How to Write a CV and the Letter of Motivation - Writing a Motivation Letter and a Narrative CV

Sep 13, 2026

Guidance for creating a strong job-application narrative: craft a motivation essay that shows fit, links relevant experiences to personal direction, and explains how passions and academic interests developed. Emphasize the program as the logical next step by describing meaningful program aspects and avoiding excessive praise of the institution. Develop a narrative CV that interprets key experiences without repeating application details, using anecdotes and selective personal background. Include practical writing tips: keep sentences efficient, use specific active language, and proofread thoroughly to prevent careless errors.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResumes

FormatPDF

Pages2

Reading Time1 min

AccessFree to download

Writing a letter of motivation

Structuring the motivation essay

Demonstrating fit and program relevance

Program-specific and institution-specific guidance

Writing a narrative curriculum vitae

Purpose and scope of a narrative CV

Interpreting experiences and selective personal details

Writing tips

Sentence effectiveness and language choices

Proofreading and error avoidance

Useful phrases and openings

Writing a letter of motivation: • Choose a focus for your essay that will illustrate why this opportunity will benefit you and what you can bring to the organization. It is often helpful to frame your essay around a particular experience that helped you to realize important truths about your direction in life. Consider starting with such an anecdote. • Remember that the people reading your application are looking for a good “fit” – they want to know what you will bring to the program, not just what it will offer you. You want your essay to entice them to learn more about you. • Use your essay to tell a story in which the next logical step is the program you are applying for (student teaching, studying abroad, etc.). • Don’t just state your passions. Instead, explain how they developed and why you want to pursue them further – and how this program or opportunity will allow you to do so. Similarly, demonstrate your academic interests with examples of work you have done. • Discuss unique aspects of the program that have particular meaning to you. For example, many universities offer students the chance to attend seminars on subjects outside their own college or department; how would you take advantage of this opportunity? You might also indicate interest in joining particular clubs that don’t exist in the same form in Germany. If you are applying to teach, remember that you will be able to interact with other teachers as well as students, so present yourself asa good colleague. • Avoid telling the admissions staff too much about their own institution. They already know how great they are. If you want to mention specific facilities that interest you, point out how they will be of particular use or interest for you rather than simply praising them. Writing a narrative curriculum vitae: • The purpose of the narrative CV is to explain how you came to point you are nowwhy you made the choices you made and how they influenced your decision to spend time abroad. Think of it as a personal or intellectual biography that gives a sense of who you are as an individual. • You do not need to repeat information that you have already listed somewhere else on the application. Instead, you need to interpret relevant experiences and show how they shaped you as a person (so instead of writing “I won an award for school council service in 2008”, write “My experiences as a school council member not only taught me a great deal about cooperation and negotiation but also made me realize how much I enjoy working as part of a team.” • Unless your parents’ occupations, the location of your birth, the elementary school you attended or the number of siblings you have are important for some other point you want to make, you can safely leave them out. 1 Anglistisches Seminar, Raum 225, Kettengasse 12, 69117 Heidelberg writing-center@uni-heidelberg.de [www.as.uni-heidelberg.de/studium/wc.php](www.as.uni-heidelberg.de/studium/wc.php) • Many, many CVs begin with “My name is…and I was born…” If you can think of another way to start, do so. • Don’t be afraid to include personal anecdotes. You want to make your CV unique. • Explain why you like your hobbies and what you have learned from them rather than simply listing them. • Don’t feel like you have to articulate a concrete career goal unless you are pursuing a teaching degree and applying for a teaching assistantship. Writing tips: • If you can make your point with fewer words, do it. • Make every sentence count! • Whenever possible, use a concrete word instead of a vague term; highlight a specific experience instead of a general lesson; and balance use of active and passive voice. • Proofread, proofread, proofread!!! A grammatical error is excusable for a non-nativespeaker, but a typo is sloppy and indicates carelessness. Potentially useful words and phrases: • My experience as …. convinced me that… • I discovered/realized that… • My responsibilities as …hav

FAQs

How should a motivation letter be structured to show the right focus?

Choose a clear focus that explains how the opportunity benefits you and what you can bring. Frame the essay around a relevant experience, then build a story where the program is the logical next step.

What does the admissions reader want to know besides what the program offers?

They want to understand your “fit” for the program—what you will bring to it. The essay should entice them to learn more about you through specific examples.

What is the key purpose of a narrative CV, and how is it different from repeating application details?

The narrative CV explains how you became who you are now and how choices influenced a decision to spend time abroad. Instead of repeating listed information, interpret relevant experiences to show how they shaped you.

Sep 13, 2026

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