What does "lettre de motivation" mean?

I've come across this phrase and I'm baffled. I can see it's in French and I can see what it means literally - letter of motivation - but what does it mean as a phrase used in English? Does anyone know? I've tried looking it up in Google but all I come up with are pages in French.

Don't quote me on this, but as far as I can remember, it is basically like a covering letter (like you'd send with a CV)! I will have another check, incase I am wrong!

What is the context of the phrase?

Does it have to do with recruitment or job hunting?

Yeah I think Sarah is right. It's a cover letter that you would include with a resume/CV stating your objectives, goals, and why you would be a good choice for the job. It's sometimes called a "goal statement" here in the U.S.

Well, my French has always been rusty, but if I am not mistaken its either letter of motivation or word of motivation. It might be used as part of a job interview as Robin described it here. Although it isn't exactly part of my English vocabulary as a phrase.

Originally Posted by KittyKook

Yeah I think Sarah is right. It's a cover letter that you would include with a resume/CV stating your objectives, goals, and why you would be a good choice for the job. It's sometimes called a "goal statement" here in the U.S.

Click to expand...

Yes, that's exactly what it is -- a cover letter for a resumÃ[emoji]169[/emoji] or CV