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Business Communication: Building Critical Skills
Kitty O. Locker, Ohio State University
Steven Kyo Kaczmarek, Columbus State Community College
Kathryn Braun, Sheridan College
Job Application Letters

E-Learning Session

  1. What kind of letter should I use? It depends on whether the company has asked for applications.
    1. Write a solicited letter when you know the company is hiring:
      • You've seen an ad
      • You've been advised to apply by a professor or friend
      • You've read in a trade publication that a company is expanding.
    2. Write a prospecting letter when you want to work for an organization but it has not announced it's hiring.
  2. How are the two letters different? They begin and end differently.
    1. Note the two patterns. TRANSPARENCY MASTER
  3. What two parts of the letter are the same? The body paragraphs discussing your qualifications.
    1. Use some of the same information for both letters. TRANSPARENCY MASTER
      • CONCEPT CHECK True or False: Addressing either letter to a generic job title rather than a specific person is a good idea because it's likely more than one person will read the letter. CONCEPT CHECK
  4. How long should my letter be? Use a full page.
    1. A short letter throws away the opportunity to be persuasive.
    2. Without eliminating content, tighten each sentence to be sure that you're using space as efficiently as possible.
    3. If you need more than a page, use it.
  5. How do I create the right tone? Use you-attitude and positive emphasis.
    1. You-attitude and positive emphasis help you sound assertive without being arrogant.
      • CONCEPT CHECK True or False: Omit positive emphasis in letters for jobs you really don't want but must apply for simply because you need work. CONCEPT CHECK
  6. The company wants an email application. What should I do?
    1. Follow these guidelines.
  7. Go to the Self-Quizzes section if you would like to test your understanding of this module.




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