Letters of application are given a high priority in the employment industry. These letters are an important part of applications, because they contain information which is unique to the applicant. The role of these letters is to make your claim to special skills, experience and motivation.
Writing application letters
These are business letters, and you have only so much space to work with. A one page letter, roughly 300 words, is considered the normal size. To get your unique information across to the employer, you need to use this space very well. There are reliable techniques you can use to make your letter work better for you. You create your application letter in the following stages.
Drafting your letter
The safest way to write your letter is to do a very basic draft first. Include all the information you want to use. If you like, just start with a list of things you want to add to your application, and then create a letter using the list.
The likely result of any first draft is too much information, too many words in sentences, and probably typos, misspellings and grammar problems. That’s absolutely normal, and it’s also why you should never try and do a letter of application in one draft.
Editing your draft
You need to be very self-critical, and even if it takes awhile, you’ll feel better knowing you’ve sent a good letter and not a mess.
To edit your letter, check:
- Information content: Does the letter contain all the important information you need the employer to see?
- Information quality: Is the information relevant to the job, clear, and easy to read?
- Sentence structure: Do all the sentences make sense and fit together?
- Anything that doesn’t need to be there: You’ve only got one page. Remove all unnecessary words and information. Stick to bare bones in your drafting, because you’ll get more information in your letter.
- Typos: Check everything. Read the letter one word at a time.
- Spelling: Use spell check, but if you’re not sure, use a dictionary.
- Grammar: Everything OK? Sure about that? If not, ask or check a style guide.
Final draft
The final draft should have passed your editing test perfectly. You should have no doubts about the quality of the letter, and be happy with the information.
Getting help when you need it
Don’t guess about anything in your letter. If you’re not sure how to say what you want to say, check with CVTips.com so you can get some expert help. We can take you through the letter writing process in steps, help you do the draft, and help you with information content and quality issues.
Cover Letter Format Example
Name
Address
City, State, Zip Code
Phone Number
Email Address
Date
Employer Contact Name (if you have this information)
Title
Company
Address
City, State, Zip Code
Dear Mr. or Ms. _____ (use only if you have contact name) If you have no name, type:
To Whom It May Concern
In the first sentence, let the employer know what job you are applying for. You don’t have to do a heavy sales job in the first paragraph. Keep it light and basic so that it is the first thing that the employer see.
In the second paragraph, this is where you include information on why you are interested in the position and how you found out about it. If you were referred by someone known to the company, mention this information here.
In the third paragraph you can mention what you bring to the position. This is not a rehash of your resume which you will also be sending along, but should bring out your special skills and qualifications in a slightly different way.
In this last paragraph, you should thank the person for their time and for considering you. Here you can mention how you plan to follow up with the prospective employer.
Now you conclude the letter with a closing, such as Sincerely, Respectfully Yours, or something to that effect.
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Type your name here and sign in between the closing and your printed name.