Spanish Cover Letter Guide [With English Sample]

When applying for jobs, the first step will be to prepare your resume. Once you have done that, the next step is highlighting these achievements in a cover letter (also known as a carta de motivacion or carta de presentacion in Spanish). The exact pattern will vary depending on the country where you are applying. In this article, you will find tips to guide you to write the perfect letter to make your application stand out.

Simple Spanish Cover Letter Sample In English

The first and most important thing you need to remember is to make sure your cover letter is not a repetition of your CV. Since the CV itself is a technical list of items without much detail, a cover letter will reveal your personality and work ethic to a potential employer. The cover letter should complement your CV and support it with facts. It is a formal letter that you will send out to companies so it should follow a certain layout.

You can also find samples of cover letters online to guide you and help you write an impressive cover letter.

How To Write A Cover Letter In Spain?

There are some generic guidelines that you should follow to make your cover letter look professional:

  • Make sure the letter is no longer than a page (and this is considering that you leave the standard margins on the document). The margins are not set in stone; you can use any layout you prefer as long as it looks professional and does not distract from the content of the letter.
  • Leave space between paragraphs to make it look neater.
  • Do not use abbreviations, and maintain a formal tone throughout the letter. But don’t do it to the extent that you end up sounding like a robot. Keep a careful balance between a professional yet open tone.
  • If you can, try and find the name of the person you should address the letter to. This will give a personalized touch to your letter and might help you get noticed.

The format also includes several items that you must include. Try not to experiment too much with the format of the letter, but feel free to be as creative as you like with your content and achievements.

Subject Line

You should put this down in bold letters at the very beginning, below the address. It will clearly communicate the intent of the letter and the position you are applying for.

Salutation

Address the letter to the right person within the organization. You can even call up the company to find out the relevant person’s name (this will have the added benefit that you will be noticed for your ability to take initiative). And just to be safe, use last names instead of referring to people by their first names. If you absolutely cannot find the name, you can just address it to the HR or hiring department. A few formal and respectful greetings in Spanish are:

  • Appreciado Senor/Apreciada Senora/Senores
  • Estimado Senor/Estimada Senora
  • Distinguido Senor/Distinguida Senora

Content Of The Letter

In the beginning of your letter, you should try engaging the hiring manager (or whoever is responsible for hiring for the relevant post). Instead of a generic sentence, write something that will instantly grab their attention and make them want to read your cover letter. But it is a smart idea to steer clear of humor since this can more often than not fall flat and end up sounding out of place. Next, clearly let them know why you are writing and how you found out about the job (this can be either from social media, your university’s career center or a newspaper advertisement). You should also mention the job title since at any one time, an employer might be advertising multiple positions. If you are familiar with the company, you can also mention here what you appreciate about their work.

Spanish Cover Letter Guide 1

Next, you should state why you are interested in the job, and the qualities you have which will make you an ideal fit to work for the post advertised. Be specific about the requirements mentioned in the ad that you fulfill. This will help the employer when shortlisting applications. Don’t be hesitant or insecure in your language. Rather, convey your confidence through your words. For instance instead of saying “I think I will be able to contribute”, you should say something along the lines of “I am confident I will be able to contribute to …” You can also highlight your transferrable skills here and focus on your growth and progress in the future.

You should also explain why you are interested in the company and job specifically, and how you can add value by working there. And here you can also refer to examples from your private life if they are relevant instead of focusing entirely on your professional experience. This can help them get a glimpse into your personality and also portray how you use your skills beyond the workplace. While doing all this, your content should also reflect that you have taken the time to study the company and its culture, and are genuinely interested in working here.

Close The Letter

Towards the end, you can mention your willingness and availability for an interview to answer any further questions or to take the process further, and also let them know that you are looking forward to their response. Describe your future goals and how you feel working at the company will help you achieve them. At the same time don’t forget to mention the value you will be adding to the company. It is also a good idea to follow up within the next few weeks about your application.

Finally, sign off with your name and contact details so the hiring manager knows how to reach out to you. If you have included your contact details at the top of the letter, no need to do it again here. A few formal ways to close your letter can include:

  • Atentamente
  • Atentamente le Saluda
  • Cordiales saludos
  • Muy atentamente
Spanish Cover Letter Guide 2

Further Cover Letter And Job Applications Tips

Tip No. 1

Personalize the cover letter for each place you apply to. A good cover letter should never be standardized and sent to all places. However, you should aim to tailor the details on it according to the place you are applying to and the requirements they are looking for you to fulfill. This could be crucial in helping your application get noticed.

Tip No. 2

Do not exaggerate your accomplishments. You should be clear and concise about your achievements and your professional experience, and should not praise yourself too much and lose focus of the letter. After all, your aim is not to sound boastful but to prove that you are the most fitting candidate for the job by marketing yourself and your achievements.

Tip No. 3

Make sure you submit your cover letter in a common word processing software so that every recruiter is easily able to open it. Nowadays, the norm is to send in a PDF file since this will guarantee that not only will everyone be able to open it but also that the formatting will not be altered.

Spanish Cover Letter Guide 3

Tip No. 4

It will help if you write the cover letter in Spanish for a job in Spain. If Spanish is not your first language, have someone who is a native speaker proofread it for grammar and spelling errors. Writing in the native language will signal your commitment to an employer and should be a distinctive feature in your application. It will let them know that you are willing to make an effort to learn their native language.

However, if you are applying to a company that primarily does business in English, and your Spanish is only beginner level, you can submit a letter written in English too. After all, a well written letter in English will trump a poorly written letter in Spanish riddled with errors any day.

Tip No. 5

Use keywords written in the job advertisement. A lot of employers now are using software that scans for certain words to evaluate how close each application is to the required skills for the job. so it will pay off to include such important words to make sure you are not dropped out in this initial screening phase.

Conclusion

A well written cover letter can really boost your application. As long as you are concise and clear in highlighting your abilities, the employer can get a clear glimpse at your personality and achievements. Make sure you adapt your letter depending on the place you are applying to, in order to add a personalized touch to it. After all, the culture at different organizations can vary a great deal; what works at one place will not necessarily work at the other.