Sample cover letter for Full Time position at Nationalities Service Center

April 7, 2016

Dear Hiring Director,

I am very interested in applying for the position of Translation and Interpretation Manager listed on Idealist.com because I want to make Philadelphia (as well as the whole country) a more welcoming place for refugees, immigrants, and their families. I have experience volunteering for refugee and human rights organizations, including managing projects, organizing, translation, social services, and educational assistance. In addition, my Arabic language skills and experience working with relevant student and community groups are valuable assets I could apply to this position.

Through my work with campus groups like Jewish Voice for Peace and Students for Justice in Palestine, I have organized and planned educational and interactive events on subjects ranging from freedom of speech to Islamophobia. I have experience managing student group budgets, as well as coordinating the efforts of multiple organizations to plan and fund events. I also volunteer with the Wesleyan Refugee Project (WRP), helping Iraqis and Afghans who worked with the US military or contracted organizations to locate their former supervisors to vouch for them in their refugee resettlement applications. Working with WRP has enabled me to view the inner workings of a refugee resettlement organization, specifically Integrated Refugee and Immigrant Services (IRIS), where I have volunteered weekly to assist new Americans with various social service forms. 

Working as an organizing fellow for Jewish Voice for Peace this past summer provided me with valuable experience managing multiple projects under strict deadlines in a fast-paced small office. For school and various internships, I have mastered Microsoft Office and can create well-organized Excel spreadsheets and sleek PowerPoint and Prezi presentations. I have excelled in Arabic courses at Wesleyan and have fine-tuned and tested my language skills during time spent living in Israel and Morocco. While working for an Israeli human rights organization, I gained experience translating articles (from Hebrew to English and vice versa) for the organization’s website, as well as tutoring Palestinian children in English. My language skills have also been useful in my work with WRP, whether in transcribing documents written in Arabic sent to us by prospective immigrants or in communicating with IRIS clients to assist them with paperwork. I also co-produce and co-write for a public affairs radio show where I interview journalists, activists, and academics from around the world. Working with the 8-person team of writers and DJs to balance work and create scripts has improved my abilities at working collaboratively.

I am an excellent candidate for this position because I have experience working with resettlement agencies, human rights NGOs, and relevant student groups. I have strong language skills that I have put to use in both academic and professional contexts, and know a great deal about the background and politics of refugee and immigration issues from classes such as Arab Spring and Aftermath and Comparative Asian and Latina/o Immigrant Experience. I understand the responsibility of handling sensitive information and identify with the NSC’s commitment to serving underrepresented people. I would very much appreciate the opportunity to discuss this position and how my skills and experience could be an asset to the NSC. I can be reached by email or phone. Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,