" I have a Proficiency in English Language"

You mean you are proficient in English...

" I have a Proficiency in English Language"

You mean you are proficient in English...

No, it's an actual degree I got from university of michigan Greeks know what I'm talking about.

[quote name='szecs' timestamp='1314882680' post='4856273']
" I have a Proficiency in English Language"

You mean you are proficient in English...

No, it's an actual degree I got from university of michigan Greeks know what I'm talking about.
[/quote]

ahaa
Then shouldn't it be "I have a Proficiency degree in English Language"?
(not sure about the 'a' article, I'm not proficient in English.....)

[quote name='mikeman' timestamp='1314882880' post='4856274']
[quote name='szecs' timestamp='1314882680' post='4856273']
" I have a Proficiency in English Language"

You mean you are proficient in English...

No, it's an actual degree I got from university of michigan Greeks know what I'm talking about.
[/quote]

ahaa
Then shouldn't it be "I have a Proficiency degree in English Language"?
(not sure about the 'a' article, I'm not proficient in English.....)
[/quote]

...and there should be a 'the' before 'English Language' (or you could just say "I have a Proficiency degree in English")

Just to keep you guys up to date, this is the cover letter now:

Dear Sirs,

Hello. Myname is Michael Mitsopoulos and I’m writing to you because I am reallyinterested in working in your company, Aventurine SA, and more specifically inthe first Greek MMORPG game, DarkFall Online.

A littleabout myself. I am 29 years old, and a graduate of the TechnologicalInstitute(TEI) of Athensin Informatics. I am familiar with a dozen of languages, have studied nowprogramming and CS in general formally, I am familiar with advanced programmingtechniques, multithreading, design patterns, SOLID principles and I have workedprofessionally as a programmer mainly in database programming. Still, mypassion is in programming for games. I see working in your company as aterrific chance of combining my passion and my job at the same time.

I have beenfollowing Darkfall since its birth, and it’s very interesting to see how it hasgrown to its current status. I especially liked from the start the fact that,unlike most MMORPGs today, the battles are not click-and-wait, but real-timeFPS-like battles, and I’m impressed on how the engineers pulled this offconsidering it’s an massive online game, with the issues of latency and lag weall know exist in these games.

I think Iwill be a valuable asset to your company and to Darkfall development team,because, first of all, I consider myself to be fairly experienced inprogramming and game/graphics programming in general, but most of all because Iam a good communicator, a team player, and I’m always eager to learn new thingsand techniques(when I’m working on the computer and not trying to create my owngame, you’ll most probably find me scanning the net for interesting newmethods, especially pertaining to graphics and gameplay organization). Inshort, I have a passion for game developing, and I would love being part of theDarkfall team, having a chance to work alongside talented developers which I’msure have many things to teach me about the trade.

About thepositions I would prefer, as I said I am very interested in graphics, so aposition in the rendering technology department would make me most happy.Alternatively, I am interested in tools development too, as it is kind of aspecial category where the software you write is used to organize and optimizethe work of the team itself, which means there will be communication and somesort of managerial challenges which I find fascinating.

About therest of my credentials, I have a Proficiency in English Language, and I havecompleted my army duties normally.

I’m alsoenclosing my portfolio with some links to some of my projects.

Thank youfor reading this letter and I hope I’ll hear from your company.

WithRegards,

Michael Mitsopoulos

[/quote]

I think it's a little bit verbose. Bare in mind that the further stuff gets from the top of the cover letter, the less likely it is to actually be read. I'd put your position preference at the top. This generally helps with them sorting your application so it gets to the right person. Don't make it difficult for them to do that.

To give you an idea on how you might want to rewrite all of your paragraphs just to make them less verbose/easier to read I'll rewrite this one:

"About thepositions I would prefer, as I said I am very interested in graphics, so aposition in the rendering technology department would make me most happy.Alternatively, I am interested in tools development too, as it is kind of aspecial category where the software you write is used to organize and optimizethe work of the team itself, which means there will be communication and somesort of managerial challenges which I find fascinating."

"I am interested in a position in either your rendering technology department or tools development as I have a real passion for graphics development as well as a drive to improve the workflow and productivity of the company as a whole."

Says pretty much the same thing but is about half the length. I wouldn't copy and paste that as you'd want to rewrite it so it sounds like you, but you get the idea. That's the biggest gripe I'd find with your cover letter. The content is good, it's just long.

Keep in mind that the people that are going to be reading this are probably going to be looking at 10s/100s of these. You don't want them diving into your resume/portfolio feeling like they don't want to read anymore.

What you posted has a lot of grammatical mistakes, I'm not sure if you've proofread it yet but fix that stuff first.

You've still provided no hard reasons as to why someone should hire you outside of your desire. You mention you know programming languages but you don't talk about any specific accomplishments. You don't display any technical knowledge of any subject. You need to demonstrate competency in the area that you want to work. The fluff about being impressed by the company is not helpful as I read your cover letter.

When I read cover letters and resumes I skip over any unsupported claims. For example, if someone tells me they are a hard worker, a team player, etc. If you are a good communicator, your cover letter will show me when I read it. If you are a team player or a hard worker, don't tell me, prove it by mentioning some things you have done. Which is more interesting for an HR person or the hiring manager:

"I'm a hard worker, I work well with others, I'm a great communicator."

or

"In my last job, I initiated a multi-department project to improve productivity by 8%"


"I know 14 languages and like to learn new things"

or

"I am proficient in C# and developed my first game at 16. 1 Year later I learned C++ and used it to develop my third game. I have supplied the demos and source code so you can observe how much I learned in that year."

I'm just an IT guy, I don't work in the game industry but IMHO...

I don't find the length a problem but it does seem a bit disorganized. I would keep all of the details of the position that I'm applying for (and what you'd prefer) in the beginning. So like:

Hello. Myname is Michael Mitsopoulos and I’m writing to you because I am reallyinterested in working in your company, Aventurine SA, and more specifically inthe first Greek MMORPG game, DarkFall Online. I am very interested in graphics, so a position in the rendering technology department would make me most happy. Alternatively, I am interested in tools development too, as it is kind of aspecial category where the software you write is used to organize and optimizethe work of the team itself, which means there will be communication and somesort of managerial challenges which I find fascinating.[/quote]

Also, you're not really saying much about the company other than that you've followed the development of the one title. Personally I never understood why this is something companies look for but they've specifically asked you to show knowledge about "its products and in particular and how they work". I don't really know what would be best to add but it's something to consider.

About therest of my credentials, I have a Proficiency in English Language, and I havecompleted my army duties normally.[/quote]

I would suggest to leave out that line unless you're sure it's a significant asset to include. And if that's the case then it should probably be included in the paragraph where you're discussing why you would be a good fit for their company and not tacked on at the end. If it doesn't make sense in that paragraph then it's probably not needed at all in the cover letter and should be enough to indicate it in your resume.

You've still provided no hard reasons as to why someone should hire you outside of your desire. You mention you know programming languages but you don't talk about any specific accomplishments. You don't display any technical knowledge of any subject. You need to demonstrate competency in the area that you want to work.

I'm not aware of what the standard is for providing links to portfolio work in a job application is. Whatever it is that you attach or link to, make sure that it show your talents for the position(s) that you're applying for. Indicate that a particular project was a focus on a particular language or technology. A video might be nice but does it give a way to form an opinion on what you contributed? You could have a really cool looking race game in which you wrote the AI for but how is that shown in the video?

The job of your resume is to get you an interview. Once you're in an interview, it's your job to sell yourself as a great employee and get hired.

The job of your cover letter is to get someone to pay enough attention to your resume that it doesn't wind up in the trash 9 seconds after it's picked up. I would never make it through that cover letter before I gave up and moved on to the next. Here's a potential replacement:

[color=#1C2837][size=2]Dear sirs,

[size=2]I am Michael Mitsopoulos, and I would like to join your company, XXX, and work on the first Greek MMORPG game, XXX.

[size=2]I am familiar with advanced programming techniques, multithreading, design patterns, and SOLID principles. I have worked professionally as a programmer mainly in database programming, but my passion is in games. I would love to put my passion to work at your company.

[size=2]I am particularly interested in graphics, so I'm seeking a position in the rendering technology department. I am interested in tools development too, and would enjoy working on that broader software project.

[font="'Times New Roman"][size=2][/font][size=2]Here are some videos of some of my projects:

[size=2]i) Ruturistic 3D racer
[size=2][size=2]Gameplay video:[size=2][color=#0000FF]

[size=2][size=2]Editor: [size=2][color=#0000FF]

[size=2]ii) 3D isometric action game
[size=2][color=#0000FF]

[size=2]iii) A small 3D fighting game featuring Gods of several mythologies.
[size=2][color=#0000FF]

[size=2]Thank you for reading this letter, and I hope I’ll hear from you.

[size=2]With Regards,



[size=2]Michael Mitsopoulos
[size=2][size=2]

BeanDog, that is near perfect.

Quick intro, list your skills, list the job you are interested in, and then show examples of your work.

Your work should speak for itself.

I would never make it through that cover letter before I gave up and moved on to the next. Here's a potential replacement:

+1

I had a tl;dr; response to the original as well.


The demos stand well on their own to show you are worth at least a second look, so the sooner they get to them the better.