A Letter of Application expresses your interest in and qualifications for a position to a prospective employer.

What Is a Letter of Application?

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.

What Should My Letter of Application Accomplish?

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 theposition 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 reader’s attention and persuade them that you can contribute to the company’s 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?

PurposeRefer to job advertisement(Mention company contact)Preview qualifications

Supporting DetailsProve claims with examplesTie qualifications to the requirements of the positionQuantify evidenceDetail your experience

Goodwill ClosingOffer to meet for an interviewRefer to CV (résumé)Make your final pitch

The Letter of Application: Structure

Dear Mr. Smith,

I am writing to apply for the programmer the programmer positionposition advertised in today’s issue of today’s issue of the the Times UnionTimes 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

EXAMPLE

With a BS degree in Computer BS degree in Computer ProgrammingProgramming, I have a full understanding of the full life cycle of a software development project. I also have experience in also have experience in learning and excelling atlearning and excelling atnew technologies as needednew technologies as needed. Please see my CVfor 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 key strengths that I possess for success in this position includeposition 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 my CVCV and three references.

5. say you are enclosing a CV

I can be reached anytime via my cell phonevia my cell phone, 555-555-5555. Thank you for your time and consideration. I look forward to speaking with to speaking with you about this you about this employment opportunityemployment opportunity.

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

Sincerely, FirstName LastName

A Refer to the advertisementA Refer to the advertisement

With reference to

I have seen

your your advertisement advertisement in the ‘…’in the ‘…’

andand

I would like to I would like to applyapply

I am interested I am interested in applyingin applying

forfor

this post.this post.

the post ofthe post of

Personal AssistantPersonal Assistant

Secretary to the Sales Secretary to the Sales ManagerManager

B Summarise your experience

As you can see from the enclosed CV I have had

long

one year’s

many years’

experience in

different fields.

banking/insurance/legal work etc.

the hotel business.

industry.In my last jobs/positions

In all my jobs

In my present job

the administrativeorganisationalsecretarialpublic relationsfinancial

side

aspect

was

is

extremelyvery

important and I

worked a lot with computers.

ran the office independently.

learnt to work under pressure.

managed the bookkeeping.

C Why the job interests you

However, although

I likeI am happy inI am satisfied with

my present job/position,

I would now prefer a post

I am now looking for a post

offering more responsibility/

more chances of promotion

where I can use my

administrative skills.

knowledge of

languages.

financial knowledge.

Using Active Language—Don’ts

Don’t be vague in your descriptions.

Don’t use weak verbs such as ‘endeavoured’, ‘tried’, ‘hoped’, and ‘attempted’.

Vague: I worked as a ramp agent at Comair.

Weak: I attempted to attract customers.

Using Active Language—Do’s Use concrete words to

describe your experience.

Use present tense to discuss current activities and past tense for previous job duties or accomplishments.

Be as specific as possible in descriptions; list amounts and figures when you can.

Vague: I worked as a ramp agent for COMAIR.

 Specific: As a ramp agent, I assisted in loading baggage, and oversaw fuelling the aircraft.

Weak: I attempted to attract customers.

Strong: I initiated a program to attract customers to Pizza Hut, which resulted in a 5% increase in sales for the month of June.

USEFUL TIPS:

Keep it short.

Don’t 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. 

Don’t 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.

(Make sure spelling, grammar and format are consistent and accurate.)