restructuring of a large .' automotive dealer networ An instrumental role in developing a .' growth strategy for , oda sales Alanning the profitable development of 1ord brands in the .' !reating a new team to build a vehicle distribution process at , oda !ars A lead role at 1ord !ars in improving customer supply lead times and reducing vehicle inventories &f you would li e any further information, please get in touch.

-ours sincerely

Adam ,mith S#,!LES Letter of intent for ,aster-s degree 6ear ,ir B 4adam, & wish to apply for the 4asterCs degree in &nternational 2usiness and Dntrepreneurship at the .niversity of Anonomity. & am applying for this programme because & believe it to be an ideal match with my aspirations of pursuing a career within international management consulting and entrepreneurial endeavors. & hold this belief in particular due to the .niversity of Anonomity*s hands(on learning style, international orientation, high international satisfaction rate and the good reputation that it enjoys. 4y avid interest in entrepreneurship and management originates with my practical wor experience along with wor ing on various hands(on teamwor projects during my studies, acting both as consultant for 6anish companies as well as ta ing on entrepreneurial endeavors. ,everal of the projects were highly commended by both lecturers and clients, with two of them receiving the mar AE. & am currently pursuing a 4asterCs degree in technology(based business development at Aarhus .niversity. This is an interdisciplinary study, combining technology (computer science), business processes, management, and the economics of start(up companies. 7n top of my academic achievements & have wor ed with development of new processes and business initiatives at ,iemens $ind Aower. Aresently & am employed as an intern at ;ogica &T !onsulting, where & function in the role of project manager, charged with mar eting planning and strategic proposals for a future business unit. 1urthermore, with reference to my !", & can state that & have strong analytical s ills and a logical strain of thought, which enables me to +uic ly analyFe and solve complex and ambiguous problems. $hile my academic bac ground provides me with technical and interdisciplinary nowledge fit for a project manager, it lac s dedicated business and entrepreneurial subjects along with cross(cultural competencies. This & why courses li e &nternational Dntrepreneurship G &nnovation, the international management courses along with the &nternational 4anagement ,olution project fit perfectly with my aspirations. 1urthermore & can personally identify with the programs values, such as personal initiative, responsibility and adapting to your environment, all of which & have actively cultivated by attending personal development lessons and wor shops as well as attending personal coaching sessions.

1ollowing the above sentiments & consider my academic and practical achievements to be an attest to my high level of motivation and +ualifications for becoming a successful graduate of the 4asterCs degree in &nternational 2usiness and Dntrepreneurship. & base this reflection on my trac record of successful project wor along with relevant wor experience within business development at both ;ogica and ,iemens. Than you for considering my application. & loo forward to hearing your response. ,incerely, HH

Letter of Intent for Emplo&ment 5ane ,mith ))) 4ar et ;ane Newport, "irginia IIIII November 0I, 0I// 5ohn 6oe, =iring !oordinator Dmployment for -ou, &nc. /0<) $or ing $ay Newport, "irginia IIIII 6ear 4r. 6oe8 & am responding to your post in the "irginia >aFette advertising for a mar eting assistant. & am interested in applying for this position and believe that & would be an asset to your company. After receiving my degree from the .niversity of "irginia, & began wor ing for =iring Always, !o. as a first level assistant. 4y responsibilities included drafting mar eting proposals and creating campaigns for our different customers. Through these interactions, & learned how to manage my time appropriately and to thin creatively. $hile & enjoyed my time at =iring Always, !o., & am ready to expand my horiFons and am ready for the challenge of being your mar eting assistant. & would welcome the opportunity to interview with your company and am available at your earliest convenience. & can be reached at (333) 333(3333 or 5ane.,mithJemail.com. & loo forward to hearing from you. "ery respectfully,

5ane ,mith

Letter of ,otivation for ,aster-s degree 6ear ,ir B 4adam, 4y name is HHHH, an applicant from %omania. At present, & am a final year student at the .niversity of Agronomic ,ciences and "eterinary 4edicine of 2ucharest, the 1aculty of land %eclamation and Dnvironmental Dngineering, and my major is HHHHH (;and 4easurement and !adastral ,urvey B ;and %eclamation and %ural 6evelopment B Dnvironmental Arotection and Agricultural Dngineering B !onstruction 4anagement and Dngineering). & would li e to apply for the 4,c programme in HHHHH at your university. 4y objective for graduate studies in !omputer ,cience is to prepare myself for the long term goal of pursuing a career of teaching and research. & have nurtured a strong passion to become a scientist and pursue research. &n the pursuit of 'nowledge, & have always adopted a rigorous approach in order to attain an in(depth understanding of the subject at hand. This has amply reflected in my consistently brilliant career, always topping the class and having received numerous national level awards. $ith a >AA of 9.K0, & am ran ed first at the &&T among nearly <3I students. & have been involved in research in parallel and distributed computing systems. & studied various problems in distributed systems and distributed databases including deadloc detection and resolution, termination detection, distributed snapshots and consistency. & have been attracted towards the field of correctness of parallel programs. & published a Technical %eport reporting errors in two published deadloc detection algorithms and highlight their underlying deficiencies with respect to the distributed nature of computation. & am also involved in the development of an optimiFer generator which would automate the process of writing optimiFers based on the specifications of the optimiFations. & am currently engaged in writing a paper on an efficient algorithm for performing global data(flow analysis. The new algorithm that & have developed utiliFes the notion of bac ward information flow to perform propagation using wor (lists in an efficient manner. & have been in correspondence with Arofessor 5.6..llman about my algorithm and other aspects of the problem. & have chosen to pursue graduate studies at ,tanford .niversity because by wor ing under the guidance of the distinguished researchers & am confident of ma ing an original contribution in the field of !omputer ,cience. 4y interest in research has burgeoned during my undergraduate studies at &&T. & have excelled in our well(rounded and exacting undergraduate program and have developed a solid bac ground to ta e up research in !omputer ,cience.

& have decided to go in for graduate studies which calls for a personal commitment to the fulfilling craft of independent research and that involves willingly ma ing personal sacrifices of time, leisure and immediate reward. &n turn & shall get intellectual satisfaction and the gratification of becoming a contributor to nowledge through research and the greater personal rewards of learning and discovery. & believe that & possess the motivation, intellectual ability and preparation to set out on this exhilarating and arduous path and to ma e significant original contributions to your on(going research wor . & loo forward to joining your .niversity as a graduate student at your esteemed department. %egards, Letter of motivation for .o( %espected ,irB4adam, &, (-our Name), currently in my first year at (?-@) !ollege, would li e to apply for a L month internship for a post in the mar eting department of your reputed company. & am currently pursuing my 4asters in 4ar eting and at our college, we understand the importance of gaining practical nowledge which will complement the textboo nowledge and help a student gain a wider perspective of the subjects. 6uring this course & have found that & am decently s illed in the art of persuasion, as my teachers and my former employer of 3 years will rightly testify. &*ve had a nac 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. 4y s ills lie in my ability to comprehensively read and understand the situation and act +uic ly and yet smartly. 2ut of what use is a raw s ill, unless it is sharpenedM Therefore, & decided to enroll myself in the prestigious ?-@ !ollege to help me understand more about the subject & truly adore, to help me understand the mind of the consumer better and to learn some soft s ills which have proven to be effective over many years. ;aden with textboo nowledge, & wish to implement the s ills that & have learned, in the real world. $hat better way to prove that & have truly been benefited by this education, and what better place to start, than a company as reputed as yoursM ,o wor ing for your institution is something & loo forward to very eenly. & have enclosed my resume and cover letter as well.

Than ing -ou, HHHH RE/ERENCES 0001(estsampleresume1com .o(searc%1a(out1com resume2resource1com %ttp:$$0001total.o(s1com %ttp:$$0001career(uilder1com