English for Job Application
Writing a cover letter
A cover letter is very important since it is the first impression you give to your prospective employer. It should include which position you are applying for and why you are applying for it, your relevant qualifications and experience and why you think you are a suitable candidate. Finish your letter with a statement hoping for future action.
1. Format
It is a usual practice now to use the Block Format, which means starting every part or paragraph on the left-hand side.
2. Addresses and Date (Skip this part in an email.)
Write your address, the date and then the name (if any), job title and address of the recipient as the following:
[Your address]
[Date]
[Name of the Recipient] (if any)
[Job title]
[Address]
3. Salutation
When applying for a job, the first thing you need to do is to write a cover letter to the organization/company you are applying to. Usually, you do not know the name of the person whom you are writing to. Therefore, for the salutation part, you have to write:
“Dear Sir/Madam”
If the name of that person is given, you need to write his/her surname in the salutation.
e.g. “Dear Mr Chan”, “Dear Ms Wong”, etc.
Never write the person’s full name such as “Dear Mr Peter Chan” or “Dear Ms Angela Wong”.
4. Subject Line
After the salutation, a subject line should be written stating which post you are applying for.
e.g. “Application for the post of Management Trainee”, “Application for the post of Mathematics Teacher”, etc.
You can underline the subject in order to highlight the position you are applying for the person-in-charge to notice at once.
5. Introductory Paragraph
To begin your letter, you can use one of the following phrases to state how you know the vacant position:
- In response to
- With reference to
- With regard to
In the same phrase, mention where you have obtained the information for this post.
e.g. “In response to the information in your school website”,
“With reference to your advertisement in the South China Morning Post”,
“With regard to the information in JobsDB”, etc.
Then, write the post you are applying for.
e.g. “In response to the information in your school website, I am writing to apply for the position of Mathematics teacher.”
“With reference to your advertisement in the South China Morning Post, I am writing to apply for the post of Management Trainee in your company.”
After that, there should be a brief statement about why you think you are suitable for the job.
e.g. “I believe I am a suitable candidate since I majored in Executive Management in my undergraduate studies and I had joined an internship programme to work in an import and export firm for two consecutive summers.”
6. Your Qualifications
In the next paragraph, you need to continue mentioning your qualifications, especially those which are relevant to the position you are applying for.
e.g. “As mentioned above, I have obtained a degree in Executive Management in the Education University of Hong Kong, which has provided me with a great academic background suitable for the vacant position. In my undergraduate studies, I …”
Continue with some knowledge you acquired during your university studies related to the job you are applying for.
7. Your Experiences
The following part is about your work experiences. If you have any full-time, part-time and internship experiences relevant to the post, mention them here.
e.g. “My internship programme in Wing Shing 1/E Company Limited enabled me to obtain practical knowledge of management practices, HR operations and staff functions.”
(You can combine No.6 and 7 if the information is not too long.)
8. Your Personality
State the positive traits of your personality which you think will be beneficial to your job application.
e.g. “I am sincere and honest, eager to work and to upgrade myself. I am well-organized and attentive to details. In addition, I have strong communication skills, which are vital to success in the management field.”
9. Ending and Call For Action
Mention again that you are the right candidate and that you have enclosed (for a letter) or attached (for an email) your CV. Thank the person-in-charge for reading your letter and express your interest in attending an interview.
e.g. “Finally, from the aforementioned, it can be noticed that my qualifications and experiences would enable me to effectively perform the duties of the post I am applying for.”
“I have enclosed/attached my CV for your reference.”
“Thank you very much for your time in reviewing this letter. I can attend an interview at your earliest convenience.”
10. Complimentary Close
Write “Yours sincerely” if you start with “Dear” and the name of the person.
On the other hand, write “Yours faithfully” if you begin with “Dear Sir/Madam”.
Then sign your name and write your full name.
Things to note
- Keep your Cover Letter to one page if possible. Your prospective employer does not want to use much time to read long letters.
- If there is not enough space, you can delete your address since it is stated in your CV.
- Make sure you use the correct format (block or indented) and style (formal but friendly).
- Check your grammar and spelling very carefully.
Exercise 1
Watch a YouTube clip about some tips of writing a cover letter (12:40-17:40) and answer the questions below.
Title: How to Write a Perfect COVER LETTER in Six Steps (with Example)
Channel: LetThemTalkTV
- State the job you are applying for
- Mention who you are and what you have done
- Use a few adjectives to describe yourself
- Make a personalized statement
- Say what you can do for the organization
- Give a call for action
To read his CV
It is because the company matches his own style and outlook and because of the company’s various campaigns
Develop new marketing strategies and increase their business
He has asked the prospective employer to contact him by telephone or email and grant him an interview.
Block letter format
‘Dear Ms Talbot’ and ‘Yours sincerely’
Exercise 2
The following are two cover letters for applying for the post of a project assistant. Decide which one is good and which one is bad and why according to the format, style, content, grammar and spelling.
Letter A
20th June, 20XX
Personnel Manager
Move Forward Co. Ltd.
1234 Hong Kong Financial Centre
56 Central Road
Hong Kong
Dear Sir/Madam
Application for the post of Project Assistant
With reference to your advertisement in the North China Morning Post, I am writing to apply for the post of Project Assistant. Since I possess the skills needed and the qualifications you are looking for, I believe that I am the right candidate for the post.
During my university studies, I organized several projects, some with my lecturers and some with my schoolmates. By doing these projects, I learned coordination skills, organization skills, project schedule management and project reporting skills. During my internship programmes, I acquired experiences on task allocation, team management and documentation. These are all essential to the job of a project assistant.
I am sincere and honest, eager to work and to upgrade myself. I am well-organized and attentive to details. In addition, I have good interpersonal skills which make me a strong team member. As I have good analytical skills, I believe that with my persistence and strong motivation to excel, I will have no difficulty in adapting to the environment in Move Forward. Since your company has an excellent reputation with unique projects, I will try my best to make use of my knowledge and abilities to enhance your business.
Finally, it can be noticed that my qualifications and experiences would enable me to effectively perform the duties of the post I am applying for. I have attached my CV in this letter. You can contact me anytime by phone or email. I can attend an interview at your earliest convenience and sincerely hope that you will give my application very serious consideration. Thank you very much for your time in reading this letter.
Yours faithfully
Chris
Wong
Chris Wong
Letter B
20th June, 20XX
Personnel Manager
Move Forward Co. Ltd.
Hi Sir/Madam
Application for the post of Project Assistant
I am writing to apply for the above post.
When I’m studying in the univesity, I’ve organized some project with my lecturers and several guys. We all fell very happy and learned a lot of skills. I think the skills are useful to your company.
I am cheerful person with good exam results. I am very hardworking. Therefore, Mov Forward will very happy to employ me.
You can look at my CV. Contact me by phon or email. I can attend an interview. Thank you very much.
Cheers
Chris Wong
Chris Wong
Letter A is good while Letter B is bad:
Format
Letter A is consistent and uses the block letter format throughout. However, Letter B is not consistent, sometimes block but sometimes indented.
Style
Letter A uses a formal but friendly style. But in Letter B, the applicant has not given the full address of the company. The greeting and complimentary close are too casual by using “Hi” and “Cheers”. The word “guys” is not suitable either. The applicant has even used an imperative sentence “Contact me…”, which sounds like an order.
Content
In Letter A, the applicant has introduced where he has got the information of the vacancy and why he is a suitable candidate. He has also mentioned the project work he has done and what he has learned. Then he continues to describe his personality matching the job requirements. Finally, he has an appropriate call for action in the last paragraph. On the other hand, in Letter B, the applicant’s introduction is too short without mentioning where he has obtained the information of the vacancy. He has not stated what kinds of skills he has learned from the projects he has done. When it comes to the personality, he has not related this to the job he is applying for. In addition, he should write “I will be very happy to work in Move Forward” rather than “Mov Forward will very happy to employ me”. Moreover, he has not mentioned when he will be available for an interview.
Grammar
Letter A has no grammatical errors while Letter B has a few. The applicant should not use “I’m studying” and “I’ve organized”; he should use “I studied” and “I organized” instead. He has also made mistakes with singular and plural nouns like “some project” instead of “projects” and “cheerful person” instead of “a cheerful person”. Besides, he has missed the main verb “be” in “will very happy”.
Spelling
In Letter A, there are no spelling errors but in Letter B there are several: “university”, “Move” and “phone”. The applicant has even used “fell” instead of “felt”!
Further References
1. How To Write a Cover Letter (Plus Tips and Examples)
This link gives information on how to write a cover letter with examples. There are also guidelines to keep in mind when writing a cover letter.
https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/resumes-cover-letters/how-to-write-a-cover-letter
2. How to Write a Cover Letter
This link highlights details on how to write each paragraph of a cover letter with focuses on the content and formatting. There is also information on how to make a cover letter online.
https://resumegenius.com/blog/cover-letter-help/how-to-write-a-cover-letter
3. Sample Cover Letter for a Job Application
This link introduces what a cover letter is and tips on writing the letter. There are some sample cover letters and a template which can be downloaded.
https://www.thebalancecareers.com/job-application-letter-sample-2062548