How to Write a Job Application Letter

A job application letter is an introduction letter you send with your resume or CV which provides information to a prospective employer on your skills and experience. This letter may be your only chance to “sell” yourself to the employer. You are able to explain why you are the ideal candidate for the job.

1. Outline: It is important you write an outline when are writing your job application letter. This is the structure of what you will write in your job application letter.

2. Write a Draft: If you write a draft job application letter after you have written your outline, you can use the outline as a guide for the rest of the application. You are developing a prototype application letter, so grammatical mistakes and punctuation errors at this stage are ok.

3. Tone: When writing a job application letter, ensure you treat the reader with respect. Always be polite. Use language that does not include slang or ambiguous words.

4. Be Brief: You need to walk the tightrope between giving the prospective employer reasons why you are the right person for the job and keeping the job application letter as brief as possible.
Employers can be very busy and do not want to spend time reading a pile of longwinded job application letters. Get to the purpose of your application letter in the first paragraph as this is where the employer will likely to look at first.

5. Tailor the letter to the position and the company: Tailoring your job application letter to the position that you are applying for as well as the company, will give the prospective employer the impression you are passionate about the position and the company. Employers want to hire people that show passion about the job. Tailoring your job application letter may be all you require to land the job of your dreams.

6. Use Quality Paper: If you are requested to send a hard copy of your job application letter, ensure you use a good quality paper. It makes a difference. You do not want your application looking ragged.

7. Proof-reading: proof-reading and re reading your job application letter will help you see mistakes that you will need to fix prior to sending your application letter. A great tip is to read your application letter out loud to yourself to ensure it makes sense and it flows.

8. Ending your application letter: When you are closing your job application letter, ensure that the tone matches your tone through the letter. Your letter closing needs to be polite, courteous, and respectful.

Common an acceptable closings that you can use to end your job application letter are:

• ‘Sincerely’
• ‘Yours sincerely’
• ‘Kind Regards’

9. It is ok to ask for help: Help is available to assist you with your job application writing. The professional team at Red Tape Busters can pair you with an experienced job application writer who will assist you to create a job winning application letter.