JOB APPLICATION LETTERS

OR

COVER LETTERS

The purpose of a job application letter is to get an interview. Writing a letter is a good preparation for a
job interview because the letter is your first step in showing a specific company what you want to do
for it.

In your letter, focus on

 Major requirements of the job for which you are applying.

 Points that separate you from other applicants.
 Points that show your knowledge of the organization.
 Qualities that every employer is likely to value: the ability to speak and write effectively, to
solve problems, to get along with people.

Every employer wants businesslike employees who understand professionalism. To make your
application letter professional,

 Create your letter on a computer. Use a standard font (Times New Roman, Calibri, Ariel, or
Palatino) in 11- or 12- point type.
 Address your letter to a specific person. If the reader is a woman, call the office to find what
title she uses.
 Omit personal information not related to job.
 Use a conservative style: few contractions, no sentence fragments, clichés, or slang.
 Edit the letter carefully and proof it several times to make sure it is perfect.

Two Types of Letters

Two different hiring situations call for two different kinds of letters of application. Write a solicited
letter when you know the company is hiring; you’ve seen the aid, you’ve been advised to apply by a
professor or friend, you’ve read in a trade publication that the company is expanding. Sometimes,
however, the advertised positions may not be what you want, or you may want to work for an
organization which has not announced that it has openings in your area. Then you write a prospecting
letter.

Prospecting letters help you tap into the hidden job market. In some cases, your prospecting letter
arrives at a company that has decided to hire but has not yet announced the job.

How to Organize a Solicited Letter

1. State that you are applying for the job, and tell where you learned about it. Summarize your
qualifications in the order in which you plan to discuss them in the letter.
2. Develop your major qualifications in detail.
 3. Develop your other qualifications. Show what separates you from other applicants who will
answer to the ad. Demonstrate your knowledge of the organization.
4. Ask for an interview. State when you can begin work. End on a positive forward -looking note.

How to Organize a Prospecting Letter

1. Catch the reader’s interest.

2. Create a bridge between the attention-getter and your qualifications. Summarize your
qualifications in the order in which you plan to discuss them in the letter.
3. Develop your strong points in detail. Relate what you’ve done in the past to what you could
do for this company. Show that you know something about the company.
4. Ask for an interview. End on a positive forward-looking note.

What a Job Letter must do?

In all job letters,

 Address the letter to a specific person.

 Indicate the specific position for which you are applying.
 Be specific about your qualifications.
 Show what separates you from other applicants.
 Show a knowledge of the company and the position.
 Refer to your resume (which you would enclose with the letter).
 Ask for an interview.
 SAMPLE LETTERS OF APPLICATION
A Solicited Letter
1636 Highland Street
Philadelphia,
March 7, 2006

Mr. John A. Addison

President and co-CEO
Primerica
116 E. 8th Street
New York

Dear Mr. Addison:

I am interested in the position of Regional Manager announced in February 24 issue of The New York
Times. I will receive an A.A. S. in Finance in May and already have a year’s experience as a financial
sales representative in Primerica’s Philadelphia office.

My program in finance has given me the opportunity to focus on Family financial Management. I have
had the opportunity to take courses not only in investment but also in how families manage their
resources and the financial stages that U.S. families typically go through. In one class I had the
opportunity to create an Excel spreadsheet to calculate how much a family needed to save to put two
children through college, depending on the age of the children and the anticipated expenses of college.
Writing the spreadsheet gave me a “hands-on” feel for the need for investments over and above simply
looking up figures on a chart.

Financial selling is a highly competitive field. I am a competitor and have been all m life. While I was in
high school, I created a business, hired a staff, and lined up clients. I know the value of training and hard
work, and I look forward to the challenge of motivating Primerica’s sales staff to do their best. In my
landscape business, I delegated work and motivated my employees to do the high-quality jobs that my
clients expected. My managerial experience running two businesses could help me become an efficient
Regional Manager more quickly.

In the last year, as a financial sales representative for Primerica, I’ve used my persuasive and sales skills
to help clients develop financial plans, choose the best investment products to fit their needs,
personalities, and lifestyles, and even recruited two clients to become Primerica representatives
themselves. I’d like to continue this record of success in your New York office.

Could we set up an appointment to discuss this possibility? I’ll be in New York March 23-27 and could
welcome the opportunity to talk about ways that I could put my experience and drive to work for you.

Sincerely,

Jerry A. Jackson

Jerry A. Jackson

Encl: Resume
 A Prospecting Letter from a Career Changer

Marcella G. Cope
370 Monahan Lane
Dublin, Ohio
000 000 000
m.cope@postbox.acs.ohio-state.edu

August 23, 2007

Mr. John Harrobin

New Media Solutions
Metatec Corporation
7001 Metatec Boulevard
Dublin Ohio

Dear Mr. Harrobin:

Putting a textbook on a CD-ROM saves paper but does nothing to take advantage of the many
possibilities the CD-ROM environment provides. Yet it can be a real challenge to find people who write
well, proof carefully, and understand multimedia design. You will see from my enclosed resume that I
have this useful combination of skills.

Rita Haralabidis tells me that Metatec needs people to design and develop high-quality CD-ROM
products to meet business and consumer deadlines. Most of the writing and editing that I do is subject to
strict standards and even stricter deadlines, and I know information is useful only if it is available when
clients need it.

When I toured Metatec this spring, members of New Solutions Media Group shared some of their work
from a series of interactive CD-ROM textbooks they were developing in tandem with Harcourt Brace.
This project sparked my interest in Metatec because of my own experience with evaluating, contributing
to, and editing college-level textbooks.

As a program administrator at Ohio State University, I examined dozens of textbooks from publishers
interested in having their books adopted by the nation’s largest First-Year Writing Program. This
experience taught me which elements of a text-book ─ both content and design ─were successful, and
which failed to generate interest. Often I worked closely with sales representatives to suggest changes for
future editions. My own contribution to two nationally distributed textbooks further familiarized me with
production processes and the needs of multiple audiences. My close contact with students convinces me
of the need to produce educational material that excite students, keeping their attention, and allow them to
learn through words, pictures and sounds.

My communication and technology skills would enable me to adapt quickly to work with both individual
clients and major corporations like CompuServe and The American Medical Association. I am a flexible
thinker, a careful editor, a fluent writer, and most importantly a quick study. I will call you next week to
find a mutually convenient time when we can discuss putting my talents to work for Metatec.

Sincerely,
Marcella G. Cope
Marcella G. Cope

Enclosed: Resume