What Is a Letter of Application?

A Letter of Application expresses your interest

in and qualifications for a position to a prospective employer.

What Should My Letter of Application Accomplish?

Your letter of application should introduce the main points of your CV.

It should also help you to sell your qualifications to the prospective employer.

Solicited Letters of Application

Solicited letters of application are letters written in response to an advertised job opening. It is appropriate to mention where you learned of the opening in the first paragraph.

I believe that my knowledge of public relations and my proven communication and leadership skills make me a strong candidate for the position of Media Relations Coordinator that was posted by the Delta Airlines Job Opportunities Program.

Unsolicited Letters of Application

Unsolicited application letters are written to companies that have not posted a job opening. It is important to gain the readers attention and persuade them that you can contribute to the companys goals.

As a member of one of the fastest growing publishing houses in the world, do you have an opening in your acquisitions department for a recent college graduate with a major in English and publishing and editing experience?

The Letter of Application: Structure

Purpose Refer to job advertisement (Mention company contact) Preview qualifications Supporting Details Prove claims with examples Tie qualifications to the requirements of the position Quantify evidence Detail your experience Goodwill Closing Offer to meet for an interview Refer to CV (rsum) Make your final pitch

EXAMPLE

Dear Mr. Smith, I am writing to apply for the programmer position advertised in todays issue of the Times Union.
1. confirmation that you wish to apply and the title of the job you are applying for
2. the date and the name of the newspaper where you saw an ad

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 CV for additional information on my experience.

3. your present situation (occupation or course of study being followed)

The opportunity presented in this ad 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

4. relate your interests to those of the company

As requested, I am enclosing a completed job application, my CV and three references. I can be reached anytime via my cell phone, 555555-5555. Thank you for your time and consideration. I look forward to speaking with you about this employment opportunity.
Sincerely, FirstName LastName

5. say you are enclosing a CV

6. indicate your willingness to attend an interview; telephone number where you can be contacted

A Refer to the advertisement

If there are several posts advertised you must say which one you are applying for.

With reference to
I have seen

your advertisement in the

and

I would like to apply I am interested in applying

for

this post. the post of

Personal Assistant Secretary to the Sales Manager

B Summarise your experience

As you can see from the enclosed CV I have had
In my last jobs/positions In all my jobs In my present job

long one years many years

the administrative organisational secretarial public relations financial

experience in

different fields. banking/insurance /legal work etc. the hotel business. industry.

side
aspect

was
is

extremely very

worked a lot with computers. ran the office independently.

important and I

learnt to work under pressure. managed the bookkeeping.

C Why the job interests you

However, although

I like I am happy in I am satisfied with

my present job/position,

I would now prefer a post I am now looking for a post

administrative skills.

offering more responsibility/

where I can use my

more chances of promotion

knowledge of languages. financial knowledge.

Using Active LanguageDonts

Dont be vague in your descriptions. Dont use weak verbs such as endeavored, tried, hoped, and attempted.

Vague: I worked as a ramp agent at Comair.

Weak: I attempted to attract customers.

Dont use sexist language such as chairman and manpower.

Using Active LanguageDos

Use concrete words to describe your experience.

Vague: I worked as a ramp agent for COMAIR. Specific: As a ramp agent, I Use present tense to assisted in loading baggage, discuss current activities and oversaw fuelling the and past tense for previous aircraft. job duties or Weak: I attempted to attract accomplishments. customers. Strong: I initiated a program to attract customers to Pizza Be as specific as possible in Hut, which resulted in a 5% descriptions; list amounts increase in sales for the and figures when you can. month of June.

USEFUL TIPS:

Do your homework and mention things about their organization to show that you know who their clients are and possibly mention your interests that might relate to their clients. Keep it short. Dont waffle and keep to the point why do you want the job, why do you want to work for them, what makes you the right person? Use professional vocabulary and phrasing. Make this an interesting letter to read.

Dont be too informal your letter should be professional.

You should try to find something memorable about yourself that will help them remember you after reviewing a hundred other CVs and covering letters. End on a positive note you would like to meet them and you look forward to hearing from them. Again, (get someone else to) check it making sure spelling, grammar and format are consistent and accurate.

For future reference Dont use a standard letter for every job. It will be obvious if you just change the name and the job details, and dont give any thought to this particular job. This shows no enthusiasm for the job, and is not the right signal to send to a company. You must tailor each letter.