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Professional Innovation Specialist Cover Letter Example for 2023

Read for inspiration or use it as a base to improve your own Innovation Specialist cover letter. Just replace personal information, company application data and achievements with your own.

Melba Mcmahon
System Change Specialist
(558) 333-1333
example_name@gmail.com
London, England / Calgary, Canada
SUBJECT: APPLICATION TO SENIOR SPECIALIST, INNOVATION , EXTERNAL ENGAGEMENT AT CMHC
I have over a decade of experience creating positive change in the international development sector. I accomplished this through a focus on research, innovation, and inspiring others to not see what their ecosystem is, but what it could be.  I strive in all my work to understand the incentives, barriers and levers for change rather than relying on assumptions or conventional wisdom.  I can see no better place to use these skills than CMHC where I would contribute to rethinking affordable and adequate housing to directly improve the lives of Canadians. I would like to work at CMHC because it has everything I'm looking for in an employer: a big hairy audacious goal, a leadership committed to innovation, and trust in its workforce to get results.

On my first day at the Start Network, our CEO said to me "Welcome aboard. Prepare to unlearn". From that day on, my role was to motivate a diverse set of actors from around the globe to disrupt humanitarian action for the better. To do this, I used the innovation cycle to design, scale and iterate solutions to the sectors most complex challenges. Starting with research and analysis to identify the exact problems we were seeking to solve, and facilitating ideation sessions and design sprints, we implemented big and small agile projects to reach our goals. Using this approach, I successfully increased the effectiveness of one of the fastest humanitarian funds in the world to release funding in less than 72 hours, developed new systems to bring on more community based organisations, and made governance and decision making more consistent across the Network.

One problem the Network wanted to address is the fact that community based organisations only access 3% of global humanitarian financing.  A large focus in the sector was on building the capacity of organisations, however, after a research and design phase with users in 2017, I proposed to focus on the heavy compliance culture of the humanitarian sector. As a result, I led the prototyping of a new way of conducting due diligence for the sector, bringing in a technology partner (TechSoup). This lead to donor governments changing their compliance requirements for community based organisations, allowing us to provide 30% more community based organisations with access to the Network's funding. 

I am a trained partnership broker and currently act as a coach to 40+ staff on how to create diverse collaborations for problem solving. In my current role, I developed the Network’s engagement strategy to improve global membership participation, including a guide to user centred design with members. This involved setting milestones, engagement indicators, collaboration principles, tactics and tools to leverage our non-profit network and partners globally. In 2017, I used this method to lead a global process for network members to define shared purpose for the Network and co-design its long term strategy based on current and future humanitarian trends. I was able to engage a diverse audience in 27 countries to contribute to the process. The 5-10 year strategy was then ratified by all 42 member organisations, paving the way for a vision to create a better humanitarian system. Since this time, I was promoted to lead a department to enact a similar process to develop humanitarian hubs to create longer term system change. 

I believe these experiences and skills would make me an effective leader of innovation processes within CHMC. I am certain to be an asset in helping solve Canada's housing problems. 

Please note that although I am currently in the UK, I am planning on moving to Calgary in the summer of 2020. I am also keen to improve my French to excel in the role through training. 

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to email or call. I look forward to learning more about how I can contribute to CHMC's goals. 

Best regards, 

Melba Mcmahon 

So are cover letters necessary for Innovation Specialist jobs?

Well, the cover letter is your chance to tell a personal story to the hiring manager. It can help you prove you’re a real professional who knows what they bring to the table.

It’s also your opportunity to get into more detail about your personal qualities and success stories. But most importantly – it’s the first place to show your motivation.

So yes, having a cover letter is essential.

But what should yours look like? Let’s see…

How to write the perfect innovation specialist cover letter

By now you’ve probably learned that a well-written cover letter will complement your resume and increase your chances of getting the job.

It will also introduce the recruiter to your strengths and your capacity to handle challenges.

In short - it will make them want to learn more about you!

Check out our guide on what your cover letter should include for some additional inspiration.

Now it’s time to move on to what you actually came for – our professional tips and examples that will help you write a memorable cover letter and land an interview.

Use an appropriate salutation and write a powerful introduction

We advise you to address the cover letter directly to the person responsible for the recruitment process. If you don’t know their name, take some time to research it.

This will show that you’re attentive to detail and are willing to go the extra mile when necessary.

Here's a list of salutations you can never go wrong with. Note that some of them can be used even if you don’t know who the hiring manager is.

  • Dear Mr. James
  • Dear Human Resources Manager
  • To the [team you're applying for] Department
  • Dear [company name] Recruiter

The introduction is your chance of getting the reader’s attention and giving them a reason to see you as a good fit.

So make sure you highlight your excitement about the company or the industry (or even both!) and the reasons why you’d like to grow in the field.

Avoid using clichés like “I found your job posting on website X and decided to apply”.

Combine your soft and hard skills for an unbeatable match!

The resume is the place to list all your hard skills. The Innovation Specialist cover letter, on the other hand, is the ideal place to emphasize your soft skills and link them to your achievements.

Think about times when your skills have helped you achieve certain goals that seemed too difficult. And don’t worry about admitting some of your weak sides – this is a great way to show recruiters your potential and ability to grow, both professionally and personally.

Looking at the specific job posting requirements could also give you insight on what skills should be included in your resume by all means. This will help you pass applicant tracking systems (ATS) that screen cover letters for keywords before passing them on to recruiters.

Show that you know the company and its problems well

Showing that you’ve researched the company and are familiar with it is a good way to prove your work-readiness.

It will also point the recruiter to the fact that your skills and qualifications will have a long-term impact on the company. Just link some of your strengths to the ways in which current or potential issues can be resolved.

End on a positive note."

Ending your Innovation Specialist cover letter in a suitable way can help you land an interview. Why? Because strong endings portray applicants as considerate and, what’s even more important – passionate about the job.

Just make sure that your ending (just like your cover letter’s body) matches the company culture. If you prefer to be on the safe side, go for traditional closing lines such as “Looking forward to hearing from you”.

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Matching your cover letter with an equally good resume will without a doubt put you in front of other applicants.

Check out our Innovation Specialist resume writing tips or talk to an expert for some valuable tips and guidance.

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