Application Letter Writing

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The application letter you send with your resume provides you with your first opportunity to present yourself to a potential employer. It is more than just a brief cover note in which you merely introduce yourself, ask the employer to accept your application, and refer to your attached documents. Together with your resume it provides you with an opportunity to sell yourself as a highly suitable candidate for the job. There are usually two types of application letters:
a response to an advertised position or personal contact
seeking to be considered for possible job vacancies. This type of letter is also known as a ‘speculative’ or ‘cold canvas’ letter.

Points to Remember while Application Letter Writing

The letter is a link between your resume and the job or organisation. It is used to emphasis, to highlight or to build on information in your resume, and to convince the organisation you have skills and experience necessary to be the best applicant for the position.

Your application should be specifically tailored to each situation.

You should contact the company and find out additional information such as the name of the person to whom you need to address the letter and whether they can provide you with any additional information about the company e.g. brochures and annual reports.

Use the Library or the Internet to research additional information about the company so that you can tailor your letter specifically to the company.

As the employer might have many applications to read the letter needs to be concise and to the point. An application letter is no more than one page long. Four or five paragraphs will be needed however, to convey your essential messages (see format on the next page).