EMPLOYMENT LETTERS

Silvia IRIMIEA, PhD

Associate Professor of Linguistics

AML Dept, S.Irimiea, commerc

ial correspondence, 2005

EMPLOYMENT LETTERS
Types of EL:
Application letters/employment applications
The rsum
Letters requesting references or recommendations
Letters of acknowledgement
Letters accepting or refusing a job offer
Thank-you letters
Letters of resignation

AML Dept, S.Irimiea,

Employment steps
The steps undertaken by a job applicant are:
Identifying your strengths and skills
Researching job opportunities/sources
Finding the job opportunity / advertisement
Reading it carefully to understand the job requirements
Preparing the Application letter/cover letter and the
CV/rsum- identify
Drafting the AL and the CV/rsum
Sending the documents
Preparing for the interview
The interview
Interview follow-up letters

AML Dept, S.Irimiea,

Identifying your strengths, abilities,

interests and skills
A sound understanding and awareness of your abilities and
qualifications is crucial; this leads to a thorough survey or
scrutiny of your
present
past
professional background
professional knowledge
professional and non-professional
experience
interests
crafts
vocational skills tests

AML Dept, S.Irimiea,

Researching job opportunities/sources

Once you have assessed your qualifications and determined
which jobs you would like to have you look at several
employment sources that can help you find openings that
match your qualifications.
Job sources:
School/university placement offices
Newspapers and professional journals
Employment agencies(state, private)
Professional groups and associations
Personal referrals and recommendations(job hunting,
activate network of people you know)
Civil service and institutional offices
Inquiries to companies

AML Dept, S.Irimiea,

Finding the job opportunity / advertisement

and understanding the job requirements

This means reading a chosen advertisement carefully for a

complete and accurate understanding of the
job requirements,
specifics, and
any other relevant pieces of information

AML Dept, S.Irimiea,

Sample advertisement
Head Receptionist
We are looking for a remarkable leader for our reception
department in our 60 bedroomed hotel in London. The
candidate must be: smart, communicative, demonstrative.
The position offers good chances of promotion. Candidates
must possess wide experience of computerised front office
administration.
The salary will reflect the importance we attach to this
position.
Please contact:
..

AML Dept, S.Irimiea,

Application letter/cover letter

Application Letters
are written as a response to a job advertisement
are meant to attract the interest of the prospective
employer
Will help prospective employers
- scrutinise and weed out the ones that do not fit their
requirements list
- find the information they are looking for
-assess the applicants suitability for specific job
requirements, ability to organise data clearly
and effectively

AML Dept, S.Irimiea,

must focus on the qualifications that meet the

requirements of the prospective employer
are not written to tell the story of your life, but to convince
the employer to grant you an interview
the interview will give further details about your skills
and experience

AML Dept, S.Irimiea,

Basic characteristics of AL

Application letters
should be direct
sincere(rest on solid foundation of fact)
informative(contain relevant and requested information)
provide a clue to the applicants personality, character,
should be convincing by providing specific/requested
details, qualifications, relevant test results etc
should call for action

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Main components

According to some guidebooks(Virginia EVANS,

1998:107) the AL should contain:

1.

a statement of why and how the applicant can be useful

a longer paragraph on education, qualifications and
qualities, experience, personal qualities, suitability
a reference to the enclosed resume
a request for an interview

2.
3.
4.

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Mary Stephens(1994:23) recommends the following

structure:
reason for writingrelevant job experiencehobbies and interests where relevantwhy you want the jobclosing remarks

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Recommended tips:
For openings:
rhetorical questions: Are you looking for an energetic
person who.
summaries of relevant qualities and qualifications
For the main part of the letter
focus on relevant aspects
cover all points that are relevant
arrange the points to convey an overall, complete picture
of your personality and skills

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the paragraphs must be kept simple to facilitate the

readers access to the information

The concluding paragraph must tell the reader what action

you expect him to take

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The CV/ RSUM

The applicant starts writing the CV/ rsum after

having researched the job options/opportunities
having identified the personal traits and strengths
having matched the qualities with the job (special)
requirements
The CV/rsum is a written summary or account of the
qualifications, experience and education of the applicant
There are 2 types of CVs:
1. Functional CVs
2. Chronological CVs

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It includes:

career objective,
employment record,
references,
a summary of the applicants formal education,
other information (professional memberships,
awards, publications, any other item that is helpful)

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According to the HARRAPS American Business Writing

Handbook, 1988; 176) the sections are:

position sought or career objective

experience
education
references

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The CV is a sales piece and as such it must be written as

any sales letter: it must present you in the best light
It must be tailored to the needs of various employers; you
may write several CVs each focused on highlighting one
aspect(ie your writing skills, management abilities, IT
literacy etc)
Before writing it out, research the company and the
prospective employer; it will help you better respond to
various job-related issues; you will stand better chances of
being granted the job

AML Dept, S.Irimiea,

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Physical appearance and layout

Both physical appearance and layout are important as it is

a sales piece intended to attract attention and move to
action
It should be typed or processed
Good paper should be used
Keep the information to one page; if the information
exceeds one page, use one page for the basic information
and work experience and another for the other items

AML Dept, S.Irimiea,

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Layout

There are no fixed rules for CV format and layout

It must present the information in a clear, concise and
readable manner
Headlines should highlight major issues: position sought,
experience, education, honours, activities, references
The name, address, tel no should be written at the top of
the page either flush left or centered
The age, marital status, state of health, birth date etc
should not be mentioned unless requested

AML Dept, S.Irimiea,

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The experience section:

it may serve as a summary of the responsibilities
held and indicate the skills you have acquired
throughout your work career
Each job should comprise: title, name and address
of the company. dates of employment, brief
summary of work responsibilities and skills; last job
comes first
Any gap longer than a year should be accounted for
or else it would raise questions

AML Dept, S.Irimiea,

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The education section

The education section is the most important section: it

should underline your suitability for the job
details about education are important
special interests that are relevant should also be
mentioned
awards, honours, scholarships, and other
recognition
memberships
other relevant aspects

AML Dept, S.Irimiea,

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The reference section

The reference section should be tailored to the job for

which the applicant writes
References should be asked permission from the applicant
to use their reputation and names
The reference list should include the following information:
full name and title
name and address of the institution
work or home phone number

AML Dept, S.Irimiea,

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REFERENCE LETTERS
There are 2 types of Reference Letters
1.
2.

Letters requesting references from others

Letters of recommendation for someone else

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Letters requesting references from others

The applicant must ask permission to use the names and

positions
These letters should provide information on the applicants
character
work habits
training
experience
other skills and
interests

AML Dept, S.Irimiea,

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Letters of recommendation for someone

else

It should include the following:

How long you have known the person
The nature of your relationship
Your assessment of the persons qualifications,
character and work
Your enthusiasm will be reflected in the amount of detail
you provide
A few generalized statements are necessary
Details will support a strong recommendation

AML Dept, S.Irimiea,

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The interview

1.
2.
3.

The interview is a face-to-face verbal exchange which

seeks to reveal as much information as possible about a
person etc within a limited amount of time. The
information should relate to: the applicants personality,
character, educational background, qualifications,
suitability for the job vacancy.
The purposes of the interview:
to obtain
to assess information about a candidate and
to predict behavioural and competence
standards or patterns

AML Dept, S.Irimiea,

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Bibliography:
Silvia IRIMIEA, 2000, Written and Oral Communication(ed.
Mihaela Toader)
HARRAPS American Business Writing Handbook, 1988(176)
Mary STEPHENS, 1994, Practise Advanced Writing, Longman
Virginia EVANS, 1998, Successful Writing, Express Publishing

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