Job Application Letter Writing Made Easy With These Tips

Writing a Job Application Letter can be difficult, especially if you´re unsure where to start. To help you along, I've prepared a good job application example letter to get you started with writing your own letters, on this page.

On this page you'll find my Top 7 application letter writing tips and further down clear instructions on how to layout your letter.

When you consider that the way you write your job cover letters may be the only thing standing between you and the job you want, you start to realize how important it is to include your best key strengths offer which can create instant interest.

So, with that in mind, I hope that you will find the following expert's cover letter layout advice and the cover letter example further down this page, to be helpful. Go straight to the letter example, which is on this page, so you can copy it.

Job Application Letter Writing Tips

In my experience as both an employer and as a Recruitment Consultant, I found that if people couldn't be bothered to give their job application letter the attention it really needed, then I generally couldn't be bothered to interview them.

Here are some great tips on composing a winning job cover letter to accompany your CV or resume:

1. Address the letter to the appropriate person by name. The biggest mistake professionals make is not taking the time to address their letter to the appropriate person, such as the recruiter or the hiring manager. Take the time to address your letter to the appropriate person; if the job description does not include a person as a contact, take a cue from the text and address the letter to the team listed as the contact. Using generic lines, such as “To whom it may concern,” is not acceptable in any form of application.

2. Know what the goal of your letter is and express it clearly, and concisely. Sell yourself in the best possible light; make sure that you sound like a confident professional. Concentrate on the positives, and highlight those qualifications that make you a perfect candidate for the job. Even if you feel insecure in your qualifications, or feel that you may be slightly under-qualified for the job, put your best skills forward.

3. Customize your letter to the position you are applying for. It is very important that your application addresses why you are the best person for the job you are seeking. This includes indicating the job title in the application letter.

4. Do NOT make generic statements, or statements indicating that you might be interested in any open position with the company, as these make you appear unprofessional and unprepared.

5. Answer these two questions: why do you want this particular job, and what can you do for the company? These two questions must be addressed in your job application letter in order to let your employer know that you are serious about your interest, that you have considered the opportunity and how it fits with your professional goals, and what you are willing to bring to the table in order to benefit the organization you want to work for.

6. Proofread your letter, or better still, get someone else to read it over carefully. They are more likely to spot errors than you are. Errors and misspellings give a very poor impression to the potential employer.

7. Close your letter by indicating to your potential employer when you intend to follow up your application. Do not end the letter by asking the employer to call you at their convenience. Let the employer know that you want to follow up, when and how you will do so. This confirms your interest in the position, and your professional etiquette. Note, if you say you intend to follow up, then you MUST follow up when and how you indicated in your application.

Job Application Letter Layout

Like any other cover letter you might write, you should start at the top with your contact information in the upper right of the page. The heading of the letter should include your full postal and email address, and both your mobile (cell) and home telephone numbers; make it easy to be contacted quickly.

• At the top left of the page put the prospective employer's or Agency's postal address, including the name and job title of the person you are writing to. If you don't already know the name, try to find out, because it will show that you take the trouble to do things well. A quick phone call will usually get you the right person's name.

• Add the date of your letter - the particular format doesn't matter.

• Its always best to use a formal salutation such as: Dear Mr. / Ms. / Mrs. (you should ideally try to address your letter to a named person as above).

• Only use 'Dear Sir' or 'Dear Madam' if you cannot find out the person's name.

• When you are applying for an advertised position, put the job title and reference number in bold as a heading to your job application letter. This should follow a line of space below the name of the person you're writing to.

• The 1st. paragraph of your job application letter should express your interest in the position, and briefly say why the job is of specific interest to you. Use the word 'interest' and see how much better is the reaction to your job cover letters.

• The 2nd. paragraph of your letter now introduces your CV and briefly summarizes your key strengths, qualifications and experience in the organization´s market sector. I recommend that you use no more than 5 or 6 bullet points to emphasize these matching qualifications which you will also match to the advertised requirements.

• Use the third paragraph to add a sentence or two expanding a couple of relevant points that you pick out from the job advert, taking care to identify the most important skill or experience they have asked for.

• The closing paragraph should then reiterate your interest - use the word again - and confidence in your ability. It also states that you are looking forward to meeting the employer at interview. Don't think you're being too pushy by saying that.

• For your closing line you should follow this conventional approach.

  'Yours sincerely' if your letter was sent to a named person, or 'Yours faithfully' if you did not know the person´s name.

Finish off the letter by adding your name, signed by hand if mailing by traditional post and showing that you are enclosing a CV, like this:

Your Name

Enc: CV

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Let's see how that looks with an example...

An Example Job Application Letter:

To enlarge or print this application letter example click Job Application Letter.

Writing a job application letter can be made quite straightforward if you just follow my guidelines above and don't try to over-complicate the matter. When writing job cover letters, simplicity is always the best rule to follow but make sure that you cover the points above for the sake of giving the prospective employer the right information, then be sure that you check your spelling and English grammar because some people will reject your CV and letter for the smallest mistakes. I know I have done when recruiting new people.

So when sending your employment application in your CV or resume should be accompanied by a letter of application, and these two items form a complete package. Your letter will help you to:

• sell yourself by pointing out key features of your CV.
• include material that is not in the CV, especially personal qualities that you listed when making your preparations.
• show a prospective employer that you know how to write a letter. While this may be of decreasing importance in an electronic age, many employers do still value it as a test of your ability to communicate in writing.

If you have been on maternity leave or been away from the workplace for other reasons and are now thinking about returning to work this job application letter is a great place to start your preparations.

Other helpful pages in this section:

Job Application Form.
For some advertised jobs, this may be a requirement and you may be asked to contact the employer to get a copy of the application form in the first instance, but if you need to fill in an application form to apply for the job, these are the main things to think about. Get this right and the rest is easy.

Cover Letter Resources
Cover Letter Resources from Your Career Change and EasyJob help you land the job you dream of by writing a good cover letter!

Thank You Letters
Although interview Thank You Letters could not really be described as 'cover letters' in the true sense, they are important to you after your interview because they can be used to remind the interviewer and reinforce your enthusiasm for the job they have on offer.

In fact, it has been known for a job offer to be made following the receipt of a thank you letter. A 'maybe' was turned into a 'yes, definitely'.

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