Cover Letters and Studio Research
Our class this week was about cover letters, which is another personal letter that is sent alongside your cv. Although I’ve made cvs before, I have never had to write a cover letter before and so this class was very helpful to me.
Similar to a cv, a cover letter should provide employers some more details about yourself, however a cover letter is even more specific as it is tailored to the role that you are applying for. When writing a cover letter you should talk about experiences that you have that are similar to the position that you are applying for and tell employers why you are most suited for that role.
A good cover letter will have three sections. The first section should state the role that you are applying for and why you are applying for it. It’s also good to mention if you have a contact within the studio or to say that you have been following the studio’s work and express your excitement about their work.
The second section will then outline your own experiences that will showcase why you are ideal for the role and show what you can offer the company. It’s very important that when you are applying for a role, you are tailoring your cover letter to that specific role that you are applying for. You should talk about achievements and experiences that are similar to the role that you are applying for, to show employers that you have skills that are relevant to the role.
In the final section you should thank the employer for taking the time to consider you and that you look forward for their response.
When sending cover letters and cvs, the way you address an employer in an email is also very important. Before applying for the position, research the studio on the studio’s website or job sites liked LinkedIn. By doing research you should be able to find the name of the employer. It is much better to address the employer directly instead of using ‘Dear Sir or Madam’. You should also give the subject of the email instead of leaving the subject blank, otherwise you email may be ignored.
Finally, it is essential that you proofread your email for mistakes before sending it to employers. Mistakes in an email will make you appear unprofessional and if employers think that you didn’t care enough to make a professional email, they’ll believe that you’re not going to produce professional work for their projects.
To summarise, when writing a cover letter it is important to outline why you are the best fit for that position. You should talk about relevant experiences and qualifications that will tell employers why you fit the criteria for the role that they are offering. You should also sound excited about the opportunity to work for them. You should research their past projects and talk about how they have inspired or influences some of your own projects. Employers will want to hire someone that is genuinely passionate about the industry, not just someone who is trying to get the role just for the sake of getting a job.
Before starting my own cover letter, I had to pick a studio to apply to. I decided to check out the website Animation Ireland, as this is a helpful site for finding local studios in Ireland. After looking through their list of studios, I decided to research Studio Meala as I am a fan of their work and follow them online.
Studio Meala is an animation studio based in Boyle and produces 2D animations. They have different services such as animation development, animation production and animation financing. Studio Meala is interested in working on feature films, short films and tv shows, and they have worked in different collaborations such as making an animated music video for ‘Suburn’ by The Living Tombstone. They are active on different social medias such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Youtube. They also have their own website where they post their projects, their blog and even have a jobs page to let people know when they have job positions available.
After picking a studio, I then started to work on my own cover letter. I decided to apply for a role as a character animator and made sure to to include all my previous experiences in character animation. I also talk about some of the studio’s projects that I have enjoyed, to show that I genuinely am interested in the studio and would like to work for them.
While doing my research, I found out Stephan Fagan is the managing director for Studio Meala and so I have addressed my cover letter to him. In the cover letter I brought up projects that I had previously worked on and how they allowed me to develop my skills as a character animator. I also mentioned one of Studio Meala’s projects and what I liked about them. I also addressed what software that I am experienced and mentioned that I am always eager to learn more. I then finished the letter telling them why I would be a good candidate and thanked them for their time.
I think this is a good start for my cover letter, considering that I’ve never had to write one before. I will show my progress to a tutor soon so that I can get some feedback on how to improve my letter.