How to Write a Motivation Letter?

Your resume represents your qualifications, achievements as well as strengths and weaknesses. 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!

What is a Letter of Motivation/Motivation Letter? 

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:

• 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 the Social Sector especially NGOs: Non-profit organisations generally demand motivation letters to analyse the interests and intentions of job aspirants.

Why Do You Need a Motivation Letter?

Motivation letters are usually required during master’s and PhD level degrees as well as for all students planning to go for international degrees. Committees use motivation letters to determine whether you are a good fit for a programme or degree because university spots are scarce. Furthermore, university departments sponsor graduate research programs like master’s and PhDs, thus it is important to carefully assess if a prospective student’s research interests are a worthwhile use of their resources.

Must Read: How to Write An SOP?

What is the Difference Between a Motivational Letter and a Cover Letter?

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. 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 to be an asset to the company. Thus, it should deliver your intent and excitement using the key feature as your motivation.   

Every document a university or recruiter asks for serves a special purpose. Often than not, candidates are confused between two such documents – A cover Letter and a 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 which 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 their motivation, interests, hobbies, achievements and career/academic future.

Related Read: Cover Letter for Fresher

How to Structure Your Motivation Letter?

If you are targeting your dream institution or organization, fascinatingly presenting your motivation can be a total game-changer. Ideally, the motivation letter should be one 1 page only in which you have to introduce yourself, describe your qualifications and achievements and highlight your interests as per the course/position you are applying to. Knowing the structure of your letter is pivotal towards comprehending the key elements that you need to add. Generally, the structure of a motivation letter can be any of the following:

• Either you can opt for a traditional methodology of a 3-paragraph motivation letter wherein there will be an introductory paragraph, body of content and conclusion.
• You can also use the 5-7 paragraph structure. You can divide the body of the letter into pointers elucidating 1-3 sentence paragraphs. 

Coming to the discussion of choosing the format, if you want to go more factual and possess a varied number of achievements, you can select the 5-7 paragraph style through which you can individually emphasise each achievement by framing it into a single point. On the other hand, if you prefer the storytelling method you can choose the 3 paragraph format without giving many breaks to your letter.

Related Read: Career Objective For Internship

Motivation Letter Template/Example

Format of a Letter of Motivation

Now that you know the two main structures you can choose from, let’s have a look at the major inclusions in the format of a motivation letter:

Introduction

A crisp, engaging pitch about yourself explaining why you want to apply. Some mandatory mentions are:

• Personal details (Name, Address, Email, Profile, Work Experience if any)
• Write about the course, internship or job profile you are applying for and also mention why,
• Start by putting down the general reasons explaining why you are applying to the course, internship or job position. Afterwards, dive into the main body of it.

Motivation Letter Example

For Example, the introduction for a motivation letter for a PhD application at a university is given below:

To: School/Institution Name  [email protected] Phone Number  Relevant Social Media Handles (LinkedIn, Quora) Dear ____ My name is (_____) and I would like to express my interest in applying for the Doctoral program (PhD) in Political Science at _____ (university name). I have always dreamed of becoming a politician and helping give back to my country, and I believe that a PhD in Politics from ______ (University Name) would set me miles ahead to reaching my goal.

Dos and Don’ts

Sometimes conveying your zeal to enter an academic program or an organization cannot be absolutely done by a resume as it restricts you to putting forward only the facts and figures instead of the inspirations and motivation that urged you to pursue it. This is where a motivation letter comes into view to ensure that your application should shine out from the hoard of other documents. Below mentioned are some quick tips and tricks to draft your motivation letter:

• While writing the letter, make sure you know the concerned person to whom you are applying. Research the name and designation of the concerned individual and address them accordingly.
• Gauge the requirements of the program/profile and explain how you are the right fit for it. 
• Mention how your beliefs and interests align with the organisation/university’s vision and mission

Are you planning to study abroad, have a look at our blog on Sponsorship Letter for Visa

How to Write a Motivation Letter?

A motivation letter is written for different purposes such as for internships, job applications, university etc. Now that you know about a motivation letter, you should learn about how to write one. The best way to write it is by creating a genuine letter.

Body

This is the main body of the letter. Describe your achievements, academic and professional journey and career aspirations. Elaborate on your skills and passions elucidating your zeal for your chosen course or job profile. Keep it factual and concise. Most of the time, the made-up stories get easily caught by the professionals who examine a variety of letters every day. It is strongly advised to maintain precision in your story. To cite the authenticity of your qualifications, you can also use metrics. 

Have a quick example of a motivational letter at some major add ones:

• My passion for ____ began when ______.
• I aspire to _____ because ______.
• I have been a part of _____ for _____ months/years. It’s the best thing for me because of ______.
• I remember once when I______ which made me realize that I_____.
• _______ resonates with me because ______.
• What distinguishes me from my peers is _______. 

Motivation Letter Example: 

My Passion for Online Marketing started to spring during my internship at _____ (Company Name). Working in a small startup provided me with surface-level experience in most digital marketing channels. Now, I would like to delve into and gain know-how by attending the ______(University Name) program in Digital Marketing.

Conclusion

Finally, to conclude, you can wrap up your letter and read it thoroughly before sending it.  Here are some of the points to help you with the concluding paragraph of the Motivation letter.

• Summarize your major points: “I believe that I would be an appropriate fit for the program because of _____”
• Mention your long term goals: “I would be obliged to be a part of _____, as it would allow me to _____ ”
• Finally, pay regards to the reader with a ‘thank you’.

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Sample Motivation Letter for University

Once you are familiarized with the structure and elements of a motivation letter, let’s provide you with a motivation letter examples and samples to help you understand the tone and style as well.

Sample Motivation Letter for Internship

Sample Motivation Letter for Scholarship Application

Sample Motivation Letter for Job Application

Sample Motivation Letter for Job- 2

Motivation Letter for Study Abroad

FAQs

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Thus, we hope that this blog has familiarized you with the key features of a motivation letter with the help of examples and samples for jobs, internships, universities and more! If you are planning to apply for an academic program abroad, our Leverage Edu experts are here to guide you throughout the admission process of your chosen university while also helping you craft impressive SOP and LORs as well as motivation letters to ensure that you get successfully shortlisted and fulfil your dream to study abroad!