Chapter 7 Lesson 3

Communication For Work Purposes

Guidelines in Writing Resume and
Job Application Letter
Writing Application Letter
 One of the most critical factors that can
affect an applicant’s chances of being hired
is his/her application letter.

The application letter speaks about you.

It tells about your personality, about your
values, and about your overall potential as an
employee.
 A well-written letter will speak of
responsibility, intelligence, and discipline.
A badly-written letter will speak of the lack
of all these essential qualities.

Your application letter may significantly

increase your chances of success.
Parts of an Application Letter
1. Letterhead
○ This is located at the topmost part
of your letter. Essentially, the
letterhead contains the name of the
owner of the letter.
2. Return Information

○ It should include the address,

email address, and contact
information (mobile number)
2. Return Information

○ Due to privacy invasion, identity theft,

and other security issues, applicants are
no longer encouraged to include their
complete address.
○ For email address, it should be formal.
Ideally, your email may contain your name.
3. Inside/Letter Address

○ It is the important part if the letter

because your letter may get lost if you do
not out the right information.
○ The addressee or the person to whom the
letter is addressed might feel offended or
might feel disrespected by the way you
addressed them.
4. Salutation

○ Under the inside letter is the salutation.

The person’s name need to be followed by a
colon (:).
○ A comma (,) is only used for personal
letters and never in formal letters.
4. Salutation
Dear Mr. Lopez: If you are sure of the surname.

Dear Ms. Lopez: If you are unsure of the marital status

of the female employers, it is safe to
use Ms.
Dear Miss Lopez:
Dear Mrs. Lopez: If single, use Miss.
It married, Mrs.
You must watch out for professional or
honorary titles (Atty., Dr., etc.)

Sir/Madam: If one does not know the employer. But

this is not advised.
5. Body

○ This is the most critical part if the

letter. The body usually consists of 3-5
paragraphs.
○ In writing the body, you must consider
the AIDA pointers.
5. Body - (AIDA)

● You must attract your employer’s

ATTENTIONS.
● You should state your INTEREST in the
company and the position you are
applying for.
5. Body - (AIDA)

● Tickle the employer’s DESIRE to

interview and get to know you; and
● Ask the employer to take ACTION through
an interview.
● Two spaces after your name, you keying in your
enclosures or attachments. There are the
documents that you submit for preliminary
assessment along with your application letter
which are the resume and transcript of records.
What to use in Writing an Application Letter?
1. Good quality white paper.
2. Standard-size paper (8.5” x 11”)
3. Block Style Format (All lines begin at left
margin)
4. One-inch Margin
5. Font size must be at least 12-point.
6. Font should be easy to read- Times New
Roman, Calibri, Cambria.

7. Single spacing

8. One page maximum

9. Print using a laser printer

Guidelines in Writing an Application Letter
1. Keep it short.
2. Do not use abbreviations.
3. Remember to include the area code with your
cell phone number (+63)
4. Avoid using contractions. (I’ve, I’m)
5. Spell out numbers one to ten; use
numbers/values above ten.
6. Make every statement positive - do not say that
you are not qualified.
7. Keep the tone and content professional.
8. State the position to which you are applying.
9. Explain why you want the job.
10. Clearly describe ways you will contribute.
11. Avoid generic phrases such as “I have
excellent interpersonal skills”. You want your
letter to be unique.
12. Tell the reader what you are going to do next.
Writing a ResumÉ
 In applying for work, your cover letter or
application letter is sent along with resumé.

Resumé is a brief document containing the

summary of an individual’s qualifications,
experiences, and skills with the purpose of
securing a work interview and getting hired
for a particular job position.
Essential Parts of a ResumÉ
1.Heading
2.Contact Information
3.Work History*
4.Educational Qualifications/Achievements*
5.Skill Set List*
6.Relevant Certificates and/or Awards
7.References and their Contact Details
*For numbers 3-5, they do not necessarily always
follow this order.
Types of ResumÉs
● Reverse Chronological Resumé
○ This type of resume starts with the enumeration
of work history, beginning with the most recent
work experience (reverse chronological order).
○ Most employers prefer this type of resume
because it allows them to see the last works
experience quickly, and the most recent job
positions are given more importance.
● Reverse Chronological Resumé
○ This is most ideal for applicants with solid
work history.
○ This is not a good type to use if, for
instance, you have not had work in the last
couple of months or years or if you are a
fresh graduate.
● Functional Resumé
○ This is the most appropriate resume format for
fresh graduate.
○ This put emphasis on one’s educational
background, skills, and training experiences.
○ This is also the resume to use if you are
changing careers or if you have gaps in your work
history.
● Combination Resumé
○ If you are confident of both your educational
qualifications and job history, you can use
this type.
○ First in the list are your educational
background and your skills.
○ This way, your employers will see your
impressive transcript and skill sets, this is
then followed by your solid work history
following the reverse chronological arrangement.
● Targeted Resumé
○ Employers as of today generally prefer this
type of resume over the others.
○ This is something that you do not pick out and
print and submit to employers, whoever or
whatever they may be;a targeted resume is
something more time consuming, but more
attractive.
● Targeted Resumé
○ A growing number of employers shun generic af
all-around resumes. You need to take time to
modify and customize your existing resumes so
that they are most compatible and relevant to a
specific position you are applying for.
● Creative We-based Resumé
○ This is also known as non-traditional resume.
○ It includes non-healthy amount of graphics,
photos, graphs, and other visual devices.
○ However, this type of resume is limited to web-
related jobs like web and graphic designing,
programming, and the like.
How to Write a ResumÉ
● Here are some common rules for resume writing:
○ 8.5” x 11” (letter) or 8.5” by 13” (legal) size of
bond paper
○ 1.5” form bust photo on the upper right corner of
the resume
○ 1” margin on all sides
○ Font size 12
○ Formal font style (Arial, Century Gothic, Times
New Roman, Bookman Old Style, and other like
styles)
○ Black font
○ Conspicuous section headings (font style for
section headings should be bigger than the rest)
 ● Heading and Contact Information
○ The heading is your name, therefore it must be
the most conspicuous part of the resume.
○ Typical font size for the body of the resume
is 12.therefore, the banner just be font size
18-24 and it must be bold.
○ It is centered-aligned, relative to the
position of the 1.5” formal bust.
○ The heading must be readable even at six feet
away.
 ● Section Headings and Content
○ The arrangement or sequencing of the sections
will depend on the type of resume that you are
making. Make sure that each section is
separated from each other and that the readers
of the resume will not have a hard time
distinguishing the different parts.
 ● Section Headings and Content
○ You can capitalize all the words on your
heading, you may bold and underline the
headings, or you may use differently colored
font.
○ For the last, make sure your resume is not
multicolored. There must only be one color,
preferably blue, other that black.
 ● Section Headings and Content
○ The content of your headings should contain
the necessary information your employer or
interviewer will need.
○ In work history, you should include the name
of the company, dates of the employment,
position title, and very brief description of
designated responsibilities.
● Section Headings and Content
 ● Section Headings and Content
○ You may refer to the list of strong action verbs
below:
■ analyzed, authored, budgeted, built, compiled,
coordinated, contributed, developed, directed,
drafter, earned, engaged, expedited, endorsed,
facilitated, financed, functioned, generated,
guided, hired, handled, identified, installed,
inspected, managed, processed, promoted,
reinforced, updated, and verified
 ● Section Headings and Content
○ For the Academic Background, mention the
school you are from, the years you started
and ended, course or program, and awards
and distinctions (if any).
 ● Skills
○ Soft Skills are general skills that apply
to every job. They are also skills where
rules changes from one company or culture
to another.
○ For example, Communication Skills.
 ● Skills
○ Hard Skills are more job-specific. The
rules stay the same wherever you may go.
○ For example, Marketing, Microsoft Access,
QuickBooks, welding, and e-mail
correspondence.
 ● Relevant Trainings and References
○ Put only those seminars that are relevant
to the position you are applying for.
○ Include up to three references for the
employers to contact for verification.
Their respective positions and
organizations are included.
T H A N K Y O U!!