Some employers may ask you to send in a letter of application, rather than a CV or application form. A few may even ask you to ‘apply in writing’.

 

Although this is much less common than it used to be, it is still important to know how to set out a letter of application.

 

Normally, you would word-process or type the letter. You would send a hand-written letter only if the employer specifically asks you to apply in writing.

 

The advert below is fairly typical of job adverts placed in local newspapers.  

 

Here are some guidelines on writing letters of application, and an example of a letter applying to the advert.

 

Your contact details 

Top right hand corner: your full address and postcode, followed by telephone number and e-mail address if you have one.

 

Date

Enter the date.

 

The name and address of the person you are writing to

Top left hand corner: the name (if possible, first name and surname), title of the person’s post within the firm and name and address of the firm.

 

Formal opening of the letter ('Dear........')

Write, for example, ‘Dear Mr. Smith' or 'Dear Ms White'. Only address a lady as ‘Miss’ or ‘Mrs’ if she has indicated that this is the title she prefers. If you don’t know the name of the person the letter is going to, use ‘Dear Sir or Madam’.

 

Introduction

Start with the title of the vacancy and reference number, on a separate line. The first sentence would then normally be in the form ‘I am writing to apply for the above post as advertised in The Advertiser of 11 June 2008.’

 

Education

In a new paragraph give a brief outline of your education, together with any qualifications you have gained, and information on skills. You should also include details of any courses (part-time or full-time) that you are currently studying. Also mention any relevant certificates you have such as lifesaving, driving licence or first aid.

 

Experience

In this paragraph, outline any experience you have that is relevant to the job you are applying for.

 

‘Experience’ includes not just full-time paid work, but voluntary work, school work experience, training courses, field trips, projects and work-based placements.

 

Check out the vacancy job title on the internet or in your school or college careers library and find out what duties are involved. Relate your skills and experience gained so far to the duties required in the job.

 

Interests

Here, stress any experience or skills you’ve gained through your out-of-school interests and activities which could be relevant to the job. Only list hobbies you can talk about confidently.

 

Why you?

This is your chance to say why you are a good candidate for the job. Why should the employer interview you for the job? What makes you stand out amongst the other applicants?

 

References

Give the names and addresses of two referees the employer might write to. You should include a teacher from school or a college tutor or a present or previous employer as one referee.

 

Don’t include relatives as referees. However if you have a relative working for the company already you could mention him or her by name in another part of the letter.

 

Make sure that you ask your referees for permission to use their names before you apply. If you are working at the moment you may not want your present employer to know that you are applying for other jobs. In this case state in your letter that ‘references can be supplied.’ You can then supply the names and addresses of referees if you get to the next stage.

 

Availability

Say when you’ll be available for interview and mention any dates you won’t – for example if you have exams coming up.

 

Yours sincerely/faithfully

End up with ‘Yours sincerely’ when you are writing to a specific person by name, otherwise use ‘Yours faithfully’. Sign the letter, then print or type your name after your signature.

 

Example letter of application             

                                                                                      22 Springfield Lane

Auchenshoogle

AS1 5BE

 

25 June 2008

 

Mrs Sheena Arbuthnot

Human Resources Section

Ark Construction

105 High Street

Auchenshoogle

AS5 GDU 

 

Dear Mrs Arbuthnot

 

I am writing to apply for the post of Clerical Assistant (Ref.Ark32), which was advertised in the Auchenshoogle Courier on 24 June 2008.

 

I have just finished my fourth year at Auchenshoogle High School, and am now looking for employment. I became sixteen on 21 April this year, and recently completed the following Standard Grades:

 

• English, maths, computing studies, drama and modern studies (at general/credit level); and
• French and science (at general/foundation level).

My exam results are due in August this year. I expect to get Credit level 2 or 3 for most of my Standard Grades, except French and science where I am expecting level 4. I have achieved Intermediate 2 in the following Core Skills: communication, problem solving, numeracy, working with others and information technology. I have a very good working knowledge of all of the main Microsoft Office programs, particularly Word and Excel.

 

In February this year I did a one-week work experience placement in the administration section of Jones Garage Services in Torhill, and thoroughly enjoyed it. I have been interested in clerical work for some time, mainly because I enjoy working with figures and computer software packages. My work experience placement gave me the opportunity to use my computer skills. I worked on word processing several types of documents, as well as creating and updating financial spreadsheets. I also had experience of filing, preparing outgoing mail and photocopying. I enjoyed working with people from the other departments and helping out at the reception desk and on the telephone.

 

My general interests include amateur dramatics and keeping fit. I took part in the Auchenshoogle Ladies 10K race earlier this year.

 

I feel that my skills and personal qualities make me a good candidate for the post that you have advertised. I am hard-working and keen to learn. I would also be interested in studying part-time for relevant qualifications as I would like to improve my chances of promotion within the company in the longer term.

 

My referees are:

 

Mrs K Jones

Office Manager

Jones Garage Services

4 Acre Lane

Auchenshoogle AS1 9BE

 

Mrs E McCabe

Principal Teacher for Guidance

Auchenshoogle High

2 School Road

Auchenshoogle AS3 7GU