If you apply for a job position with a foreign company, chancesare you will be asked to provide an English cover letter alongwith your resume.
如果你申請一家外企的職位，那麼你很有可能需要在提交簡歷的同時附上一封英文求職信。
But what exactly is a cover letter? How long should it be? And most importantly, what should youwrite about?
但是求職信到底是什麼？篇幅多長？最重要的是，應該寫些什麼呢？
A cover letter, or motivation letter, is almost a standard requirement when applying forinternational jobs. In brief, it is a letter introducing yourself as a person and explaining why you areapplying for the position. But there is more to writing a good cover letter.
申請外企工作時，求職信（又稱自薦信）幾乎已經成為一條標準規定了。簡而言之，求職信就是一封介紹個人情況、闡述你申請該職位理由的信件。但是想要寫出一封精彩的求職信遠沒有這麼簡單。
Usually a cover letter should be one page in length, including the sender’s and the recipient’saddress, which should be placed at the top of the page. Under this, write a short header in boldprint to inform the reader what the letter is about. For example, 「Internship opportunity at HaierGroup」. If you are sending an e-mail, put this information in the subject box.
通常，求職信的長度應為一頁紙，其中頁面上方應註明寄信人以及收信人的地址。地址下方，應用粗體短標題來告知讀信人這封信的主要內容，例如：「申請海爾集團的實習機會」。如果你使用電子郵件的話，可以將這一信息作為郵件主題。
Next, address the employer by name if you know the contact person. Otherwise it is acceptable touse 「Dear Hiring Manager」. In the first paragraph you should then say what position you areapplying for and how you found out about it.
接下來，如果你知道公司聯繫人，可以寫上對方姓名。反之，也可以用「尊敬的招聘經理」來稱呼對方。在第一段中你需要說明自己所申請的職位，以及你對該職位的見解。
In the next few paragraphs explain in detail why you believe yourself to be a suitable candidatefor the position. The aim of the cover letter is to encourage the reader to look at your resume, sobe confident but try to avoid repeating the same information that is already in your resume.
在接下來的幾段中，你需要詳細闡釋你認為自己勝任該職位的原因。求職信的主要目的在於激起讀信人的興趣去翻閱你的簡歷，所以要充滿自信，同時也應該儘量避免反覆提及簡歷中的已有信息。
It is very important to tailor your cover letter to the position you are applying for. Read throughthe job description carefully and explain why you meet its requirements.
寫求職信時，根據所申請的職位來「量體裁衣」也是十分重要的一點。仔細閱讀職位描述，然後給出自己可以勝任這份工作的理由。
It is best to provide concrete examples of where you learnt the skills necessary for the job, soinclude some information from your work experience and studies.
最好能列出具體事例來證明你從何處學到了這項工作所需要具備的技能。因此，要包含一些有關學習及工作經歷的信息。
Don’t lie, as HR managers can easily assess whether you are saying the truth or not. Also, remember that if you are invited for an interview, you will most likely be asked questions aboutyour previous experience, so think of good examples that demonstrate your skills, such asteamwork or problem solving. This is where you can really stand out from other applicants.
不要撒謊，人事經理們能輕而易舉地判斷你所言是否屬實。同時切記，如果你被通知參加面試，你極可能會被問及之前的經歷。因此，想出一些能充分證明你能力的事例，比如說團隊精神，或者解決問題能力。這才能真正使你從應聘者中間脫穎而出。
Writing a convincing cover letter takes a lot of time and effort, but don’t think you can cut cornersby writing just one letter and sending it to different employers. The first thing HR managers will payattention to is whether you have thoroughly researched the company. If they receive a genericletter it will probably end up in the bin.
寫一封讓人信服的求職信需要花費很多時間和精力；但不要認為你可以討巧——用同一封求職信來應付不同僱主。人事經理們首要關心的是：你是否已深入了解公司狀況。如果他們收到的是一封通用信函的話，那麼很有可能它的最終歸宿是垃圾箱。
Ask your parents, friends or your university’s career center to read through your cover letter, andmake sure there are no spelling mistakes. You can look at samples of cover letters on the Internetfor reference, but do not copy them.
請來父母、朋友，或者所就讀大學的就業指導中心來通讀你的求職信，確保沒有任何拼寫錯誤。你可以參考網上的一些求職信範文，但是不要抄襲。
In the final paragraph, express your enthusiasm for the position and say that you look forward toa response. Also offer to provide further information on request.
在信件結尾，表達你對於該職位的熱情，並表示十分期待對方的回覆。當然也要表明，如有需要可提供更為詳細的信息。
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（編輯：何瑩瑩）