JOB APPLICATION

COVERING LETTER
Sample 1: Application Letter
(Full Block Format)
1225 Hampton Street
Yonkers, NY 10407
March 15, 2003

Ms. Dianne C. Strand

Manager of Human Resources
ABC Industries
2000 Smith Street
White Plains, NY 10592

Dear Ms. Strand:

I am applying for the position of systems analyst, which was advertised on March 12 with the career
services office at Manhattan College. The position seems to fit very well with my education, experience,
and career interests.
Your position requires experience in computer systems, financial applications software, and end-user
consulting. With a major in computer information systems, I have training on mainframes,
minicomputers, and microcomputers as well as with a variety of software programs and applications. My
practical experience in my college’s computer center as a programmer and as a student consultant for
system users gave me valuable exposure to complex computer operations. Additionally, I worked as an
intern in computing operations for a large bank where I gained knowledge of financial systems. My
enclosed resume provides more details on my qualifications.
My background and career goals seem to match your job requirements well. I am confident that I can
perform the job effectively. Furthermore, I am genuinely interested in the position and in working for
ABC Industries. Your firm has an excellent reputation and [comes highly recommended to me*].
Would you please consider my request for a personal interview to discuss further my qualifications and to
learn more about this opportunity? I will call you next week to see if a meeting can be arranged. Should
you need to reach me, please feel free to call me at 914-779-2050. If I am not in, please leave a message
on my answering machine and I will return your call within a day.
Thank you for your consideration. I look forward to talking to you.
Sincerely,
(Written signature)
Lisa Watson
PARTS OF A JOB APPLICATION
Heading
Writer’s complete address (Return Address)
Current date
Inside Address
Receiver’s complete name, title, company and address
(Letter Address)
If you have a letterhead, you don’t need the Return
Address…
Use a nice letterhead for your cover letter. Check your
word processor for templates on formal letters.
You can also write your address in the top left corner
(American English) or top right corner (British
English), but don't write your name in this case.
 In English, the sender's name is only given in the
signature.
Remarks on the Date

 In British English the day is usually put before the month. If you wish, you
can add the ending of the ordinal number. The preposition of before the
month is usually dropped. You can put a comma before the year, but this is
not common anymore in British English.
 Example: 5(th) (of) October(,) 2004
 In American English the month is usually put before the day. If you wish,
you can put the definite article before the day. It is common to write a
comma before the year.
 Example: October (the) 5(th), 2004
 You can also write the date by using numbers only. The most common forms
are:
 Example: 5/10/04 or 5-10-04
 Note, however, that 5/10/04 usually means 5 October 2004 in British English
and May 10, 2004 in American English. To avoid any possibility of
confusion, you should spell out the month or use the abbreviation.
Recipient's Address in a Cover Letter
Position: on the left
Ms / Miss / Mrs / Mr / Dr ...
company
street
place
area code
COUNTRY (in capital letters)
PARTS (SALUTATION)
 If you know the person's name:
 When applying for a job, it is very important to know the name of the addressee
and address him/her personally.
 Dear Ms / Miss / Mrs / Mr / Dr + name
 Example: Dear Mr Miller
 Dear first name + surname
 Example: Dear Chris Miller
 If you don't know the person's name:
 If despite all efforts you cannot find out the addressee's name, the only
possibility is to use one of the following salutations:
 Salutation when to use Dear Sir or Madam esp. in British English Ladies and
Gentlemen esp. in American English To whom it may concern esp. in
American English
 Punctuation after the Salutation :
 Don’t Use a comma but you may use a colone
Subject Line in a Cover Letter

Cover letters don't usually contain a subject line.

BODY OF THE LETTER
Structure and Content
Introduction
Mention where you found out about the job offer and
show interest in the position.
Details
Give reasons for your application: Why are you the
ideal candidate? What relevant qualifications,
experiences do you have? (Important: refer to the
requirement given in the job description.)
Conclusion
Demonstrate your interest in the position once more.
The Opening Paragraph
The first paragraph of the letter should state clearly
and concisely why the letter is being written, the job
being applied for.
And how or where the applicant found out about the
job. If it is from a person possibly known to the
addressee, the applicant should state so, not only
identifying that person by name but also by title and
position and place of work. If it is from a newspaper
advertisement or other printed material, the applicant
should state the publication and the date of issue.
The Second Paragraph
The second and third paragraphs compose the main
body of the letter, where the applicant sells himself to
the addressee.
 In the second paragraph, the applicant can say
something about his personal circumstance, such as
his willingness to relocate.
 He can cite his highest educational achievement and
his present employment.
He can cite the reason(s) why he wants to change
jobs, without criticizing his present employer.
 All of these must be brief and to the point.
The Third Paragraph
The third paragraph is where the applicant tries to
match his experience and skills with the
requirements of the potential employer.
 The applicant must be careful to write about, and
highlight, only the skills and accomplishments that
are specific to the job being applied for, since the
curriculum vitae takes care of the rest.
The employer must see from these the benefits he can
derive from employing the applicant.
The Closing Paragraph

The last paragraph should be an offer for more

information if needed, and must indicate the
applicant's desire to be called for the next step, which
is normally an interview.
This part must also specify the availability of the
applicant for the next step, the address of the place or
the telephone number(s) where he can be contacted,
and the dates and time of these.
 In this part, the applicant must be careful not to be
rude or arrogant
Other Options and Tips

 A paragraph expressing the applicant's appreciation for being

considered might be added.
 This and the way of writing the other paragraphs help show
politeness, even as the applicant also shows an enthusiasm
bordering on passion for work and the job.
 It can help to do background research on the company and to
look at other sample letters of application.
 While the applicant should write in the style that best suits him,
the object must always be to catch the attention of the reader so
the application does not end up in the company's files, or
wastebasket.
How Important is the Application?
You are making your first impression!

It screens you out or in!

Creates the tone for the interview!

Getting Started
 What are the qualities your prospective employers want to see in you
and how will you convince them that you possess these qualities.
 Qualities: Reliability, Positive attitude, Pride in work, Effective
team worker, trustworthiness, willingness to learn, enthusiasm,
initiative, friendliness, ability to handle problems, people skills, etc.
 If you have any work experience, put it down. It doesn’t matter if
your work experience is irrelevant.
 How do Prove to your prospective employers that you have these
qualities?
 Show any activity that you have participated in, or relevant work
experience that demonstrates the above mentioned qualities. Job
Applications
A curriculum vitae
 A curriculum vitae (singular), meaning "course of one's life”, is a
document that gives much more detail than does a resume about your
academic and professional accomplishments.
 Curricula vitae (plural) are most often used for academic or research
positions, whereas resumes are the preferred documents in business and
industry.
 Curricula vitae are commonly used in applying for the following:
Admission to graduate school or as part of an application packet for a
graduate assistantship or scholarship. Grant proposals. Teaching, research,
and upper-level administrative positions in higher education. Academic
departmental and tenure reviews. College or university service
appointments. Professional association leadership positions. Speaking
engagements. Publishing and editorial review boards. Research and
consulting positions in a variety of settings.
A C.V. OR A RESUME ?
A curriculum vitae is typically more comprehensive to
some degree than a resume.
 RESUME FORMAT
CURRICULUM VITAE

Sanjay Dixit
# 512/B, 16th Main,
26th B-Cross, 6th Block,
9thblock,Jayanagar,
Banglore-69.

Email : [email protected]

Contact no : +91-9881234567

CAREER OBJECTIVE:

innovative and flexible.

EDUCATION QUALIFICATION:

SOFTWARE PROFICIENCY:

¨
ACHIEVEMENTS:

·
 PROJECT PROFILE:

 PERSONAL SKILLS:


 EXTRA CURRICULAR:

 ·

 PERSONAL PROFILE:

 Name :

 Father’s Name :

 Mother’s Name :

 Nationality :

 Date Of Birth :

 Hobbies :

 Languages Known :


 Place: (Sanjay Dixit)
CURRICULUM VITAE

Sanjay Dixit
# 512/B, 16th Main,
26th B-Cross, 6th Block,
9thblock,Jayanagar, Email : [email protected]
Banglore-69. Contact no : +91-9881234567

CAREER OBJECTIVE:

Seeking a position to utilize my skills and abilities in the Information Technology Industry that offers professional growth while being resourceful,
innovative and flexible.

EDUCATION QUALIFICATION:

Ø B.TECH in Electronics and communication engineering (2001-2005) from B.M.S.C.E. with 78% aggregate.

Ø Intermediate:Board of Intermediate Education 73.4% aggregate.

Ø A.I.S.S.E from CBSE board with 76% aggregate.

SOFTWARE PROFICIENCY:

¨ Languages : C, C++
¨ DBMS Packages : Oracle 8i
¨ Front End : VB 6.0
¨ Operating Systems : MS DOS,Windows98,NT,2000,XP
¨ Web Designing : JAVA,HTML,XML

ACHIEVEMENTS:

· Stood First in Inter College Group Discussions.

Topic: The affect of cinema on the present generation
· Participated in Electrosoft-2004, a national level event on paper presentation.
· Participated in college and school level debate and essay competition and received applauds
· Participated in college and school level debate and essay competition and received applauds
 PROJECT PROFILE:

Ø Project: Real Time Clock using Microcontroller AT 89C51,IC DS 1307 and I2C bi-directional bus.

DESCRIPTION: The DS1307 is a low powerful binary coded decimal(BCD) clock/calendar plus 56 bytes of NV SRAM. Address and data are
transferred serially through an I2C birectional bus.The Clock/Calendar provides seconds,minute,hours,day,
date, month,and year information.The end of the month date is automatically adjusted for months fewer than 31days including corrections for leap
year.The clock operates in either the 24-clock or 12-hour format with AM/PM indicator.The DS 1307 has a built in power sense circuit that detects power
failures and automatically switches to the battery supply.

PERSONAL SKILLS:

Comprehensive problem solving abilities, excellent verbal and written communication skills, ability to deal with people diplomatically, willingness to
learn team facilitator hard worker.

EXTRA CURRICULAR:

· Badminton Champion in Inter school competitions. (1998)

· Captain of school cricket team.
· Event organizer in all school and college annual day functions and other technical events.

PERSONAL PROFILE:

Name : Sanjay Dixit

Father’s Name : A.N. Dixit

Mother’s Name : K.Anandam

Nationality : Indian

Date Of Birth : 21.Sep 1983

Hobbies : Making new Friends,Travelling,Collecting coins

Languages Known : Telugu,English and Hindi

Place: Bangalore. (Sanjay Dixit)

RESUME -VS -C.V.
 While your resume - even for most graduate
students - should be kept to one page, vitae are
usually two pages at the shortest, and can be many
pages in length.
 Common lengths for curricula vitae are one to three
pages for bachelor's and master's degree candidates;
two to five pages for doctoral candidates; and five or
more pages for an experienced academician or
researcher.
Even though it's a longer document, write it concisely
and give it a clean, easy-to-read layout.
RESUME -VS -C.V. (Cont.)
 A curriculum vitae includes information about
professional publications, presentations, committee
work, grants received, and other details based on each
person's experience.
You can include: Education Master's thesis or project
Dissertation title or topic , Course highlights or areas
of concentration in graduate study Teaching experience
and interests .
What to include in a Curriculum Vitae
You can include: Research experience and interests
Consulting experience Internships or graduate
practical Fieldwork Publications Professional papers
and presentations
Grants received Professional association and
committee leadership positions and activities
Certificates and licensure Special training Academic
awards, scholarships, and fellowships Foreign study
and travel abroad Language competencies
Technical and computer skills
Purpose of a Resume
 A resume is a brief, concise document that presents, and
effectively sells, your most relevant and positive credentials
for employment, admission to graduate school, consideration for
a scholarship or fellowship, or other professional purpose.
 An effective resume gets you an interview, not a job. An
employer will usually spend 15 to 20 seconds reviewing your
resume, so the content of your resume must be clear, concise,
and targeted to the type of job for which you are applying.
 If your resume has a type or grammatical error, it will
probably jump off the page to an employer, and this is a way to
weed you out of a candidate pool.
 Your resume may be the only chance you get to make an
impression, so make it a good one.
Important
Your application is the first sample of your work that
employers will see!

Sell yourself by describing an interesting, enthusiastic

worker!