Cover Letter: Response To An Ad For A Job Or Internship: Fill & Download for Free

Your resume and cover letter are probably the only places where it is socially acceptable to brag about your accomplishments openly. That being said, the most important thing you should note about writing a resume and cover letter is that "telling isn't selling". Don't just write that you're a hard worker, team player, etc., but rather show those attributes through the text in your resume and cover letter.1) Resume - write result-oriented bulletpoints so employers can see how you added value to firms. Or if you want to demonstrate that you were a team-player, write a bulletpoint on how you collaborated with your manager on a project and what was accomplished.Really think about what your job responsibilities were, what did you accomplish, what value did you add, and etc. Utilize these responses and tailor it to make it applicable to the position/job you're currently pursuing.2) Cover Letter - These should be seen as an extension of your resume where you expand on the knowledge that each experience has equipped you with. I have outlined some tips for writing cover letters below and remember, a good cover letter won't help all that much, but a bad one will absolutely kill your chances.Your cover letter will usually consist of 3 paragraphs outlined below:Paragraph #1 - Introductory statements that addresses your background, how you heard of the position and what attracts you to the firm.Paragraph #2 - This is where you discuss your background in detail by writing about specific past experiences or a relevant internship you did and talking about what you have learned and how it has prepared you for the job you're applying for.Paragraph #3 - Bringing it all together by clearly stating the skill set you will bring to the company as well as how the company will benefit by having you as an employee.I would highly recommend checking out this website, http://member.collegejoboffer.com/info/ for more strategic tips and insight on resumes, cover letters and everything else necessary to land a job offer as it helped me land multiple job offers by implementing and applying what I had learned into the recruiting process.I wish you the best of luck on your job search!

LinkedIn has been very helpful for me during my job search.I was looking for an internship over an year. I added many recruiters and hiring managers to my connection, sent them a personal message, got their email id, forwarded my resume with a cover letter and then had to wait for them to respond. It's definitely a time consuming process. If I was lucky, I would get a response. Sometimes the recruiters would reply saying check back with me after a couple of months/no opportunities for freshman/you could contact xx , I dnt handle internships and so on.Personally I think it's all about perseverance and hardwork at the end of the day.Some tips while contacting recruiters/managers:Be very precise in your message as to what you are looking for. Have a straightforward conversationDo not apply for 20 job positions and ask the recruiter to take a look. You cannot be a perfect fit for all those jobs. They would rather look at someone who has applied to specific rolesYou could use inmail option to get in touch with the recruiter directly. This is what helped me. I had sent out an inmail in July 2014 and got a response in November 2014. Expect a delay. Recruiters respond when they do have jobs that fit for youKeep building your network. That'll definitely help at some point later in careerJoin LinkedIn job seeker groups. Group mentors give you great tips for your interview and building resumeHope this helps :)

The longer version of this answer is available here - How to get a Marketing Internship or Job at IIMs?Shortlisting ProcessMarketing companies can get really creative when it comes to the screening process. The most common steps are:CV ShortlistingGroup DiscussionFinal InterviewAll the rounds are elimination rounds. However, some companies insert multi-fold screening rounds in between the above-listed. Some of those rounds can be:Psychometric TestAptitude TestOne-Slider PPTHRQs SubmissionVideo Cover LetterSince these are rare exceptions, let's talk about the basic 3 steps in more detail and see how you can prepare for them to land a marketing internship or job.CV ShortlistingIf you're a regular reader of my blog, you would have gone through the CV format we use at IIM-A by now. If not, I'd suggest you go through it once as it will make the subsequent points clearer to you.A marketing firm doesn't bother about your past academic scores as much as finance or consulting firm does. That is why, most students at IIMs have this notion that if you wish to get into marketing, you need not worry about your grades. At the same time, you're also not required to elect marketing subjects to get into a marketing role. This is a point I have clarified earlier in the post on specializations at IIMs.If you notice carefully, the CV format that I've shared has 2 main components: Buckets and Spikes.Buckets refer to the different portions of the CV: Academics, Co-Curricular, Internships & Work Experience, Positions of Responsibility, Extra-Curricular.Spikes refer to the extra-ordinary achievements that add value to your candidature.As a marketing enthusiast, you must have a Balanced CV. A balanced CV has a fair amount of spikes in all the buckets. This means that the student is an all-rounder and has diverse achievements to reflect in all buckets.You may not be an expert of a particular area, but you've got yourself involved in all sorts of activities ranging from hosting competitions in your college to representing your institution in a competition. The more variety your CV reflects, the better.At the same time, if you have bits and pieces of marketing linked in your past accolades, it counts as a positive. For example, if you have done some marketing certifications, it shows your interest to the interviewer.If you're aiming for a marketing role, the best way to build your profile is to use this CV format (a downloadable doc version is available in the link shared earlier), fill in your achievements and see which buckets are comparatively empty. For example, if you feel your work-ex is not sufficient, take up some internships.Group DiscussionI won't lie when I tell you that GDs were not my strength. In fact, Mondelez was one of the only top marketing firms which shortlisted me after the GD round because it had a marketing GD. However, there's a lot I've learnt about GDs since that point, so there are a couple of things I can share with you.There are three broad kinds of GDs:Abstract GDs: These GDs have no base, they're open-ended and look for creativity on the part of candidates. For example, "Nice men finish last." In order to prepare for these GDs, one must look at models like PESTEL and SCAMPER (explained here) to think from multiple perspectives.Current Affairs GDs: These GDs are generally not too specific but one needs to be well versed with the happenings around the world in order to perform well in them. For example, "Banking regulations are flawed in India." The best strategy to prepare for them is to create a repository of facts/opinions on the latest topics. This process has been explained in-depth here. Always give 1-2 quality points in such GDs backed by solid figures and facts.Marketing GDs: In these GDs, often a product and a target segment is defined. The company asks you to create a go-to-market (GTM) strategy for the product. For example, "Perk wants to target the urban children between 13 to 17 years of age group in India, how should it begin?" Most students go after using the STP and 4Ps models for such problem statements. My strategy was a bit different. I used 2C1P (Customer, Competitor and Product). Please note that such a model doesn't exist, I just named it using the acronyms. The idea was to think of the product, its customers and its competitors and then combine any 2 of these at a time to arrive at a strategic idea (an insight if you may call it). For example, Perk (Product) is glucose-based energy chocolate and the urban demographic of children defined (Customer) is known to attend tuition classes back to back which drains energy. So, by combining these two, you arrive at an insight - "Position it as an energy bar between your tuition breaks". Like this, you should think of some solid insights and then back them up with creative ideas on how to implement.Final InterviewThere are three broad kinds of questions which can be asked in a marketing interview:HRQs: Human Resource Questions constitute the most part of a marketing interview. The interviewer is always trying to assess your soft skills, your ability to lead teams, work in groups, talk to customers, retailers, salesmen, etc. Marketing interviews are all about stories, so if you are able to narrate the most important stories of your life to your interviewer, it seals the deal. Each answer of yours should point at a value that you live by and that the company also appreciates. Here's a 3-step approach on how to prepare such answers.Ad Analysis: I've already written a detailed post on what ad analysis is and how to go about practising it. Generally, marketing companies ask the candidates to look at an ad for 2 minutes and then evaluate its efficacy. One can easily do that using the approach shared it the post. It is always better to prepare the ad analysis of the famous brands of the marketing company you're interviewing with in advance.Guesstimates: These are similar to the guesstimates asked in consulting interviews. For example, "Estimate the number of SKUs in a small Kirana Store". I would suggest you go through the preparation material used in consulting and refer to Aaditya's videos on guesstimates. Just practice a couple of them and you'll get used to the knack of solving them.With this, we come to an end of the interview process as well. If you make it so far and get selected, be ready to get spoiled by your company. Marketing firms are known to be too generous, sometimes: