Cover letter for China: content guidelines

30 March 2011
Cover_letter_for_china_content_guidelines

Writing a persuasive cover letter for China is as challenging as summing up your whole career on a CV.  However, if they are carefully and strategically prepared, these two complementary documents can become your ticket to a job interview in China.  Your goal is to grab the recruiter’s attention by making yourself stand out of the crowd: while your resume establishes your past work experience, your cover letter should convince your potential employers of what you can accomplish now and how you can be an asset for the future.

Ideally, you should write a targeted cover letter for each position you apply for, or at least customize a previously prepared template.  The objective:  to demonstrate that the skills you have meet all the job requirements and more; you are basically trying to argue that THIS position was made for YOU.

For more information on the structure of this document, please refer to the Cover letter for China: format guidelines article.

Preparing your cover letter for China

Research on the company

  • Gather as much relevant information as possible about the company, the industry, the employer, the recruiter and the job.
  • Read through the companies’ website and brochures or call them directly to make inside contacts; consult Chambers of commerce, specialized magazines and newspapers.

Interpretation of the job offer

  • Analyse the job description and requirements and pull out the keywords.
  • Make a list of all the stated and implied qualifications and skills that are required.
  • Identify the needs and objectives of the potential employer.

Self-evaluation

  • List and evaluate your qualifications (education, training) and competence (work experience, skills) as well as your strengths and weaknesses.
  • Compare your self-evaluation to your interpretation of the job offer: highlight key elements that meet each requirement for the position and every need of the employer.
  • Group these elements by themes and relevancy.  Figure out how to concisely present your skills and qualifications so that they match the job criteria as closely as possible.

Writing your cover letter for China

Your cover letter should explain...

  • how you found out about the position.
  • the reason why you want to work for this specific company.
  • the arguments  that make you the ideal candidate (how your educational background, work experience, and acquired skills meet the needs of the employer).

The first paragraph

  • Mention the title of the position you are applying for and how you came about the job offer.  Include the name of a mutual contact if you have one.
  • Clearly state your interest for the job and the company, as well as your motivation, i.e. the reason why you are responding to this specific job offer.
  • Briefly explain why you consider yourself the right person for the job and convince the recruiter to read and consider your following arguments.

The body (1 to 3 short paragraphs)

  • Write your cover letter for China using action verbs that showcase your strengths through descriptions of your past responsibilities.  You should focus on presenting yourself with positive expressions and highlighted keywords from the job description and your CV.
  • Emphasize the relevant elements of your CV by focusing on your most pertinent work experiences and skills and by underlining your educational background.  Internships abroad, exchange programs and extracurricular activities relating to China can also be appealing to your potential employer.
  • Avoid clichés or meaningless or wordy expressions that may sound unnatural.  Write in a professional business-style.  The sentences should be concise and convincing.
  • Be confident, but avoid exaggerating your qualifications or being too assertive: every claim you make should be supported by a real concrete example.  In the Chinese culture, humility is far more appreciated as arrogance. 

The final paragraph

  • After a short statement summarizing your worthy profile, reaffirm your will to be invited to an interview and leave your contact information.
  • Conclude your cover letter for China by thanking the recruiter for considering your application for the position.
  • Include information on how and when you will follow-up.