Business Letter Template
Your street or box number
City, State, Zip
Date
Contact’s Name
Contact’s Title
Organization Name
Street Address
City, State, Zip
Dear Mr. Or Ms. (person’s last name only):
Paragraph 1: State immediately the position you are pursuing
and how you came to know of the opening. If you have an alumnus, family or
other contact at the organization, you can mention that here as well. Tell the
employer briefly (one or two sentences) why you are interested in this
position.
Paragraph 2: Explain the skills and experiences you have
that will make you successful in the position. Talk about classes you have
taken, activities you have been involved in, summer experiences you have had.
You do not have to have directly related experience but think about the skills
you have gained from what you have done and how those could relate to the
duties of the position you are applying for. You do not want to repeat your
resume to the employer in this paragraph but this is the place to highlight
related accomplishments that will make the reader want to learn more, which
will lead them to your resume. The goal is to show the employer that you have
confidence in your ability to succeed in the position.
Paragraph 3: Demonstrate that you have done some research
about this organization. Go to their web site, look in industry periodicals (Ad
Week, Wall Street Journal, Chronicle of Higher Education) and talk to alumni or
other contacts that may currently work for the organization. This research does
not have to be extensive but it shows that you have taken some time to think
about this position and put some effort into this letter. This makes a very
good impression on employers. It shows that this is not a form letter where
only the address and contact name is changed for each position.
Paragraph 4: State that you would welcome a personal
interview to further discuss this opportunity. If you need to explain anything
out of the ordinary on your resume, this is the place to do it. You might
mention that if you do not hear anything from the potential employer in two to
three weeks time that you will call to follow up this letter to see where they
are in their process. Finish by thanking them for their attention and express a
desire to meet them sometime in the near future.
Sincerely,
Your signature (leave 4 blank spaces for this)
Your name in print
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