MAISHA: LETTER WRITING GUIDE

Cover Letter What is a cover letter?
A cover letter is a brief one page letter sent along with the resume to potential employers. The purpose of the cover letter is to present yourself to potential employers and to let them know what position you are interested in and why you'd be a good fit for their company.

Cover Letter Format
The cover letter format should be almost identical to the regular business letter format.

Cover Letter Writing
Generally the cover letter will consist of three paragraphs. The first paragraph is an introductory one which introduces yourself. You want to include information on the position you are looking for and how you heard about and why you are interested in the position and/or company.

The second paragraph should provide information on your skill, strengths, education, qualifications and/or experience. This paragraph should be concise and give specific examples of why you are the ideal candidate and not simply restate your resume.

The final paragraph should close up the letter by requesting an interview and possibly suggestion times that are convenient for you or stating that you can come in at a time that's convenient for the employer. Also you should let the recipient know what the best way and/or time to contact you is (you should let them know both your contact email and phone number so that they can contact you in their preferred method). Or you can let them that you'll follow up on this letter with a phone call in several days. You should thank them for their time to close up the letter.

Each cover letter that you send out should be unique and tailored to the specific company and position you are applying to. Using one cookie cutter cover letter will lessen your chances for landing an interview. Also be sure to check for grammar and spelling and keep the letter to one page in length.

Business Letter Purpose of a Business Letter
A business letter has many different uses and is a formal way of communicating between two or more parties. Business letters can be informational, persuasive, motivational, or promotional. Business letters should be typed and printed out on standard 8.5" x 11" white paper.

Elements of a Good Letter
The most important element of writing a good letter is your ability to identify and write to your audience. If you are addressing your letter to the department of human resources, avoid using highly technical terms that only engineers would understand, even if your letter is addressed to an engineering company, chances are that the personnel in human resources does not have an engineering background.

The next element is that you make sure your present your objective in a clear and concise manner. Don't be vague about your objective, most people will not have the patience to sit there and guess at the meaning of your letter or the time to read a long-winded letter, just get to the point without going into unnecessary details.

Another important element to remember is to remain professional. Even if you are writing a complaint letter, remain polite and courteous, simply state the problem(s) along with any other relevant information and be sure to avoid threats and slander

Complaint Letter The complaint letter should be written in the business letter format . When writing a complaint letter you want to keep it short and to the point to help ensure that your letter will be read in its entirety, if you write a seven page complaint letter, it's highly unlikely that someone will sit down and read all seven pages.

The complaint letter should be addressed to the customer service/consumer affairs department or the head office if there is no customer service department. The address and contact information of the customer service department should be available on the company's products or website.

Complaint Letter Writing
In the first paragraph you should identify what the issue is and any relevant information that you believe is important. Be sure to include the following information if it's applicable to the situation: the date/time of the issue, location, name of person on duty, name of product, what the problem was, your account number, model number, price, warranty information and reference number. Be sure to stick with the facts and avoid putting emotions into your letter.

The next paragraph should state what you would like done to resolve the situation. If you received poor service, you could request an apology or a coupon. If a product malfunctioned, you could request that you could exchange the product for a new one or request a refund.

The last paragraph should thank the reader for the time. You can also throw in some compliments about something you liked about their company's product or service.

You should include your telephone number/e-mail address after your printed name so that they can contact you ASAP if necessary.

Be sure to keep a copy of the letter for yourself and include photocopies of any relevant documents and enclose them with your letterResignation Letter Before sitting down and writing a resignation letter, you should be almost 100% certain that you want to leave your current job, if not many complications can arise.

The resignation letter should be written in the business letter format and be directed towards your supervisor or manager.

At a minimum the letter should state that you are leaving, when you are leaving, and thank them for the time that they have employed you. It is common courtesy to give at least two weeks notice before you leave your job, but sometimes you'll have no control over it.

It is important that you keep your letter positive, you want to maintain a good relationship with your employer and co-workers, and they can be potential future references or business associates. If you feel like your reason for leaving is honorable, you can include the reason for leaving in your letter, but if you think your reason for leaving may rub your employer the wrong way, there is no need to put the reason in your letter.

Resignation Letter Writing
The first paragraph of your letter should state that you are leaving and when you are leaving.

The second paragraph should explain your reason for leaving the company.

In the third paragraph you can offer to make your resignation go smoothly for the company. For example, you can offer to help train a replacement with the time you still have left.

The last paragraph should thank the employer for the opportunity to work for, wish them well and/or express interest in maintaning your professional relationship

Interview Thank You Letter You should write a thank you letter as soon as possible (within 24 hours is recommended) after the job interview, at a minimum this should be done through email but is recommended that you do this through a hard-copy of a letter printed out of your computer which can be sent in through the postal mail or faxed in. Hand written notes on thank you cards are also acceptable and good for short thank you notes.

A hard-copy thank you letter should be written in the business letter format, while an email should be sent in the same format but without the heading (your return address, their address, and the date).

Thank you letter writing
The first paragraph should consist of thanking the interviewer for the interviewing you (remind him/her about the position you interviewed for and the date of your interview). You can also include information about your impressions about the company.

The second paragraph should state your interests in the company and include any additional information about yourself that was not brought up in the interview which would make you a good candidate for the position. You can also emphasize your qualifications that were already discussed during the interview (don't make this paragraph too long, try to keep it between 3-5 sentences, pick the traits that you think were most important to the interviewer and emphasize them).

The last paragraph should let the recruiter know that you expect to hear from them soon. Also let them know that you are available to come in again and are willing to discuss the job further. Write down your contact information again and what the best method and/or time to contact you is. To finish up the letter, thank them again for the interview

Apology Letter An apology letter shows that you are sorry and says that you value your relationship with the other party. The sooner an apology letter is written and sent out the better it is for the relationship. Depending on the nature of the letter, it can either be written in the friendly or the business letter format.

Friendly/Personal Apology Letter
If this is a personal letter you should start the letter by saying that you are sorry to the recipient. Next you should admit your fault and take responsibility for your actions. Next you should volunteer or ask if there is any way that you can help out to resolve the situation. Then you should let the recipient that you will try to make sure that the situation will not happen again. To close off the letter you should apologize again. When writing a personal apology letter it should come from the heart and be sincere.

Formal/Business Apology Letter
If this is a business letter you should start the letter by saying that you are sorry to the recipient. Next you should give an explanation as to what went wrong. Then you should try to rectify the problem. To close off the letter you should apologize again.

Recommendation Letter If you are requested to write a letter of recommendation but think that he/she is a poor employee/student or if you don't know him/her very well it is best if you decline. If you feel that you know the employee/student well it is a good idea to ask for additional information and/or conduct a short interview with them so that you'll have solid information to write in your letter

Follow the business letter format with the exception of the inside address which you can leave out if it is unknown. Unless the name of the person is given to you, you should address the "To Whom It May Concern:" Also be sure to include your phone number and/or e-mail so the reader can contact you with any questions.

Letter of Recommendation Writing
The first paragraph should start out by stating your relationship to the applicant and how long you have known him/her. You should also state your professional position at the company/school and any additional information about yourself that will help build your credibility as a good reference.

The second paragraph should focus on building the applicant. It should give an overview of the candidate and his/her strengths and qualities.

The next 2 to 3 paragraphs should focus on a single quality followed by an example(s) of how they show that quality.

The closing paragraph should reiterate that the applicant would be a good employee/student and add any additional comments that you may want to bring up. You can also write about why you think the employee/student will be a good fit with the company, school, and/or position. Also let the reader know that he/she can contact you if they have any additional questions.

Download - Recommendation Letter Example

Requesting a Letter of Recommendation
Getting a good recommendation letter can significantly help you out in your application process so it is important to ask someone who you are in good terms with for a letter. It is also important to ask someone that knows you well for a recommendation and ask them for it in person. If you are seeking a letter for college or graduate schools, then it is recommended that you request letters from your teachers/professors. If you are seeking a letter for a job, business or professional school then it would be ideal if you got one from your current company. If you have not been at your current company long or if you are not currently employed then asking a previous employer is recommended. If that is not possible seek recommendations from respected professionals that you may know, such as doctors, lawyers, politicians, ministers and so on.

Ask for the letters early on, don't wait until the day before the letter is supposed to be sent in to request the letters of recommendation. Instead ask ahead of time. If you are going to apply to school ask your professor at least a month ahead of time. If you are seeking a professional letter, ask for a letter of recommendation whenever you leave a job.

Assist the writer with as much material as necessary, providing the writer with your resume and a list of achievments will make it easier on the writer. You may also want to give him/her any information that will help with the letter including your plans for the future, your strengths, experiences and other qualities you want to be presented in the letter. Be honest about the information you give, if you embellish it'll catch up with you later.

You should provide the writer with a stamped and addressed envelope. Also if there is a guideline that needs to be followed or any other material that needs to be filled out, you should provide that to him/her.

After the letter is sent out, you should send a thank you note to the writer. You can also thank them in person or over the phone as well.

Friendly Letter Purpose of a Friendly Letter
A friendly letter is a way of communicating between two people (sometimes more) who are usually well acquainted. There are many uses and reasons for writing a friendly letter, but usually friendly letters will consist of topics on a personal level. Friendly letters can either be printed or hand-written.

Friendly Letter Writing
The friendly letter is typically less formal than that of a business letter. Usually the first paragraph of the body will consist of an introduction which will give the recipient an idea about you're writing to them with a short summary of the main topic of your letter. If you don't know the person you are writing to, you may want to introduce yourself in this introductory paragraph as well.

The next few paragraphs will usually consist of the message you want to get across along with any details you may want to convey.

The last paragraph will usually be the conclusion where you wrap everything up. You can sum up your main idea in this paragraph, thank the recipient for their time, wish the recipient well, and/or ask any questions.

Since friendly letters are less formal, you can feel free to write it however you like, but the above format is fairly common.

Thank You Note There are many reasons for writing a thank you note. Thank you notes may be written after receiving a gift, help from a friend, for attendance at an important event, or for any other occasion where you feel it is necessary. A simple thank you note shows your appreciation, it will make the person you are thanking feel better, improve your image as a grateful person, and/or increase the likelihood the person you are thanking will help out again.

Thank You Note Writing
Thank you notes can be written on just about anything but writing it on something nicer than just plain white paper or through email will add to the value and presentation of your note. A thank you note that is hand written on a card will look more personalized and sincere than a note printed off the computer. Notes can either be mailed or given in person but the sooner it is done the better, usually within two weeks is a good time frame to use. Thank you notes are usually simple but thoughtful messages thank you write to express your gratitude.