Reading and Writing Skills

Governor Pack Road, Baguio City, Philippines 2600

Tel. Nos.: (+6374) 442-3316, 442-8220; 444-2786;
442-2564; 442-8219; 442-8256; Fax No.: 442-6268 Grade Level/Section:
Email: email@uc-bcf.edu.ph; Website: www.uc-bcf.edu.ph

MODULE 8 – RW Subject Teacher:

PROFESSIONAL CORRESPONDENCE

At the end of this module, the students will be able to:

1. Name parts of a business letter;

2. identify the standard formats of a business letter;
3. write an application letter;
4. construct professional objectives, and
5. create their own resumes.

A letter of correspondence or a business letter is a formal document often sent from one
company to another or from a company to its clients, employees, and stakeholders, for example.
Business letters are used for professional correspondence between individuals, as well (Doyle, 2020).

Why Write a Letter at All?

In this modern age of electronic marvels, the rather dated sounding 'business letter' may seem
out of place. After all, a business letter takes time and effort to prepare, and another method of
communication, such as a telephone call or a scribbled message, may sometimes be just as
effective. In very many other instances, however, the business letter is just as important today as it
was 20, 30 or even 40 years ago. It seeks to organise, inform and make things happen, and it is an
extremely valuable means of communication. In addition, if properly prepared, a letter will give a
favourable impression of the company or organisation it represents. This favourable impression could
lead to a long and successful business association (Dobson, 1999).

A. STANDARD PARTS OF A LETTER

1. HEADING.
✓ Contains the return address (usually written in 2- 3 lines) and the date
✓ This part may be optional in case a letterhead is available
✓ Spell out the words like street, avenue, or boulevard
✓ After the return address, an optional line for the phone number, fax number, or email
address may be included
✓ A space is required before the dateline
✓ If there is a letterhead, the date alone will suffice
✓ Example of date format: June 1, 2019
2. RECIPIENT’S ADDRESS
✓ This is the address where you want to send your letter
✓ Includes the name of the recipient
✓ Leave the space for the recipients address before the salutation
3. SALUTATION
✓ This is the greeting that usually begins with the word Dear followed by the name and the title
of the addressee
✓ Use the last name of the person after the word Dear
✓ If you are quite familiar terms with your recipient, you may address him by his first name
✓ If the gender of the person is unknown or unclear to you, you may address him by his title of
position in the company (such as Dear Hiring Manager or Dear Sir/ Madam)
✓ Leave a space before the body of the letter
4. BODY
✓ Contains the main text or the message
✓ You may begin with an introduction, followed by the full message
✓ Finally, thank the recipient and ask for some action to be taken
✓ Put a space before the closing the line
✓ The other parts of the letter remains the same, but the body of the letter depends on its
purpose
5. COMPLIMENTARY CLAUSE
✓ Leave a space before writing the words Sincerely, Regards, or Very truly yours
✓ End it with a comma
6. SIGNATURE LINE
✓ Skip 2- 4 space before typing in your full name followed by your title (optional)
✓ Affix your signature using blue or black ink directly above the signature line
✓ This line is always aligned with the heading
7. ENCLOSURES
✓ This part may be optional, but if there will be any document included, it should be indicated
under this title and written as Enclosures
✓ Should there be more than one of it, indicate the name of each document to be included

STANDARD FORMATS FOR WRITING A LETTER

I. Block Style
o Most common of all styles
o All sections of the letter begin on the left margin or are left justified
o Has single space, except in between parts and paragraphs

123 Sampaguita Street

Mango Subdivision
Calamba City 4207
0909- 1818- 222
abc@yahoo.com

January 5, 2019

Mr. Arnold Tan

Dean of Academics
College of Medicine
Lower Hills, Los Banos 4030

Dear Mr. Tan:

(BODY)

Sincerely,

ArleneS
Arlene Saints
arlene.st@yahoo.com
0989- 756-444

Enclosed (1):
Resume
II. Modified Block Style
o It has the author’s address, date of writing, and closing in the center point of the line page

123 Sampaguita Street

Mango Subdivision
Calamba City 4207
0909- 1818- 222
abc@yahoo.com

January 5, 2019

Mr. Arnold Tan

Dean of Academics
College of Medicine
Lower Hills, Los Banos 4030

Dear Mr. Tan:

(BODY)

Sincerely,

ArleneS
Arlene Saints
arlene.st@yahoo.com
0989- 756-444

Enclosed (1):
Resume
 LETTER OF CORRESPONDENCE

I. Letter of Intent (College Application)

✓ Note the goals and directions you would like to take
✓ Indicate why you belong in your perspective school according to their mission and vision
✓ Include strong evidences or proof of your diligence and hard work in school. Mention your
academic achievements
✓ Mention your interest and advocacies, as well as your extracurricular and community activities
to show your participation in good cause

Barangay Capihanan
Bais City, Negors Occidental 6509
0909- 444- 1111

January 7, 2019

Mr. Lucio Cortez

Department Head
Conservatory of Music
University of Sto. Matias
Sampaloc, Manial 1015

Dear Sir:

After doing a research on a degree on Music, I am writing to inform you of my

interest to join your university’s Conservatory of Music. I am submitting my application
with the necessary documents required.

As a working student, I had four hours every day of manning the library so as to have
additional resources and access to all the musical files in the library. I also lead a
group of choir members from the colleges when they joined the Music Fest where
we won first place in the Grand Finals. In our community, I serve at the church as a
member of the choir.

Pursuing graduate studies in Music is my lifelong dream. Someday, I would like to be

able to teach Music in college but for the meantime, I would like to pursue graduate
studies in your university. Attached in this letter is my application form, as well as my
transcript of records, essay, video of my work, and letter of recommendation form
my school, I appreciate your time and hope to hear a positive response from you
soon.

Sincerely,

Teresa Magbanua
Teresa Magbanua
trmagbanua@gmail.com

Enclosures (5):
1. Application form
2. Transcript of record
3. Essay
4. Video
5. Letter of recommendation
B. RESUME

A resume (also spelled résumé) is a formal document that serves to show a person’s career
background and skills. In most cases, it’s created in order to help a candidate to land a new job.

The purpose of a resume is to introduce yourself to employers, present your qualifications, and
secure an interview. The goal of writing a resume is to showcase your experience, education, and
skills in a standardized format which is easy for recruiters to read (Mucha, n.d).

The Seven Key Steps to Writing a Resume

Gaining focus and creating a strong, content-rich resume is easy when you have a plan to follow.
These seven steps can guide you through the process:

1. Review Samples

When looking at sample resumes, analyze them like a knowledgeable and focused job seeker
excited about the task at hand. The goal is to identify the qualities you like. You must create a
powerful resume that mirrors your qualifications and follow that up with an interview that impresses
the employers with your capability to perform the job.

2. Consider Format, Content, and Order of Information

Pick out your two or three favorite sample resumes. Examine them from top to bottom. Once
you identify qualities of each you wish to adapt, consider the following:

⚫ Formatting Basics. The font you choose is the key to a well-formatted resume. Fonts

should be traditional, easy-to-read, and common. The best fonts and point sizes for resumes
are:

• Bookman Antiqua (9, 10, or 11 Point).

• Century Schoolbook (9, 10, or 11 Point).

• Garamond (10 or 11 Point).

• Palatino (8, 9, or 10 Point).

• Times (9, 10 or 11 Point).

For headlines, increase the font size two points at a time until the headline is emphasized but
not disproportionate. You can highlight important elements with CAPITALIZATION, bold face,
and italics, as well as with indentations, line spacing, and bullet points

⚫ Identify Yourself. Letterhead is the best and easiest way to do this. You can design your
own very simply. Your letterhead should include:

• Your name on the first line.

• Your full mailing address.

• The telephone number(s) where you can be reached during business hours.

• Your e-mail address.

Lose any cutesy or gimmicky e-mail moniker like Partyallnight@ or Muscleman@, and never
use a current employer’s e-mail address. You don’t want your prospective employer to think
(or know) you aren’t giving 100 percent to your job while you’re working.

⚫ Putting Your Experience in Order. The best resumes present the job seeker’s most
significant experiences first. Entries are grouped under headlines. They include
undergraduate and graduate degrees, specialized training, and work history. Education can
come at the top, as the first or second category, or you can present it last. Academic
achievements and honors can be presented in a bulleted list.
 3. Identify Your Objectives and Your Audience

What do you aim to achieve with your resume? Answer that question, and you will define your
goals. You must also define, as best you can, who will be reading your resume. Your reviewers belong
to the field. They use particular words, phrases, and other field-focused terminology when they talk
about their work. Your resume should clearly state your career objectives, but not necessarily with
what was once called a Career Objective.

4. Inventory Your Qualifications and Achievements

The best way to pick out your important achievements is to think in terms of the job or field
you’re aiming to enter. Free-form lists of random accomplishment are not as effective. Achievement
summaries are the heart of any good resume. They should be enough to convince the reviewer of
your commitment, your qualifications, and your obvious value. It’s important not to skimp on the time
or energy you put into summarizing your past accomplishments. To a potential employer, your past
has everything to do with the future

5. Analyze Your Competencies and Capabilities

Great resumes reflect past achievements and, via qualification summaries, project ahead to
future roles and responsibilities. You are not limited to talking about what has been achieved.
Instead, your resume is the perfect platform to express your confidence and competence to tackle
the future

6. Draft and Critique Your Resume

Your first draft should be inspired by the sample resumes you’ve reviewed and analyzed. Later
on, you can go back and determine the best order of presentation and omit unnecessary entries. As
you put your first draft together, don’t worry about keeping it to any particular length. It is better to
start long and later edit it down. Write as spontaneously as you can. Don’t rewrite as you go; there
will be plenty of time for that when your draft is complete. Your finished resume should be concise. If
after your best editing efforts it is still longer than one page, so be it! Employers do read two-page
resumes, as long as they are well organized, with the most important information on the first page.

7. Distribute Your Resume

Most of your resumes will probably go out via e-mail or be posted to the Internet, though you
will still need a printed version as well. In either case, it’s important to keep making a good first
impression. Here’s how you do it:

• Use a strong format, very simple graphics (as long as they contribute to your statement), and
an attractive design.

• Use standard portrait orientation when printing your resume.

• Use bond or linen paper. White, ivory, natural, and off-white are your best color options. Use
the same paper for your cover letters and other correspondence

Key Takeaway

Here’s a recap of what you should know before sending your resume to the future employer:

✓ Your resume is a marketing document. It’s used to make a favorable impression on the
recruiter.

✓ Treat your resume as a summary of your work experience, education, and skills. Be concise
and list only key career wins. Plus, be relevant.

✓ Make your resume aesthetically pleasing. Use the best formatting rules.

✓ Respect your reader, proofread your resume and make it high-quality.

***Check the next page for a xample resume provided for you.
 COMPOSITION OF A RESUME
I. Identification
• List down your full name, exact address, contact number and email address
II. Professional Objective
• Objective is formulated based on what you can contribute to the organization.
Example
To obtain a teaching position to apply new pedagogies and instructional innovations
that will contribute to holistic development of students
III. Education
- List your educational qualification in reverse chronological order stating from the recent degree
program obtained.
- DEGREE, SCHOOL, and YEAR GRADUATED

IV. Experience
- Refers to work background
FRESH GRADUATE- practicum or internship
- Write the company name
- The nature of your work and
- Period of internship
Use active verbs such as managed, organized, prepared, designed, and reviewed
V. Personal Information
- personal demographics or information such as age, gender, civil status, religion and nationality

VI. REFERENCES
- List at least three (3) names of persons who can vouch for your skills, qualifications and character.

A resume as an advertising tool should provide the following:

1. A Sense of PURPOSE
- Remember your purpose in writing a resume, that is, to get an interview and eventually get
employed.
2. Focus on your ACHIEVEMENTS
- Highlights your achievements and present them well because that will make you different
from everyone else.
3. ACCURACY
- Make sure that all information, such as dates of graduation or of employment, are accurate.
Proofread before printing
4. CLARITY AND SIMPLICITY
- Resume is clear and simple.
- Avoid wordiness and technical terms.
KISS- Keep it short and simple
5. An Attractive Package
- Resume should be clean and neat.
 - No crease of food or coffee stains.
6. SALESMANSHIP
- Contribution to the company
- Highlight your Achievements
7. A sense of person behind the Resume
- Your resume should speak for itself your achievements and qualifications so that your prospective
employer will want to meet you in person.
8. CREDIBILITY
- It is important that all the information you ill include in your resume are true.

Doyle, A. (2020). Business Letter Format With Examples. Retrieved on

https://www.thebalancecareers.com/how-to-format-a-business-letter-206254

Dobson, A. (1999). Writing Business Letters: How to produce day-to-day correspondence that
is clear and effective (3rd Ed.). How To Books Ltd, 3 Newtec Place, Magdalen Road,
Oxford OX4 1RE. United Kingdom

Mucha, E. (2020). What Is a Résumé? Meaning, Definition & Use. Zety. Retrieved on
https://zety.com/blog/what-is-resume

Resume/ Cover Letter Rubric. Retrieved at

http://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/30847_rubric.pdf

Resume Genius. Customer Service Representative Resume Example. Retrived on

https://resumegenius.com/resume-samples/customer-service-representative-
resume-example#

Schuman, N. & Nadler, B. (2011). The resume and cover letter. Adams Media, F+W Media,
Inc: 57 Littlefield Street, Avon, MA 02322. U.S.A.