Writing a Cover Letter - Lesson Overview

A cover letter is a marketing document that summarizes and highlights the experience, skills and
aptitudes you have that best match what the employer is looking for. It also provides the opportunity for
you to tell the employer your motivation for applying for the position and what interests you about the
organisation.
Background
Employers look at cover letter to decide whether they should take the time to look at your resume.
Typically, an employer takes 30 - 60 seconds to form an opinion about a person. This means that you
have a very short time to make them aware of your key selling points.

This activity could be run concurrently with the Resume Writing session.

The activities in this session give students an opportunity to identify the features of an effective cover
letter for the purpose of applying for:

● a WIL opportunity
● a graduate position
Purpose
● paid internship etc

Consider running this session concurrently with the Writing a Resume lesson.

Mode Mixed mode/Flipped classroom.

● 30-45 minutes (online, outside class time)

● 30 minutes (in-class mode)
Time

Resources

Staff

● Provide students with access to online Cover Letter Writing Resource

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 ● Job advertisement/position description relevant to discipline/industry area
● Sample cover letter relevant to discipline/industry area
● Assessment rubric

Students:

● Pen and paper

Career
Development
Prepare evidence to enhance employment opportunities
Learning
Outcomes

Writing a Cover Letter - Lesson Plan

Objectives: By the end of this session students will be able to:

● Identify the structure and format of an effective cover letter
● Prepare a customised cover letter that reflects the student’s skills, abilities,
and motivations and attracts the employer’s attention

Time Stage Activity Resources

30-45 mins Activity 1 The timing for the first activity will vary
External to depending on the prior experience of the
class student.

This activity to be completed prior to the

class:
● Students to search for a job Entry level job advertisement-to be
advertisement and/or position sourced by student or be provided
description for a position relevant to with a relevant job
their discipline/industry area. The advertisement/position description
level of the position should relate to sourced by staff
their current situation (ie entry level
for those seeking a WIL placement
or graduate position or higher level
vacancy for those with relevant Link to Online Cover Letter Writing
industry experience). It is assumed Resource
that students have an understanding
of where and how to identify job
vacancy information.

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 ● Students to watch Online Cover
Letter Writing Resource

2 mins In-class Introduction:

Introduction/
Your cover letter is generally the first
Discussion
thing the recruiter or employer will see. It
is your first chance to create a positive
impression. In your cover letter you need
to briefly state your claims against the
key criteria the employer is using to
select for the position. Your cover letter
should motivate the reader to want to
read your resume. You should avoid
using the same cover letter for every
position you are applying for.

Employers are looking for:

• Evidence that you have the key

criteria they are looking for

• An indication of your motivation

for the role and the organisation

5 mins Discussion Points from pre-class

activity:
Having looked at the Online Cover Letter
Writing Resource what are the key elements
of preparing a professional resume?:
● Targeting the cover letter to specific
roles
● The importance of relating the
content to the key criteria the
employer is looking for
● The difference between the purpose
of the cover letter and the resume.
Eg Summary rather than detail.
Cover letter allows the writer to
elaborate on motivation for the role
and organisation
● The difference between a cover
letter for an advertised position and
unadvertised position eg Need to
make a decision, about the criteria
the organisation would require
(needs significant research) and

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 clearly outlines what you are
asking .

10 mins Activity 2 Student Activity 2:

Employer Students to evaluate a sample cover letter ● Sample job

Panel letter to identify strengths and weaknesses advertisement/position
Exercise description
● Explain to students that they will be ● Sample cover letter that is
working in small teams (3-4 industry specific
students) to form an employer
selection panels’ Assistance can be provided by
● Provide each team with a hard-copy Careers and Employability if
of the job advertisement/position required to develop an industry
description and the sample cover specific sample.
letter
● Ask students to read the job
advertisement/position description
and then review the cover letter.
Identify strengths and weaknesses.
Students should take notes and be
prepared to share their thoughts
with the group.

10 mins Group Discussion

● Ask teams to share their findings

with the group
● Ask group about ideas they have for
incorporating their program learning
into their cover letter eg group or
industry projects, specific course
topics, study abroad opportunities
etc
● How would the process differ if you
were applying for an unadvertised
position (eg need to seek out
information and make some
decisions about what the
organisation would be likely to
value)

3 mins Summary Summary

Key points:
● Always tailor your cover letter to the
role/organisation. Don’t use a
generic cover letter.

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 ● Highlight your key “selling points”
(experience, skills, aptitudes)
against the key criteria the employer
is looking for
● Try to inject motivation and
enthusiasm into your cover letter by
summarizing why you want the job

Activity 3 Using the job advertisement from Activity 1 Assessment Rubric

students to prepare a cover letter tailored to
Prepare a the advertised position.
Cover Letter
To be submitted for assessment
External to
class

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