Application Letter
If you are applying for an advertised position, have the
ad in front of you and refer to it frequently. Be sure to address all the job
requirements in the letter.
Match some of the keywords and skills from the
advertisement or company Website with the skills in your resume and letter.
Return Information
It is now permissible to only
include your name, E-mail address and cell phone number. It is acceptable
to eliminate your address due to privacy and safety issues. Be sure your
E-mail address is mature and professional. Ideally, it should contain
parts of your name for ease of use.
Inside/Letter Address
It is very important that you
address your letter carefully. After spending time making your letter perfect,
you do not want it to be directed to the wrong person or get lost in the mail.
If there is a contact name on the
ad, address your letter to that person. (Mr. John Smith)
If you are writing to a company for
a job, the chances are that unless you have contacts on the inside you will not
know the name of the person you need to use in the inside address. In this case
you can address your letter to the manager of the specific department (Sales
Manager, Personnel Manager, etc.) or use Ladies and Gentlemen.
You should also make sure that the
recipient's name, department and address details on the envelope are the same
as at the top of the letter.
Salutation
This is also known as the
greeting. The person’s name should be followed by a colon (:) or left
blank. Do not use a comma. (Commas are permissible for use in
personal letters; not business letters.)
Dear Mr.
Smith:
If you know the name of the person to whom you are writing.
Dear Ms. Chambers: If you are not sure of the marital status of a female recipient.
Ladies and Gentlemen: If you have no idea as to the name of the recipient.
Dear Ms. Chambers: If you are not sure of the marital status of a female recipient.
Ladies and Gentlemen: If you have no idea as to the name of the recipient.
Body
The body of the letter contains four
basic parts and should be three or four paragraphs long. These
paragraphs should attract the employer’s attention; state your interest
in the company and position; arouse the employer’s desire to
interview you; and request that the employer take action in the
form of an interview. (AIDA)
First Paragraph
Identify the purpose of the
letter—why you are writing.
Be specific. Tell the reader how you learned about a job opening.
Tell the employer what job you want.
Be specific. Tell the reader how you learned about a job opening.
Tell the employer what job you want.
Examples:
- In response to the advertised position in The Evening Sun on July12, please consider my résumé in your search for an office assistant.
- I was pleased to hear from Jeremy Green that you will soon have a vacancy for a Marketing Assistant. I am very interested in this position. With the skills that I possess, I know that I could be an asset to your company.
- I am writing to apply for the Photographic Assistant position as advertised in the November 1 edition of The Evening Sun.
Referrals and leads from friends and
family members (networking) are the best way to learn about a job. Most
employers enjoy getting referrals. They trust the recommendation of a
valued employee or friend who states that you would be a good employee.
Examples:
Mr. Peter Lo, a programmer in the
systems programming department, suggested that I contact you regarding an
opening you may soon have for a Marketing Trainee.
- I was referred to you by Mike Thomas, who is a member of my church and a longtime family friend.
- I am sending you my resume to you because of a referral from Mike Thomas, an associate in your Baltimore store.
Second Paragraph
Why should an employer be interested
in hiring you? Briefly describe your professional and academic qualifications
that are relevant to the position. Relate experiences that you have had,
classes you have taken or skills you possess that satisfy the job
requirements. If the job was advertised, refer to all of the required
skills mentioned.
Examples:
- As my resume indicates, I am active in theater in high school and had important roles in two plays. My school activities include being a member of both forensics and student government. With these experiences, I can offer you excellent communication and interpersonal skills. During the school year, I maintain a 3.0 average and work ten hours per week. My technical skills include familiarity with Windows, Microsoft Office applications and Google Docs. I use the Internet regularly and can keyboard more than 45 words per minute.
- As a computer science major with a sincere interest in................. (elaborate your educational background)
- Interacting with people has always been one of my strongest attributes. During my last summer job, I coordinated..........(state your work experience)
- For my senior graduation project, I built a personal computer .............. (state your ability)
Third Paragraph
Emphasize what you can do for the
company. Outline a relevant career goal. For example, if you are applying
for sales positions, do not say that you are training to be an airline pilot.
Expand on the most relevant points of your resume.
Example:
- Because I am energetic, reliable, and resourceful, I would be an asset to your organization. I am willing to learn new things and be the best employee that I can be.
Fourth Paragraph
Request action. For example,
indicate your desire for a personal interview and that you're able to meet with
the employer at their convenience. Include your cell phone number and when it
would be a good time to call.
Some advertisements ask you to
include salary requirements. You can choose to ignore this. You can
either wait until the interview to talk about money and mention a broad salary
range.
Examples:
- You can reach me on my cell phone any day after 4 p.m. E-mail is also a great way to contact me as I check it daily. I look forward to hearing from you soon. Thank you for your time and consideration.
- I hope that my qualifications are of interest to you and that an interview might be arranged at your convenience. I can be reached at (717) 876-5432 or a message can be left on my cell phone. I look forward to meeting you.
Closing the letter
Finish your letter with an appropriate
Complimentary Closing (Sincerely, or Sincerely yours,). Leave
enough room to sign the letter before keying your name. Do not forget to
sign it. Remember to include an enclosure notation at the bottom.
Inquiry
letter
The
letters that are written for collecting information about job seekers, prices,
products, and services before awarding jobs, granting credit, making contracts
and giving promotions are known as letters of inquiry. These letters are
written to a third party seeking information about either a job or a company
that wishes to make business relationship.
Quible
and others defined, “Letters of inquiry are a type of business message that
asks the recipient for information or assistance.”
Prospective
employers and business organizations usually write inquiry letters
for obtaining desired information. Prospective employers write this letter to
the referees mentioned in the job application to obtain information about the
applicant’s personal and family background, ability, skills, honesty,
character, integrity, quality of performance, fitness for job etc. on the other
hand, business enterprises write inquiry letters to third parties referred by
the customers to know about their business dealings, financial capabilities and
goodwill to determine whether to establish business relationships with those
enterprises.
Based
on purpose, there are two most common types of inquiry letters such as (1)
personal status inquiry letter and (2) business status inquiry letter.
- Personal status inquiry letter: The letters that are written by prospective employers for obtaining information about job applicants are called personal status inquiry letter. Employers write this letter to obtain information relating to the applicant’s personal and family background, ability, skills, honesty, character, integrity, quality of performance, fitness for job etc. generally this letter is written to the referees mentioned by the concerned applicant. In response to this letter, the referees write a reply letter to the employer. This response letter may be favorable, unfavorable or neutral to the applicant.
- Business status inquiry letter: When a business enterprise writes letter to another business enterprise for collecting information about a prospective customer, it is known as business status inquiry letter. This letter is usually written for collecting information about financial capability, goodwill, nature of business dealings, honesty etc. of a business enterprise to determine whether to establish business transactions with it. Responses of this letter may be either favorable or unfavorable.
When a prospective employer writes letter to a
referee for obtaining information about a job applicant, it is called personal
status inquiry letter. The following contents should be included in the
personal status inquiry letter:
- Name and address of the applicant: The enquirer must mention full name and address of the applicant in the letter. This helps the receiver to identify the right person.
- Cause of inquiry: In a personal status inquiry letter, the sender must clarify the cause of writing it. This enables the receiver to supply necessary and relevant information.
- Information needed: The employer must clarify the type of information he requires. The employer may ask for information relating to educational attainments, character, habits, honesty, sincerity and family background of the applicant.
- Promising to maintain secrecy of information supplied: An important aspect of inquiry letter is to assure the receiver that information provided by him will be kept secret.
- Assuring further cooperation: The writer of the letter should also assure the receiver that similar help would be provided to him in future if he needs.
- Expressing gratefulness: The sender should express gratitude or thanks to the receiver for cooperation. The writer can express gratefulness by some friendly comments like “Any cooperation will be highly appreciated” or “Thank you in advance for your response.”
- Enclosure: The sender should enclose a return envelope with the letter. If facilitates quick response from the receiver.
- Signature: At the end of the letter, sender should put his signature along with his full name and position.
Complaint Letters
A letter of complaint, or complaint
letter, is normally written to deal with a problem situation when other
attempts (i.e. phone contacts, e-mails, etc.) have failed to rectify the
situation. The complaint letter formalizes a problem situation by putting it
into writing and is usually the last resort to try to get a situation resolved.
EFFECTIVE COMPLAINT LETTERS SHOULD
BE:
- Concise - can be understood quickly.
- Authoritative - are well written and professionally presented
- Factual - enable the reader to see immediately the relevant details, dates, requirements
- Constructive - with positive statements, suggesting positive actions - encourage action and quicker decisions.
- Friendly - with a considerate, cooperative and complimentary tone because the reader responds positively to the writer and wants to help
Letters of complaint usually include
the following stages:
- Background
This section describes the situation; e.g. - I am writing to inform you that the goods we ordered from your company have not been supplied correctly.
- I attended your exhibition Sound Systems 2016 at the Fortune Hotel (22-25 January) and found it informative and interesting. Unfortunately, my enjoyment of the event was spoiled by a number of organisational problems.
- I am a shareholder of Sunshine Bank and I am very concerned regarding recent newspaper reports on the financial situation of the bank. Your company is listed as the auditor in the latest annual report of the bank, so I am writing to you to ask for an explanation of the following issues.
- I am writing to inform you of my dissatisfaction with the food and drinks at the 'European Restaurant' on 18 January this year.
- Problem
Cause: - On 1 January 2016 we placed an order with your firm for 12,000 ultra super long-life batteries. The consignment arrived yesterday but contained only 1,200 batteries.
- Firstly, I had difficulty in registering to attend the event. You set up an on-line registration facility, but I found the facility totally unworkable.
- You sent us an invoice for $10,532, but did not deduct our usual 10% discount.
- We have found 16 spelling errors and 2 mis-labelled diagrams in the sample book.
Effect:
- This error put our firm in a difficult position, as we had to make some emergency purchases to fulfil our commitments to all our customers. This caused us considerable inconvenience.
- Even after spending several wasted hours trying to register in this way, the computer would not accept my application.
- I am therefore returning the invoice to you for correction.
- This large number of errors is unacceptable to our customers, and we are therefore unable to sell these books.
- Solution
- I am writing to ask you to please make up the shortfall immediately and to ensure that such errors do not happen again.
- Could I please ask you to look into these matters.
- Please send us a corrected invoice for $9,479
- I enclose a copy of the book with the errors
highlighted. Please re-print the book and send it to us by next Friday.
- Warning (optional)
- Otherwise, we may have to look elsewhere for our supplies.
- I'm afraid that if these conditions are not met, we may be forced to take legal action.
- If the outstanding fees are not paid by Tuesday, 19
January 2016, you will incur a 10% late payment fee.
- Closing
- I look forward to receiving your explanation of these matters.
- I look forward to receiving your payment.
- I look forward to hearing from you shortly.
Politeness
The tone of complaint letters should not be aggressive or insulting, as this would annoy the reader and not encourage them to solve the problem. In addition, questions such as 'Why can't you get this right?' should not be included.
The tone of complaint letters should not be aggressive or insulting, as this would annoy the reader and not encourage them to solve the problem. In addition, questions such as 'Why can't you get this right?' should not be included.
Content
- The content should contain enough details so that the receiver does not have to write back requesting more.
- Legal action is not normally threatened in the first letter of complaint, unless the situation is very serious.
Order Letter
An “Order” is an expense for the
person placing the order and an income for the one getting it. But this is not
all. The company that bags the order has to fulfill lot of commitments to
ensure that it has a satisfied customer, which can be an individual or another
company. Timely delivery of the order, quality of delivery and after sale
service – are all part and parcel of getting an order.
An Order Letter is the one that is
written by the person/company placing the request of purchase from another
company. This letter comes into action only when a detailed study of the
desired product has been done in the market and based on promised service,
quality and price of the product, a decision for a purchase has been made.
An Order Letter should be drafted
very carefully as it needs to pen down all the terms and conditions of the
purchase for the benefit of both involved parties. It should have details such
as product specifications, quantities, price agreed upon, delivery date, late
delivery clauses, etc. It should be addressed to the person responsible for the
execution of the order with a copy to the head of department. Since it is
totally an official letter it should be typed.
DOS AND DON’T’S OF ORDER LETTER
- An Order Letter should be addressed to the person responsible for executing the order
- It should include all the terms and conditions agreed upon by both involved parties
- Since it is purely an official letter it should be typed out
- There is no need to use too many adjectives in the letter since it is purely for an order being placed
- The letter should have all relevant details related to the order, for example, quantity, price and other terms and conditions
Example
of Application Letter
Mr.
George Gilhooley
XYZ
Company
87
Delaware Road
Hatfield,
CA 08065
(909)
555-5555
george.gillhooley@email.com
Dear
Mr. Gilhooley,
I
am writing to apply for the programmer position advertised in the Times Union.
As requested, I am enclosing a completed job application, my certification, my
resume and three references.
The
opportunity presented in this listing is very interesting, and I believe that
my strong technical experience and education will make me a very competitive
candidate for this position. The key strengths that I possess for success in
this position include:
I
have successfully designed, developed, and supported live use applications
I
strive for continued excellence
I
provide exceptional contributions to customer service for all customers
With
a BS degree in Computer Programming, I have a full understanding of the full
life cycle of a software development project. I also have experience in
learning and excelling at new technologies as needed.
Please
see my resume for additional information on my experience.
I
can be reached anytime via email at george.gillhooley@email.com or my cell
phone, 909-555-5555.
Thank
you for your time and consideration. I look forward to speaking with you about
this employment opportunity.
Sincerely,
ALI
BABA
Example
of Inquiry Letter
Street Address City, State Zip Code
Phone Number
Date
Individual's Name
Job Title
Name of Organization
Street Address
City, State Zip Code
Dear Mr./Ms. ________________________________:
Perhaps you are seeking an addition to your marketing team. A new person can provide innovative approaches to the challenges of marketing. I am an innovator of new ideas, an excellent communicator with buyers, and have a demonstrated history of marketing success.
Presently, I am marketing computer products for a major supplier using television, radio and news advertising. I have a reputation for putting forth the effort required to make a project succeed.
Enclosed is my resume for your review and consideration. EFTG Industries has a reputation for excellence. I would like to use my talents to market your quality line of technical products. I will call you to further discuss my talents and how I can benefit your company. If you prefer, you may reach me in the evenings at (555) 555-5555.
Thank you for your time. I look forward to meeting you.
Sincerely,
(Your Signature in blue or black ink)
Your typed name
Enclosure
Example
of Complaint Letter
Jane Brown123 Street
jane@brown.com.au
1 January 2013
Dear Manager
RE: COMPLAINT ABOUT FAULTY TELEVISION CABINET PURCHASED AT CABINET WORLD ON 15 DECEMBER 2012
I am unhappy with the quality of a television cabinet I bought at 5 Street on 15 December and I am writing to seek a replacement.
The cabinet doors do not open and shut properly and the stain on the cabinet is uneven, with one half darker than the other. The cabinet was delivered on 30 December and I noticed this problem as soon as I unpacked it from the box.
The cabinet is not of acceptable quality and does not match the sample cabinet I was shown in store. I would like you to replace it with one of the same quality and finish as the sample and arrange for return of the faulty cabinet at no cost.
I have attached a photocopy of my receipt as proof of purchase.
I would like to have this problem fixed quickly please. If I do not hear from you within 10 days, I will lodge a formal complaint with Consumer Affairs in my state.
You can contact me on 1234 5678 during working hours or after hours on 123 456 789 to discuss this matter further.
Yours sincerely,
Jane Brown
Example
of Order Letter
154
Green Avenue
New York, USA
January 5, 2010
Ms. K. Hutchinson
Beller Company, Inc.
424 Park Avenue
New York, New York 10021
Dear Ms. Hutchinson :
Thank you for sending your catalog so promptly. It arrived within a few days of my request. Please send me the following items by parcel post :
New York, USA
January 5, 2010
Ms. K. Hutchinson
Beller Company, Inc.
424 Park Avenue
New York, New York 10021
Dear Ms. Hutchinson :
Thank you for sending your catalog so promptly. It arrived within a few days of my request. Please send me the following items by parcel post :
1
copy Emmet and Mullen,
High School Algebra @ $7.50 $ 7.50
25 copies Pinehurst,
Plane Geometry @ $8.75 $ 218.75
Total $ 226.25
I am enclosing a money order for 226.25. If there are additional charges, please let me know.
Please mail the books to the address given above.
Very truly yours,
Brandon Michael
High School Algebra @ $7.50 $ 7.50
25 copies Pinehurst,
Plane Geometry @ $8.75 $ 218.75
Total $ 226.25
I am enclosing a money order for 226.25. If there are additional charges, please let me know.
Please mail the books to the address given above.
Very truly yours,
Brandon Michael
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