Sunday, 28 May 2017
How to write professional cover letters for job applications
As much as you can, avoid sending a CV alone when applying for a job. Whether you hear
about the job opening from a friend, read about it in the newspaper or
a magazine, or nd it in any job listings, learn as much as you can about
the employer and the job and use this information to develop your cover
letters.
Letters are personal communications from you to another individual. Your letters should have absolutely no errors: no typos, no misspelled words and no noticeable corrections.
Each letter you write should be short, fitting easily on one page with generous margins on all sides. Paragraphs should be limited to four to six lines whenever possible, because business letters are usually scanned quickly. The first line of each paragraph is most important and the last line is second most important.
Letters are personal communications from you to another individual. Your letters should have absolutely no errors: no typos, no misspelled words and no noticeable corrections.
Each letter you write should be short, fitting easily on one page with generous margins on all sides. Paragraphs should be limited to four to six lines whenever possible, because business letters are usually scanned quickly. The first line of each paragraph is most important and the last line is second most important.
As you work on drafts of letters, try reading only the rst lines of each
paragraph to see what information is communicated.
Your name and address should be typed on the letter. Standard business form, with your address and the date at the top right, the addressee’s name and address at the le just above the salutation, is preferable. At the end of the letter, your full name should be typed below your signature.
Letters should be addressed to an individual by name, with correct title and address. In most correspondence the salutation will be ‘’Dear Mr. Jones’’, ‘’Dear Ms. Jenkins’’. First names should not be used unless you are personally acquainted with the addressee. It is advisable to try to nd out whether a woman prefers to be addressed as ‘’Miss’’, ‘’Mrs’’ or ‘’Ms’’, but if her preference is not known, ‘’Ms.’’ is acceptable.
There are two kinds of letters you will be writing during your job search: letters applying for a job (cover letters), and follow-up letters.
Cover letters
The objective of the cover letter is to impress the employer with your quali cations, motivation and interest in the job so that he will want to interview you. e rst paragraph should identify clearly what job you are applying for and why you are interested in the job. If a mutual friend recommended that you apply for the job, mention their name.
Your name and address should be typed on the letter. Standard business form, with your address and the date at the top right, the addressee’s name and address at the le just above the salutation, is preferable. At the end of the letter, your full name should be typed below your signature.
Letters should be addressed to an individual by name, with correct title and address. In most correspondence the salutation will be ‘’Dear Mr. Jones’’, ‘’Dear Ms. Jenkins’’. First names should not be used unless you are personally acquainted with the addressee. It is advisable to try to nd out whether a woman prefers to be addressed as ‘’Miss’’, ‘’Mrs’’ or ‘’Ms’’, but if her preference is not known, ‘’Ms.’’ is acceptable.
There are two kinds of letters you will be writing during your job search: letters applying for a job (cover letters), and follow-up letters.
Cover letters
The objective of the cover letter is to impress the employer with your quali cations, motivation and interest in the job so that he will want to interview you. e rst paragraph should identify clearly what job you are applying for and why you are interested in the job. If a mutual friend recommended that you apply for the job, mention their name.
Follow-up letters
In follow-up letters your objective is to say thank you, to express interest in a continuing relationship, and to structure the next step.
I hope you found this useful.
Sterling
In follow-up letters your objective is to say thank you, to express interest in a continuing relationship, and to structure the next step.
I hope you found this useful.
Sterling
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