Applying for the Job: the CV, the Motivation Letter and Commonly Confused Words – Myself and My Ambitions (Senior 6 English) | Ganzaa

Myself and My Ambitions

Lessons

Senior 6 · English

Myself and My Ambitions

4 lessons

Lesson 4 of 4

Applying for the Job: the CV, the Motivation Letter and Commonly Confused Words

25 min

Let's begin

An employer usually spends only a short time on a first reading of each application. In that time, your CV must show that you meet the requirements, and your motivation letter must show that you want this job, not just any job. Both must be free of the small spelling mistakes that make a careful reader stop trusting the writer. This lesson takes one real-looking advertisement and answers it.

The advertisement

UMUCYO COMMUNITY LIBRARY: HOLIDAY LIBRARY ASSISTANT (an imagined advertisement)

Six weeks, from late July to early September. We are looking for a reliable school leaver to help our visitors over the holiday season.

Duties: helping visitors find books and information; running a reading hour for children on Saturdays; keeping loan records; returning books to the shelves.

Requirements: S6 student or recent school leaver; good spoken and written English and Kinyarwanda; basic computer skills; patience with children; reliability.

To apply: send a CV and a motivation letter to Mrs A. Mukamana, Librarian, Umucyo Community Library, P.O. Box 55, Umucyo, or to jobs@umucyo-library.example.org, by 30 June 2027.

Definition

CV (curriculum vitae, "the course of life"): a short, structured summary of your education, experience and skills. In American English it is often called a résumé.
motivation letter (or cover letter): a formal letter sent with a CV, explaining why you want the job and why you are suitable.
referee: a person, such as a teacher or former employer, who agrees to describe your character and work to an employer.
personal profile: two or three sentences at the top of a CV that summarise who you are and what you offer.

A model CV

KEZA INGABIRE
Umucyo Sector · +250 7XX XXX XXX · keza.ingabire@example.com
Personal profile	A reliable, well-organised S6 student with two years' experience running my school library's lending desk and a weekly reading club for S1 students. Fluent in Kinyarwanda and English, with working French. I am looking for a holiday position in which I can help children and adults enjoy reading.
Education	2021 to 2027: Groupe Scolaire Umucyo, S1 to S6. A-level combination: History, Economics and Geography. National examinations: July 2027.
Experience	2025 to present: Library prefect, G.S. Umucyo. Designed a loan register that ended the loss of books; trained three volunteers to use it. 2024 to present: Reading club leader. Plan and run a weekly session for about twenty S1 students. August 2025: Volunteer, sector youth centre. Helped organise a debate competition for six schools.
Skills	Languages: Kinyarwanda (first language), English (fluent), French (working knowledge). Computer: word processing, basic spreadsheets, internet research. First aid: school first-aid club, 2025.
Achievements	Second place, district schools debate competition, 2025.
Interests	African novels; football (goalkeeper for the school team); community clean-ups.
Referees	Mr J. Habimana, Head Teacher, G.S. Umucyo, +250 7XX XXX XXX Ms C. Uwera, Class Teacher, G.S. Umucyo, +250 7XX XXX XXX

All names, places and contacts are imagined; X marks digits left out on purpose.

Matching the CV to the advertisement

A model motivation letter

Umucyo Sector
P.O. Box 214, Umucyo

12 June 2027

Mrs A. Mukamana
Librarian
Umucyo Community Library
P.O. Box 55, Umucyo

Dear Mrs Mukamana,

Application for the post of Holiday Library Assistant

I am writing to apply for the post of Holiday Library Assistant advertised on the notice board of the sector office. I will complete S6 at Groupe Scolaire Umucyo next month and will be available for the whole six weeks.

I believe I meet each of your requirements. For the past two years I have been my school's library prefect, responsible for the lending desk; during that time I designed a loan register that has ended the loss of books, and trained three volunteers to use it. I also run a weekly reading club for about twenty S1 students, which has taught me that patience, and a good story, can hold the attention of even the most restless child. I speak Kinyarwanda and English fluently and am comfortable with word processing and basic spreadsheets.

Your library matters to me personally: it is where I first borrowed a novel, at the age of eleven. I would particularly welcome the chance to run the Saturday reading hour, and I have some ideas for making it a regular event that children look forward to.

I enclose my CV. Should you require any further information, I would be happy to provide it, and I would welcome the opportunity to discuss my application with you at an interview.

Yours sincerely,

K. Ingabire
Keza Ingabire

How the letter answers the advertisement

Para.	Job	Language to notice
1	The post, where it was advertised, availability	I am writing to apply for the post of …
2	Evidence for each requirement, in the advert's order	Present perfect for experience up to now (I have been); precise figures (three volunteers, twenty students)
3	Why this job, and what the applicant would bring	A personal reason, then an offer (I have some ideas for …)
4	Enclosure, offer of information, request for an interview	Formal inversion: Should you require any further information …

Worked example

Tailoring a CV line to the advertisement. Keza's first draft read: "Responsible for many tasks at school."

Find the matching requirement. The advert asks for someone who can keep loan records.
Replace the vague phrase with a role, an action verb and a result. Role: library prefect. Action: designed, trained. Result: no more lost books.

Result: "Library prefect: designed a loan register that ended the loss of books; trained three volunteers to use it."

Sounds and spelling: commonly confused words

Many of these pairs sound the same or almost the same. A spell-checker will not catch them, because both spellings are real words.

Pair	Meaning and example
career / carrier	a working life (a career in nursing) / something or someone that carries (a luggage carrier)
affect / effect	verb: to influence (Stress affects sleep.) / noun: a result (the effects of stress)
principal / principle	main, or the head of a school / a basic rule or belief (a matter of principle)
personal / personnel	private, belonging to one person (personal details) / the staff of an organisation
stationary / stationery	not moving / paper, pens and envelopes
complement / compliment	something that completes or goes well with / an expression of praise
practice / practise	British English: noun (football practice) / verb (practise every day)
accept / except	to agree to take / not including
lose / loose	to fail to keep (/luːz/) / not tight (/luːs/)
quite / quiet	fairly (/kwaɪt/) / making little noise (/ˈkwaɪət/)

Tip

Two memory hooks. Stationery is for envelopes; stationary is for cars that are not moving. And affect is an action (a verb), while effect is an end result (a noun).

Warning

Use a sensible email address on a CV: your name, not a nickname.
Don't include information an employer does not need, such as your religion, weight or your parents' jobs.
Don't copy a model CV or letter: an employer who reads twenty identical letters remembers none of them.
Always ask your referees for permission before you give their names.

3 Tips on How to Write a CV Personal Statement, from CV Genius (about 4 minutes). Compare the tips with Keza's personal profile: which tip does her profile follow, and how could it be improved?

✦

Practice

Choose the correct word: (a) The bus was (stationary / stationery) at the lights. (b) Lack of sleep can (affect / effect) your marks. (c) She wants a (career / carrier) in banking. (d) The head teacher is the school's (principal / principle).
Correct the four mistakes: "I am quiet sure that my personnel qualities will compliment your team, and I will practice hard to learn the job."
Rewrite these CV lines with a role, an action verb and a result: (a) "Did things for the environment club." (b) "Helped at church."
Write a personal profile of two or three sentences for yourself, aimed at the library advertisement.
Rewrite the opening of this letter formally: "Hi! I saw your job thing on Facebook and I really want it."
Writing task. Choose ONE advertisement: (a) the library post above; (b) a holiday customer care assistant at a mobile phone shop (requirements: good communication, honesty, basic maths, English and Kinyarwanda). Write (i) your own CV and (ii) a motivation letter of 200 to 250 words. Use the checklist.

Checklist for a CV and motivation letter	✓
CV: name and contacts at the top; a two- or three-sentence personal profile
CV: every requirement in the advert is matched by evidence (role, action, result)
CV: most recent education and experience first; consistent layout
CV: referees who have agreed to be named
Letter: formal layout, subject line, and Dear Mrs … with Yours sincerely
Letter: why this job, and why you, with evidence
Letter: a polite close that asks for an interview
Both: no confused words (career, affect, stationery, principal …) and no contractions

Show answersHide answers

(a) stationary (b) affect (c) career (d) principal
"I am quite sure that my personal qualities will complement your team, and I will practise hard to learn the job."
Models: (a) "Environment club secretary: organised a tree-planting day in which forty students planted trees on the school grounds." (b) "Youth choir member: helped plan a charity concert that raised funds for school fees."
Open answer. Check that it names your strengths with evidence and mentions the job.
Model: "Dear Sir or Madam, I am writing to apply for the post of … advertised on your Facebook page."
Open task. Mark it against the checklist.

1The advertisement

2A model CV

3Matching the CV to the advertisement

4A model motivation letter

5How the letter answers the advertisement