Introduction
Letter is as an indispensable tool of communication in business. Business letters are used to sell the products, make inquiry about customers or prices of goods, seek information and advice, maintain good public relation, increase goodwill and perform a variety of other business functions. With the continuous growth of commerce and industry, usefulness and importance of business letter are also increasing gradually. One example of business letter is the application letter. A letter of application is a document sent with your resume to provide additional information about your skills and experience. The letter of application is intended to provide detailed information on why you are a qualified candidate for the job for which you are applying. Effective application letters explain the reasons for your interest in the specific organization and identify your most relevant skills or experiences.
At some point in your career you will have to write a letter of application. This is probably one of the most important letters you will ever have to write. The employer will probably have dozens of letters in response to their advertisement and yours needs to stand out from the rest. You must use this opportunity to create the right impression.
Task
- Construct a job application letter using the standard block- styled format.
- Revise an informal job application letter to make it more appropriate as formal letter.
- Identify parts of a formal business letter.
Process
THE EFFECTIVE BUSINESS LETTER
Why should business correspondence be a tough responsibility?
First impression lasts. The letter or memo represents the writer to his supervisors, colleagues and other employees. Therefore, the writer strives to leave the readers a good positive impression.
An effective letter, memo or report communicates with the right person, makes an impression, and tells the recipient who wrote it and when it was written.
Criteria for Effective Business Letter
- Completeness – inclusion of all necessary details
- Conciseness –short but complete
- Clarity – clear but accurate
- Courtesy – courteous greetings and manner of communication
- Coherence – unity of thought
- Cordial tone – indefinable disposition understood when the letter is read
- Style
Parts of a Business Letter
The Heading
– includes firm`s name, street number, city zone with number, and country or state. It gives the complete address of the writer and the date of writing. On a stationary with previously printed letterhead, the date is added two or three lines below. This is known as the dateline. The dateline is a flush to the right margin or centred on the paper.
Example:
The San Miguel B-Meg Corporation
650 A. Bonifacio Ave., Balintawak, Quezon City
August 17, 1997
The Inside Address
- The name and the address of the person or firm written to is regularly placed at the left margin below the date. All necessary titles before the name and the official position or designation, if known, in the company or institution, under the name are given. The name of the business firm is written exactly as it appears on the company’s letterhead using single spacing. Single spacing is used. the same style, block or indented for the heading, the inside address, and the envelope address or outside address should be kept throughout.
Example: (Block Style)
Dr. Renato Reyes
Rm. 11, UST Hospital
Espana, Sampaloc, Manila
The Salutation
- This takes place of the spoken greeting such as ‘Hello’, or ‘good morning’. it is always followed by a colon (:) except where the open punctuation style is used. Correct business salutations are:
Dear Mr. Santos:
Sir:
Dear Sir:
Gentlemen:
Madam:
Dear Ms. Reyes:
The salutation is begun at the left margin two spaces below the subject line in a typed letter and one space below in a script letter. There is no need to skip a line in a pen-written name. The first word and all titles and names are capitalized.
The Body
- The body of the letter contains the communication proper or message. Like the people they represent, business letters may be correct in form and attractive in appearance but still lack personality. There are helpful hints to make a letter stand out and get results these hints generally come about with the application of the C`s of Business letter writing such as clarity, completeness, conciseness, correctness, and courtesy.
The Complimentary Close
- This part of the letter after the body comes just above the signature. It is cordial and courteous leave-taking by the writer to his reader. Its degree of formality based upon the closeness of the writer to the reader is just about the same as the degree of formality expressed in the salutation.
It is typed about halfway across the page by capitalizing only the first word and placing a comma at the end.
Examples:
Yours truly,
Very truly yours,
Sincerely yours,
Respectfully yours,
The Signature
- The signature should be handwritten. It may be followed by an official title on the same line or on the line beneath. In the block and semi block styles, the written signature begins under the first word of the complimentary close.
You will work individually to complete this task.
- First, visit (https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/business-letters/ ) and read examples of job application letters. Next, based on the samples you`ve read construct your own job application letter (#1).
- Again for task #2, based on the samples you’ve read rewrite the informal letter (worksheet 1) to make it more formal; and
- Lastly identify the different parts of business letter by answering worksheet 2 (#3).
Evaluation
|
|
ADVANCE 5 pts. |
PROFICIENT 3 pts. |
BASIC 2 pts. |
MINIMAL 1 pt. |
|
Format: Full Block Style |
Format is correct: Placement, spacing and alignment are correct, including address, date, inside address, salutation, body, closing, and signature. |
One part of the format is incorrect: |
Two parts of the format are incorrect: |
Several parts of the format are incorrect: Placement, spacing and alignment are correct, including address, date, inside address, salutation, body, closing, and signature. |
|
Heading |
Includes your address, date, inside address. Date in correct format. |
Missing one component of the following: address, date, inside address, correct date format |
Missing two components of the following: address, date, inside address, correct date format |
Missing three or more components of the following: address, date, inside address, correct date format |
|
Salutation |
A proper salutation is used. Proper use of title, proper capitalization and use of the name, and the proper use of the colon are all included. |
Missing one component from the following: Proper salutation, proper use of title, proper use of name, proper capitalization of the name, or the proper use of the colon. |
Missing two components from the following: Proper salutation, proper use of title, proper use of name, proper capitalization of the name, or the proper use of the colon. |
Missing three or more components from the following: |
|
Body (Content) |
Body includes at least two complete paragraphs. The purpose is clearly stated. There is discussion/justification of main points. Action steps are stated clearly. A clear idea is stated in each paragraph and conveyed to the reader. |
Missing one component from the following: The purpose is clearly stated. There is discussion/justification of main points. Action steps are stated clearly. A clear idea is stated in each paragraph and conveyed to the reader. |
Missing two components from the following: The purpose is clearly stated. There is discussion/justification of main points. Action steps are stated clearly. A clear idea is stated in each paragraph and conveyed to the reader. |
Missing three or more components from the following: |
|
Closing and Signature |
Proper closing and signature are included with proper punctuation. |
Proper closing and signature are included, but no punctuation is used. |
Either proper closing or proper signature is correct. (One is incorrect.) |
An attempt was made, but neither the closing nor signature is correct. |
|
Spelling, Punctuation, Grammar |
Spelling, punctuation (within the body and heading) and grammar are completely correct. |
Spelling, punctuation (within the body and heading) and grammar are mostly correct (1 error). |
Several errors with spelling, punctuation (within the body and heading) and grammar (2 errors). |
Many errors in spelling, punctuation (within the body and heading) and grammar. (Errors >2). |
Conclusion
This activity will help you write business letters required in many different situations, from applying for a job to requesting or delivering information. While the examples that are discussed specifically are the application letter, this lesson also highlights strategies for effective business writing in general.