Basic Information

A letter of application is probably the most important business letter you will have to write in your professional career, as the product on offer is YOU. As a consequence you will try to present yourself as best as possible and make the company invite you to a job interview.

The first step in marketing yourself is your letter of application. Therefore you should always remember these steps:

• Opening: When writing a solicited application you should always refer to the job advertisment and the job you want to apply for, whereas you only have to state the source of information about the company and a short description of the possible job in an unsolicited application.
  

• Arouse interest: You want the company to become interested in you, so make your letter of application something special. Think about ways of how to make your application more memorable.

• Create desire: Highlight your qualifications, experience and interest, which are relevant for the vacancy, and convince your future employer that you are the most suitable person for the job. Be careful not to exaggerate, but do not leave anything out that could prove to be an advantage over your competitors. Moreover, show your motivation and add some ideas of what you want to try to achieve in your new job.
  

• Convince the reader: To make your qualifications and experience more convincing attach official certificates and testimonials and refer to your CV/resumé and other documents.
  

• Move the reader to action: You should end your letter of application with asking to be considered for the job as well as for an interview. Do not forget to add when an interview would be possible and convenient for you.

Apart from these steps you should be careful not to write too much. Thus, you should pay attention to the ABC rule. This rule says that you should be accurate, brief and clear in your letter. Do not say more than necessary and always bear in mind that your letter should not be longer than 20 lines.

Source:
Clarke, David. Focus On Modern Business Communication. Berlin/Linz: Cornelsen Verlag und Veritas Verlag, 2006.
Häusler-Greenfield, Pat und Klaus Häusler. Getting Through In Business. Ausgabe für Handelsakademien Teil 2. Salzburg: Verlag Neues Schulbuch, 2003 (2001).

Letter of Application.pdf (110.45 KB)

Activity_Parts of Letter.pdf (71.84 KB)

Activity_Parts of Letter_Solution.pdf (86.56 KB)

Activity_Phrases.pdf (99.29 KB)    

Activity_Letter of Application.pdf (88.4 KB)