Difference Between: Cover Letter And Statement Of Purpose.

A Cover Letter serves the same purpose as if you were there to introduce yourself in person. Consider it is your first sales pitch. And in this case, you are selling yourself. More often than not, consciously or sub-consciously, the person viewing you mail would have already made an opinion about you, even before they look through your resume. It identifies your interest in the opportunity that you are seeking, whether it is a job or selection as a candidate for enrollment into an educational institution. A well written cover letter will intrigue the reader, portray your interest and knowledge about the company or institution, and prompt them to review the rest of your information. Similarly a shabbily written cover letter would just put a negative impression on their mind. Remember, a firm might be getting approximately 10-20 internship applications on a daily bases before vacations start. Even before they open your resume, your cover letter is what can give you the edge over other candidates. The best cover letters will be positive, upbeat, and professional. The biggest mistake any applicant can make, irrespective of whether you are applying for a job, an internship or a voluntary position, is to not have a cover letter.

[How To Write A Perfect Cover Letter: Coming Soon]

A Statement of Purpose, on the other hand, is a short essay, usually about 2500 words in length. This is your opportunity to express who you are, and is a way for the admissions committee/ HR Department to screen hundreds of applications in order to select a few of the sharpest, most promising candidates. Your ability to portray your value to the institution, and society is a must. A SOP consists of who you are, your strengths and weaknesses and why you feel that you are the one for the job/internship.
You should be able to write about yourself in an earnest, systematic, organized and thorough manner; while portraying more professional aspects of your personality. Express your creative nature, only if creativity is a requirement for the job.

Some things you may consider including as your write your Statement of Purpose:

Have you contributed to this field through volunteer work, or other areas of study that make you a better candidate for selection?
What attracts you to this specific institution? How did you hear about them? How much have you researched the career field and the institution?
What areas do you intend to focus on in your research as pertains to this field?

[How To Write A Perfect SOP: Coming Soon]

Important Tip:- Always be original while writing your Cover Letter and the SOP. You may thing that you are so good that you can copy from somewhere without anyone finding out, but remember that the people screening these have been playing this game longer then you have and know all the tricks.