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Placement Application Letters

The purpose of a placement application letter is to get an interview. If you get a placement through interviews arranged by your campus placement office or through contacts, you may not need to write a letter. However, if you want to work for an organization that isn't interviewing on campus, or later when you change jobs, you will. Writing a letter is also a good preparation for a placement interview, since the letter is your first step in showing a specific company what you can do for it.

1 How Placement Letters Differ from Résumés
2 How to Find Out about Employers and Placements
3 Content and Organization for Placement Application Letters
3.1 In your letter, focus on...
3.2 How to organise a solicited placement application letter
3.3 First Paragraphs of Solicited Letters
3.4 Showing a Knowledge of the Position and the Company
3.5 Showing What Separates You from Other Applicants
3.6 The Last Paragraph
3.7 E-mail Application Letters
3.8 Creating a Professional Image
3.9 Writing Style
3.10 Positive Emphasis
3.11 You-Attitude
3.12 Paragraph Length and Unity
3.13 Length

1. How Placement Letters Differ from Résumés
The Placement application letter accompanies your résumé. Although the two documents overlap slightly, they differ in several ways:

• A résumé is adapted to a position. The letter is adapted to the needs of a particular organization.
• The résumé summarizes all your qualifications. The letter shows how your qualifications can help the organization meet its needs, how you differ from other applicants, and that you have some knowledge of the organization.
• The résumé uses short, parallel phrases and sentence fragments, the letter uses complete sentences in well-written paragraphs.
  

2. How to Find Out about Employers and Placements
To adapt your letter to a specific organization, you need information both about the employer and about the placement itself. You'll need to know:

• The name and address of the person who should receive the letter. To get this information, check the ad, call the organization or check its Website. An advantage of calling is that you can find out what courtesy title a woman prefers and get current information. A directory that went to press months ago will not include recent promotions.
• What the organization does, and at least four or five facts about it. Knowing the organization's larger goals enables you to show how your specific work will help the company meet its goals. Useful facts can include market share, new products or promotions the kind of computer or manufacturing equipment it uses, plans for growth or downsizing, competitive position, challenges the organization faces, the corporate culture and so forth.
• What the placement itself involves. Campus placement offices and Web listings often have fuller job descriptions than appear in ads. Talk to friends who have graduated recently to learn what their placements involve. Conduct information interviews to learn more about opportunities that interest you.
  

In an information interview you talk to someone who works in the area you hope to enter to find out what the day-to-day work involves and how you can best prepare to enter that field. An information interview can let you know whether or not you'd like the placement, give you specific information that you can use to present yourself effectively in your résumé and application letter, and create a good image of you in the mind of the interviewer. If you present yourself positively, the interviewer may remember you when openings arise. In an information interview, you might ask the following questions:

• Tell me about the papers on your desk. What are you working on right now? How do you spend your typical day?
• Have your duties changed a lot since you first started working here? What do you like best about your placement? What do you like least?
• What do you think the future holds for this kind of work?
• How did you get this placement?
• What courses, activities, or jobs would you recommend to someone who wanted to do this kind of work?
  

To set up an information interview, you can phone or write a letter. If you do write, phone the following week to set up a specific time.

3. Content and Organization for Placement Application Letters

3.1 In your letter, focus on...

• Major requirements of the placement for which you're applying.
• Points that separate you from other applicants.
• Points that show your knowledge of the organization.
• Qualities that every employer is likely to value: the ability to write and speak effectively, to solve problems, to get along with people.

Two different hiring situations call for two different kinds of application letters. Write a solicited letter when you know that the company is hiring: you've seen an ad, you've been advised to apply by a professor or friend, you've read in a trade publication that the company is expanding. This situation is similar to a direct request in persuasion: you can indicate immediately that you are applying for the position.

Sometimes, however, the advertised posi¬tions may not be what you want, or you may want to work for an organization that has not announced openings in your area. Then you write a prospecting letter. (The metaphor is drawn from prospecting for gold.) The prospecting letter is like a problem-solving persuasive message.

Prospecting letters help you tap into the hidden job market. In some cases, your prospecting letter may arrive at a company that has decided to hire but has not yet announced the job. In other cases, companies create positions to get a good person who is on the market. Even in a hiring freeze, jobs are sometimes created for specific individuals.

In both solicited and prospecting letters you should

• Address the letter to a specific person.
• Indicate the specific position for which you're applying.
• Be specific about your qualifications.
• Show what separates you from other applicants.
• Show a knowledge of the company and the position.
• Refer to your résumé (which you would enclose with the letter).
• Ask for an interview.

3.2 How to organise a solicited placement application letter:

1. State that you're applying for the placement (phrase the placement title as your source phrased it). Tell where you learned about the placement (ad, referral, etc.). Include any reference number mentioned in the ad. Briefly show that you have the major qualifications required by the ad: a college degree, professional certification, job experience, etc. Summarize your other qualifications briefly in the same order in which you plan to discuss them in the letter.
2. Develop your major qualifications in detail. Be specific about what you've done; relate your achievements to the work you'd be doing in this new job. Remember that readers know only what you tell them. This is not the place for modesty!
3. Develop your other qualifications, even it the ad doesn't ask for them. (If the ad asks for a lot of qualifications, pick the most important three or four.) Show what separates you from the other applicants who will also answer the ad. Demonstrate your knowledge of the organization.
4. Ask for an interview; tell when you'll be available to be interviewed and to begin work. End on a positive, forward-looking note.

3.3 First Paragraphs of Solicited Letters
When you know that the firm is hiring, announcing that you are applying for a specific position enables the firm to route your letter to the appropriate person, thus speeding consideration of your application. Identify where you learned about the placement: "the position of junior accountant announced in Sunday's Dispatch," "William Paquette, our placement director, told me that you are looking for…”

Note how the following paragraph picks up several of the characteristics of the ad:

Ad: Business Education Instructor at Shelby Adult Education. Candidate must possess a Bachelor's degree in Business Education. Will be responsible for providing in-house training to business and government leaders... Candidate should have at least six months' office experience. Prior teaching experience not required.
Letter: I am interested in your position in Business Education. I will receive a Bachelor of Science degree from North Carolina A & T University in December. I have two years' experience teaching word processing and computer accounting courses to adults and have developed leadership skills in the North Carolina National Guard.

3.4 Showing a Knowledge of the Position and the Company
If you could substitute another inside address and salutation and send out the letter without any further changes, it isn't specific enough. A placement application letter is basically a claim that you could do a job. Use your knowledge of the position and the company to choose relevant evidence from what you've done to support your claims that you could help the company.

The following paragraphs also uses the writer's knowledge of the company.

A letter to Bendix Home Appliances uses information that the student got from information in the campus placement office about the job duties and market share.

Coursework in business communication has taught me how to write reports that meet the needs of readers. I can use this knowledge to summarize the trends that show up in the Saturday Night Reports that your dealers submit...

A minor in personnel management plus public-relations study has taught me that trends are manifestations of human motives and human feelings, and not just cold numbers. My attention to this fact will enable me to interpret retailers' reports concretely-to keep that thirty cents of every washing machine dollar clinking into Bendix tills.

One or two specific details about the company usually are enough to demonstrate your knowledge. Be sure to use the knowledge, not just repeat it. Never present the information as though it will be news to the reader. After all, the reader works for the company and presumably knows much more about it than you do.

3.5 Showing What Separates You from Other Applicants
Your knowledge of the company separates you from other applicants. You can also use coursework, an understanding of the field, and experience in jobs and extracurricular events to show that you're unique. Be specific but concise. Usually three to five sentences will enable you to give enough specific supporting details.

• This student uses both coursework and summer jobs to set herself apart from other applicants:

My college courses have taught me the essential accounting skills required to contribute to the growth of Monsanto. Since you recently adopted new accounting methods for fluctuations in foreign currencies, you will need people knowledgeable in foreign currency translation to convert currency exchange rates. In two courses in international accounting, I compiled simulated accounting statements of hypothetical multinational firms in countries experiencing different rates of currency devaluation. Through these classes, I acquired the skills needed to work with the daily fluctuations of exchange rates and at the same time formulate an accurate and favourable representation of Monsanto.

A company as diverse as Monsanto requires extensive record-keeping as well as numerous internal and external communications. Both my summer jobs and my coursework prepare me to do this. As Office Manager for the steamboat Julia Belle Swain, I was in charge of most of the bookkeeping and letter writing for the company. I kept accurate records for each workday, and I often entered over 100 transactions in a single day. In business and technical writing I learned how to write persuasive letters and memos and how to present extensive data in reports in a simplified style that is clear and easy to understand.

In your résumé, you may list activities, offices, and courses. In your letter, give more detail about what you did and show how that experience will help you contribute to the employer's organization more quickly.

When you discuss your strengths, don't exaggerate. No employer will believe that a new graduate has a "comprehensive" knowledge of a field. Indeed, most employers believe that six months to a year of on-the-job training is necessary before most new hires are really earning their pay. Specifics about what you've done will make your claims about what you can do more believable and ground them in reality.

3.6 The Last Paragraph
In the last paragraph, indicate when you' d be available for an interview. If you're free anytime, you can say so. But it's likely that you have responsibilities in class and work. If you' d have to go out of town, there may be only certain days of the week or certain weeks that you could leave town for several days. Use a sentence that fits your situation.

I could come to Albany for an interview any Wednesday or Friday.

1'11 be attending the Oregon Forestry Association's November meeting and will be available for interviews there.

I could come to Memphis for an interview March 17-21.

Should you wait for the employer to call you, or should you call the employer to request an interview? In a solicited letter, it's safe to wait to be contacted: you know the employer wants to hire someone, and if your letter and résumé show that you're one of the top applicants, you'll get an interview. In a prospecting letter, call the employer. Because the employer is not planning to hire, you'll get a higher percentage of interviews if you're aggressive.

If you're writing a prospecting letter to a firm that's more than a few hours away by car, say that you'll be in the area the week of such-and-such and could stop by for an interview. Companies pay for follow-up visits, but not for first interviews. A company may be reluctant to ask you to make an expensive trip when it isn't yet sure it wants to hire you.

End the letter on a positive note that suggests you look forward to the interview and that you see yourself as a person who has something to contribute, not as someone who just needs a placement.

I look forward to discussing with you ways in which ways I could contribute to The Limited's continued growth.

3.7 E-Mail Application Letters
Some Web ads give you a street address to submit applications but say "e-mail preferred." Other ads just give an e-mail address.

No research exists on whether e-mail application letters should be shorter than paper ones. Until we know which works better, you have two choices: paste a traditional letter into your e-mail screen, or edit your letter to create a shorter, one-screen letter.

When you submit an e-mail letter with an attached résumé,

• Tell what word-processing program your scannable résumé is saved in.
• Put the placement number or title for which you're applying in your subject line and in the first paragraph.
• Prepare your letter in a word-processing program with a spell checker to make it easier to edit and proof the document.
• Don't send anything in all capital letters.
• Don't use smiley faces or other emoticons
• Put your name and e-mail address at the end of the message. Most e-mail programs send along the “sender” information at the top of the screen, but a few don’t, and you do want the employer to know whose letter this is!

3.8 Creating a Professional Image
Every employer wants businesslike employees who understand professional¬ism. To make your application letter professional:

• Create your letter in a word processing program so you can use features such as spell check. Use a standard font (Times Roman, Palatino, or Hel¬vetica) in 11- or 12-point type.
• Address your letter to a specific person. If the reader is a woman, call the office to find out what courtesy title she prefers.
• Don't mention relatives' names. It's OK to use names of other people if the reader knows those people and thinks well of them, if they think well of you and will say good things about you, and if you have permission to use their names.
• Omit personal information not related to the placement.
• Unless you're applying for a creative placement in advertising, use a conservative style: few contractions, no sentence fragments, clichés, or slang.
• Edit the letter carefully and proof it several times to make sure it' s perfect. Errors suggest that you're careless or inept.

3.9 Writing Style
Use a smooth, tight writing style. Use the technical jargon of the field, but avoid businessese and stuffy words like utilize, commence, and transpire (for happen).

Use a lively, energetic style that makes you sound like a real person. Avoid words that can be interpreted sexually. A model letter distributed by the placement office at a Midwestern university included the following sentence:

I have been active in campus activities and have enjoyed good relations with my classmates and professors.

One young woman incorporated this sentence in a letter she mailed. The recipient circled the sentence and then passed the letter around the office (and did not invite the woman for an interview). That' snot the kind of attention you want your letter to get!

3.10 Positive Emphasis
Be positive. Don't plead (“Please give me a chance”) or apologize (“l cannot promise that I am substantially different from the lot”). Most negatives should be omitted in the letter.

Avoid word choices with negative connotations. Note how the fol¬lowing revisions make the writer sound more confident.

Negative: You can check with my references to verify what I’ve said.

Positive: Professor Hill can give you more information about the program in Industrial Distribution Management.

Verify suggests that you expect the employer to distrust what you have said.

3.11 You-Attitude
Unsupported claims may sound overconfident, selfish, or arrogant. Create you-attitude by describing exactly what you have done and by showing how that relates to what you could do for this employer.

Lacks you-attitude: An inventive and improvising individual like me is a necessity in your business.

You attitude: Building a summer house-painting business gave me the opportunity to find creative solutions to challenges. At the end of the first summer, for example, I had nearly 10 gallons of exterior latex left, but no more jobs. I contacted the home economics teacher at my high school. She agreed to give course credit to students who were willing to give up two Saturdays to paint a house being renovated by Habitat for Humanity. I donated the paint and supervised the students. I got a charitable deduction for the paint and hired the three best students to work for me the following summer. I could put these skills in problem solving supervising to work as a personnel manager for Burroughs.

Lacks you-attitude: I want a job with your company.

You attitude: I would like to apply for Procter & Gamble's management trainee program.

3.12 Paragraph Length and Unity

Keep your first and last paragraphs fairly short-preferably no more than four or five typed lines. Vary paragraph length within the letter; it's OK to have one long paragraph, but don't use a series of eight-line paragraphs.

When you have a long paragraph, check to be sure that it covers only one subject. If it covers two or more subjects, divide it into two or more paragraphs. If a short paragraph covers several subjects, consider adding a topic sentence to provide paragraph unity.

3.13 Length
Always use at least a full page. A short letter throws away an opportunity to be persuasive; it may also suggest that you have little to say for yourself or that you aren't very interested in the placement.

Without eliminating content, tighten each sentence to be sure that you're using space as efficiently as possible. If your letter is still a bit over a page, use slightly smaller margins, a type size that's one point smaller, or justified proportional type to get more on the page.

However, if you need more than a page, use it -as long as you have at least 6-12 lines of body text on the second page. The extra space gives you room to be more specific about what you've done and to add details about your experience that will separate you from other interns. Employers don't want longer letters, but they will read them if the letter is well written and if the applicant establishes early in the letter that he or she has the credentials the company needs.

Placement Application Letters

The purpose of a placement application letter is to get an interview. If you get a placement through interviews arranged by your campus placement office or through contacts, you may not need to write a letter. However, if you want to work for an organization that isn't interviewing on campus, or later when you change jobs, you will. Writing a letter is also a good preparation for a placement interview, since the letter is your first step in showing a specific company what you can do for it.

1 How Placement Letters Differ from Résumés
2 How to Find Out about Employers and Placements
3 Content and Organization for Placement Application Letters
3.1 In your letter, focus on...
3.2 How to organise a solicited placement application letter
3.3 First Paragraphs of Solicited Letters
3.4 Showing a Knowledge of the Position and the Company
3.5 Showing What Separates You from Other Applicants
3.6 The Last Paragraph
3.7 E-mail Application Letters
3.8 Creating a Professional Image
3.9 Writing Style
3.10 Positive Emphasis
3.11 You-Attitude
3.12 Paragraph Length and Unity
3.13 Length

1. How Placement Letters Differ from Résumés
The Placement application letter accompanies your résumé. Although the two documents overlap slightly, they differ in several ways:

• A résumé is adapted to a position. The letter is adapted to the needs of a particular organization.
• The résumé summarizes all your qualifications. The letter shows how your qualifications can help the organization meet its needs, how you differ from other applicants, and that you have some knowledge of the organization.
• The résumé uses short, parallel phrases and sentence fragments, the letter uses complete sentences in well-written paragraphs.
  

2. How to Find Out about Employers and Placements
To adapt your letter to a specific organization, you need information both about the employer and about the placement itself. You'll need to know:

• The name and address of the person who should receive the letter. To get this information, check the ad, call the organization or check its Website. An advantage of calling is that you can find out what courtesy title a woman prefers and get current information. A directory that went to press months ago will not include recent promotions.
• What the organization does, and at least four or five facts about it. Knowing the organization's larger goals enables you to show how your specific work will help the company meet its goals. Useful facts can include market share, new products or promotions the kind of computer or manufacturing equipment it uses, plans for growth or downsizing, competitive position, challenges the organization faces, the corporate culture and so forth.
• What the placement itself involves. Campus placement offices and Web listings often have fuller job descriptions than appear in ads. Talk to friends who have graduated recently to learn what their placements involve. Conduct information interviews to learn more about opportunities that interest you.
  

In an information interview you talk to someone who works in the area you hope to enter to find out what the day-to-day work involves and how you can best prepare to enter that field. An information interview can let you know whether or not you'd like the placement, give you specific information that you can use to present yourself effectively in your résumé and application letter, and create a good image of you in the mind of the interviewer. If you present yourself positively, the interviewer may remember you when openings arise. In an information interview, you might ask the following questions:

• Tell me about the papers on your desk. What are you working on right now? How do you spend your typical day?
• Have your duties changed a lot since you first started working here? What do you like best about your placement? What do you like least?
• What do you think the future holds for this kind of work?
• How did you get this placement?
• What courses, activities, or jobs would you recommend to someone who wanted to do this kind of work?
  

To set up an information interview, you can phone or write a letter. If you do write, phone the following week to set up a specific time.

3. Content and Organization for Placement Application Letters

3.1 In your letter, focus on...

• Major requirements of the placement for which you're applying.
• Points that separate you from other applicants.
• Points that show your knowledge of the organization.
• Qualities that every employer is likely to value: the ability to write and speak effectively, to solve problems, to get along with people.

Two different hiring situations call for two different kinds of application letters. Write a solicited letter when you know that the company is hiring: you've seen an ad, you've been advised to apply by a professor or friend, you've read in a trade publication that the company is expanding. This situation is similar to a direct request in persuasion: you can indicate immediately that you are applying for the position.

Sometimes, however, the advertised posi¬tions may not be what you want, or you may want to work for an organization that has not announced openings in your area. Then you write a prospecting letter. (The metaphor is drawn from prospecting for gold.) The prospecting letter is like a problem-solving persuasive message.

Prospecting letters help you tap into the hidden job market. In some cases, your prospecting letter may arrive at a company that has decided to hire but has not yet announced the job. In other cases, companies create positions to get a good person who is on the market. Even in a hiring freeze, jobs are sometimes created for specific individuals.

In both solicited and prospecting letters you should

• Address the letter to a specific person.
• Indicate the specific position for which you're applying.
• Be specific about your qualifications.
• Show what separates you from other applicants.
• Show a knowledge of the company and the position.
• Refer to your résumé (which you would enclose with the letter).
• Ask for an interview.

3.2 How to organise a solicited placement application letter:

1. State that you're applying for the placement (phrase the placement title as your source phrased it). Tell where you learned about the placement (ad, referral, etc.). Include any reference number mentioned in the ad. Briefly show that you have the major qualifications required by the ad: a college degree, professional certification, job experience, etc. Summarize your other qualifications briefly in the same order in which you plan to discuss them in the letter.
2. Develop your major qualifications in detail. Be specific about what you've done; relate your achievements to the work you'd be doing in this new job. Remember that readers know only what you tell them. This is not the place for modesty!
3. Develop your other qualifications, even it the ad doesn't ask for them. (If the ad asks for a lot of qualifications, pick the most important three or four.) Show what separates you from the other applicants who will also answer the ad. Demonstrate your knowledge of the organization.
4. Ask for an interview; tell when you'll be available to be interviewed and to begin work. End on a positive, forward-looking note.

3.3 First Paragraphs of Solicited Letters
When you know that the firm is hiring, announcing that you are applying for a specific position enables the firm to route your letter to the appropriate person, thus speeding consideration of your application. Identify where you learned about the placement: "the position of junior accountant announced in Sunday's Dispatch," "William Paquette, our placement director, told me that you are looking for…”

Note how the following paragraph picks up several of the characteristics of the ad:

Ad: Business Education Instructor at Shelby Adult Education. Candidate must possess a Bachelor's degree in Business Education. Will be responsible for providing in-house training to business and government leaders... Candidate should have at least six months' office experience. Prior teaching experience not required.
Letter: I am interested in your position in Business Education. I will receive a Bachelor of Science degree from North Carolina A & T University in December. I have two years' experience teaching word processing and computer accounting courses to adults and have developed leadership skills in the North Carolina National Guard.

3.4 Showing a Knowledge of the Position and the Company
If you could substitute another inside address and salutation and send out the letter without any further changes, it isn't specific enough. A placement application letter is basically a claim that you could do a job. Use your knowledge of the position and the company to choose relevant evidence from what you've done to support your claims that you could help the company.

The following paragraphs also uses the writer's knowledge of the company.

A letter to Bendix Home Appliances uses information that the student got from information in the campus placement office about the job duties and market share.

Coursework in business communication has taught me how to write reports that meet the needs of readers. I can use this knowledge to summarize the trends that show up in the Saturday Night Reports that your dealers submit...

A minor in personnel management plus public-relations study has taught me that trends are manifestations of human motives and human feelings, and not just cold numbers. My attention to this fact will enable me to interpret retailers' reports concretely-to keep that thirty cents of every washing machine dollar clinking into Bendix tills.

One or two specific details about the company usually are enough to demonstrate your knowledge. Be sure to use the knowledge, not just repeat it. Never present the information as though it will be news to the reader. After all, the reader works for the company and presumably knows much more about it than you do.

3.5 Showing What Separates You from Other Applicants
Your knowledge of the company separates you from other applicants. You can also use coursework, an understanding of the field, and experience in jobs and extracurricular events to show that you're unique. Be specific but concise. Usually three to five sentences will enable you to give enough specific supporting details.

• This student uses both coursework and summer jobs to set herself apart from other applicants:

My college courses have taught me the essential accounting skills required to contribute to the growth of Monsanto. Since you recently adopted new accounting methods for fluctuations in foreign currencies, you will need people knowledgeable in foreign currency translation to convert currency exchange rates. In two courses in international accounting, I compiled simulated accounting statements of hypothetical multinational firms in countries experiencing different rates of currency devaluation. Through these classes, I acquired the skills needed to work with the daily fluctuations of exchange rates and at the same time formulate an accurate and favourable representation of Monsanto.

A company as diverse as Monsanto requires extensive record-keeping as well as numerous internal and external communications. Both my summer jobs and my coursework prepare me to do this. As Office Manager for the steamboat Julia Belle Swain, I was in charge of most of the bookkeeping and letter writing for the company. I kept accurate records for each workday, and I often entered over 100 transactions in a single day. In business and technical writing I learned how to write persuasive letters and memos and how to present extensive data in reports in a simplified style that is clear and easy to understand.

In your résumé, you may list activities, offices, and courses. In your letter, give more detail about what you did and show how that experience will help you contribute to the employer's organization more quickly.

When you discuss your strengths, don't exaggerate. No employer will believe that a new graduate has a "comprehensive" knowledge of a field. Indeed, most employers believe that six months to a year of on-the-job training is necessary before most new hires are really earning their pay. Specifics about what you've done will make your claims about what you can do more believable and ground them in reality.

3.6 The Last Paragraph
In the last paragraph, indicate when you' d be available for an interview. If you're free anytime, you can say so. But it's likely that you have responsibilities in class and work. If you' d have to go out of town, there may be only certain days of the week or certain weeks that you could leave town for several days. Use a sentence that fits your situation.

I could come to Albany for an interview any Wednesday or Friday.

1'11 be attending the Oregon Forestry Association's November meeting and will be available for interviews there.

I could come to Memphis for an interview March 17-21.

Should you wait for the employer to call you, or should you call the employer to request an interview? In a solicited letter, it's safe to wait to be contacted: you know the employer wants to hire someone, and if your letter and résumé show that you're one of the top applicants, you'll get an interview. In a prospecting letter, call the employer. Because the employer is not planning to hire, you'll get a higher percentage of interviews if you're aggressive.

If you're writing a prospecting letter to a firm that's more than a few hours away by car, say that you'll be in the area the week of such-and-such and could stop by for an interview. Companies pay for follow-up visits, but not for first interviews. A company may be reluctant to ask you to make an expensive trip when it isn't yet sure it wants to hire you.

End the letter on a positive note that suggests you look forward to the interview and that you see yourself as a person who has something to contribute, not as someone who just needs a placement.

I look forward to discussing with you ways in which ways I could contribute to The Limited's continued growth.

3.7 E-Mail Application Letters
Some Web ads give you a street address to submit applications but say "e-mail preferred." Other ads just give an e-mail address.

No research exists on whether e-mail application letters should be shorter than paper ones. Until we know which works better, you have two choices: paste a traditional letter into your e-mail screen, or edit your letter to create a shorter, one-screen letter.

When you submit an e-mail letter with an attached résumé,

• Tell what word-processing program your scannable résumé is saved in.
• Put the placement number or title for which you're applying in your subject line and in the first paragraph.
• Prepare your letter in a word-processing program with a spell checker to make it easier to edit and proof the document.
• Don't send anything in all capital letters.
• Don't use smiley faces or other emoticons
• Put your name and e-mail address at the end of the message. Most e-mail programs send along the “sender” information at the top of the screen, but a few don’t, and you do want the employer to know whose letter this is!

3.8 Creating a Professional Image
Every employer wants businesslike employees who understand professional¬ism. To make your application letter professional:

• Create your letter in a word processing program so you can use features such as spell check. Use a standard font (Times Roman, Palatino, or Hel¬vetica) in 11- or 12-point type.
• Address your letter to a specific person. If the reader is a woman, call the office to find out what courtesy title she prefers.
• Don't mention relatives' names. It's OK to use names of other people if the reader knows those people and thinks well of them, if they think well of you and will say good things about you, and if you have permission to use their names.
• Omit personal information not related to the placement.
• Unless you're applying for a creative placement in advertising, use a conservative style: few contractions, no sentence fragments, clichés, or slang.
• Edit the letter carefully and proof it several times to make sure it' s perfect. Errors suggest that you're careless or inept.

3.9 Writing Style
Use a smooth, tight writing style. Use the technical jargon of the field, but avoid businessese and stuffy words like utilize, commence, and transpire (for happen).

Use a lively, energetic style that makes you sound like a real person. Avoid words that can be interpreted sexually. A model letter distributed by the placement office at a Midwestern university included the following sentence:

I have been active in campus activities and have enjoyed good relations with my classmates and professors.

One young woman incorporated this sentence in a letter she mailed. The recipient circled the sentence and then passed the letter around the office (and did not invite the woman for an interview). That' snot the kind of attention you want your letter to get!

3.10 Positive Emphasis
Be positive. Don't plead (“Please give me a chance”) or apologize (“l cannot promise that I am substantially different from the lot”). Most negatives should be omitted in the letter.

Avoid word choices with negative connotations. Note how the fol¬lowing revisions make the writer sound more confident.

Negative: You can check with my references to verify what I’ve said.

Positive: Professor Hill can give you more information about the program in Industrial Distribution Management.

Verify suggests that you expect the employer to distrust what you have said.

3.11 You-Attitude
Unsupported claims may sound overconfident, selfish, or arrogant. Create you-attitude by describing exactly what you have done and by showing how that relates to what you could do for this employer.

Lacks you-attitude: An inventive and improvising individual like me is a necessity in your business.

You attitude: Building a summer house-painting business gave me the opportunity to find creative solutions to challenges. At the end of the first summer, for example, I had nearly 10 gallons of exterior latex left, but no more jobs. I contacted the home economics teacher at my high school. She agreed to give course credit to students who were willing to give up two Saturdays to paint a house being renovated by Habitat for Humanity. I donated the paint and supervised the students. I got a charitable deduction for the paint and hired the three best students to work for me the following summer. I could put these skills in problem solving supervising to work as a personnel manager for Burroughs.

Lacks you-attitude: I want a job with your company.

You attitude: I would like to apply for Procter & Gamble's management trainee program.

3.12 Paragraph Length and Unity

Keep your first and last paragraphs fairly short-preferably no more than four or five typed lines. Vary paragraph length within the letter; it's OK to have one long paragraph, but don't use a series of eight-line paragraphs.

When you have a long paragraph, check to be sure that it covers only one subject. If it covers two or more subjects, divide it into two or more paragraphs. If a short paragraph covers several subjects, consider adding a topic sentence to provide paragraph unity.

3.13 Length
Always use at least a full page. A short letter throws away an opportunity to be persuasive; it may also suggest that you have little to say for yourself or that you aren't very interested in the placement.

Without eliminating content, tighten each sentence to be sure that you're using space as efficiently as possible. If your letter is still a bit over a page, use slightly smaller margins, a type size that's one point smaller, or justified proportional type to get more on the page.

However, if you need more than a page, use it -as long as you have at least 6-12 lines of body text on the second page. The extra space gives you room to be more specific about what you've done and to add details about your experience that will separate you from other interns. Employers don't want longer letters, but they will read them if the letter is well written and if the applicant establishes early in the letter that he or she has the credentials the company needs.

Your letter

Writing a letter is a very good preparation for an internship or job interview. It is your first step in showing a specific company what you can and want to do for them.

You must keep in mind that application letters, wheter its is for an internship or a job, should not be longer than one page. And should follow the standart 4-paragraph format:

 

1.       State that you're applying for the placement (phrase the placement title as your source phrased it). Tell where you learned about the placement (ad, referral, etc.). Include any reference number mentioned in the ad. Briefly show that you have the major qualifications required by the ad: a college degree, professional certification, job experience, etc. Summarize your other qualifications briefly in the same order in which you plan to discuss them in the letter.

2.       Develop your major qualifications in detail. Be specific about what you've done; relate your achievements to the work you'd be doing in this new job. Remember that readers know only what you tell them. This is not the place for modesty!

3.       Develop your other qualifications, even it the ad doesn't ask for them. (If the ad asks for a lot of qualifications, pick the most important three or four.) Show what separates you from the other applicants who will also answer the ad. Demonstrate your knowledge of the organization.

4.       Ask for an interview; tell when you'll be available to be interviewed and to begin work. End on a positive, forward-looking note.

 

When doing it by Email:

 

Some Web ads give you a street address to submit applications but say "e-mail preferred." Other ads just give an e-mail address. No research exists on whether e-mail application letters should be shorter than paper ones. Until we know which works better, you have two choices: paste a traditional letter into your e-mail screen, or edit your letter to create a shorter, one-screen letter. To make your application letter professional:

 

  

1.       Put the placement number or title for which you're applying in your subject line and in the first paragraph.  Prepare your letter in a word-processing program with a spell checker to make it easier to edit and proof the document. Use a standard font (Times Roman, Palatino, or Helvetica) in 11- or 12-point type. Don't send anything in all capital letters.

2.       Don't use smiley faces or other emoticons

3.       Edit the letter carefully and proof it several times to make sure it' s perfect. Errors suggest that you're careless or inept.

4.       Use a lively, energetic style that makes you sound like a real person.

5.       Be positive. Don't plead (“Please give me a chance”) or apologize (“l cannot promise that I am substantially different from the lot”). Most negatives should be omitted in the letter.

6.       Create you-attitude by describing exactly what you have done and by showing how that relates to what you could do for this employer. (Lacks you-attitude: "I want a job with your company." You attitude: "I would like to apply for Procter & Gamble's management trainee program.")

7.       Keep your first and last paragraphs fairly short-preferably no more than four or five typed lines. When you have a long paragraph, check to be sure that it covers only one subject. If it covers two or more subjects, divide it into two or more paragraphs. If a short paragraph covers several subjects, consider adding a topic sentence to provide paragraph unity.

8.       Always use at least a full page. A short letter throws away an opportunity to be persuasive; it may also suggest that you have little to say for yourself or that you aren't very interested in the placement.  Employers don't want longer letters, but they will read them if the letter is well written and if the applicant establishes early in the letter that he or she has the credentials the company needs.

 

Extra Tips

 

Always focus on major requirements of the internship or job offer for which you're applying.

 

Give relevance to the points that separate you from other applicants

 

Focus on points that show your knowledge of the organization and the position

 

Remark qualities that every employer is likely to value: ability to write and speak effectively, solve problems, get along with people

 

Address the letter to a specific person

 

Indicate the specific position for which you're applying

 

Be specific about your qualifications

 

Refer to your CV (which you would enclose with the letter)

 

Ask for an interview

Placement Application Letters

The purpose of a placement application letter is to get an interview. If you get a placement through interviews arranged by your campus placement office or through contacts, you may not need to write a letter. However, if you want to work for an organization that isn't interviewing on campus, or later when you change jobs, you will. Writing a letter is also a good preparation for a placement interview, since the letter is your first step in showing a specific company what you can do for it.

1 How Placement Letters Differ from Résumés
2 How to Find Out about Employers and Placements
3 Content and Organization for Placement Application Letters
3.1 In your letter, focus on...
3.2 How to organise a solicited placement application letter
3.3 First Paragraphs of Solicited Letters
3.4 Showing a Knowledge of the Position and the Company
3.5 Showing What Separates You from Other Applicants
3.6 The Last Paragraph
3.7 E-mail Application Letters
3.8 Creating a Professional Image
3.9 Writing Style
3.10 Positive Emphasis
3.11 You-Attitude
3.12 Paragraph Length and Unity
3.13 Length

1. How Placement Letters Differ from Résumés
The Placement application letter accompanies your résumé. Although the two documents overlap slightly, they differ in several ways:

• A résumé is adapted to a position. The letter is adapted to the needs of a particular organization.
• The résumé summarizes all your qualifications. The letter shows how your qualifications can help the organization meet its needs, how you differ from other applicants, and that you have some knowledge of the organization.
• The résumé uses short, parallel phrases and sentence fragments, the letter uses complete sentences in well-written paragraphs.
  

2. How to Find Out about Employers and Placements
To adapt your letter to a specific organization, you need information both about the employer and about the placement itself. You'll need to know:

• The name and address of the person who should receive the letter. To get this information, check the ad, call the organization or check its Website. An advantage of calling is that you can find out what courtesy title a woman prefers and get current information. A directory that went to press months ago will not include recent promotions.
• What the organization does, and at least four or five facts about it. Knowing the organization's larger goals enables you to show how your specific work will help the company meet its goals. Useful facts can include market share, new products or promotions the kind of computer or manufacturing equipment it uses, plans for growth or downsizing, competitive position, challenges the organization faces, the corporate culture and so forth.
• What the placement itself involves. Campus placement offices and Web listings often have fuller job descriptions than appear in ads. Talk to friends who have graduated recently to learn what their placements involve. Conduct information interviews to learn more about opportunities that interest you.
  

In an information interview you talk to someone who works in the area you hope to enter to find out what the day-to-day work involves and how you can best prepare to enter that field. An information interview can let you know whether or not you'd like the placement, give you specific information that you can use to present yourself effectively in your résumé and application letter, and create a good image of you in the mind of the interviewer. If you present yourself positively, the interviewer may remember you when openings arise. In an information interview, you might ask the following questions:

• Tell me about the papers on your desk. What are you working on right now? How do you spend your typical day?
• Have your duties changed a lot since you first started working here? What do you like best about your placement? What do you like least?
• What do you think the future holds for this kind of work?
• How did you get this placement?
• What courses, activities, or jobs would you recommend to someone who wanted to do this kind of work?
  

To set up an information interview, you can phone or write a letter. If you do write, phone the following week to set up a specific time.

3. Content and Organization for Placement Application Letters

3.1 In your letter, focus on...

• Major requirements of the placement for which you're applying.
• Points that separate you from other applicants.
• Points that show your knowledge of the organization.
• Qualities that every employer is likely to value: the ability to write and speak effectively, to solve problems, to get along with people.

Two different hiring situations call for two different kinds of application letters. Write a solicited letter when you know that the company is hiring: you've seen an ad, you've been advised to apply by a professor or friend, you've read in a trade publication that the company is expanding. This situation is similar to a direct request in persuasion: you can indicate immediately that you are applying for the position.

Sometimes, however, the advertised posi¬tions may not be what you want, or you may want to work for an organization that has not announced openings in your area. Then you write a prospecting letter. (The metaphor is drawn from prospecting for gold.) The prospecting letter is like a problem-solving persuasive message.

Prospecting letters help you tap into the hidden job market. In some cases, your prospecting letter may arrive at a company that has decided to hire but has not yet announced the job. In other cases, companies create positions to get a good person who is on the market. Even in a hiring freeze, jobs are sometimes created for specific individuals.

In both solicited and prospecting letters you should

• Address the letter to a specific person.
• Indicate the specific position for which you're applying.
• Be specific about your qualifications.
• Show what separates you from other applicants.
• Show a knowledge of the company and the position.
• Refer to your résumé (which you would enclose with the letter).
• Ask for an interview.

3.2 How to organise a solicited placement application letter:

1. State that you're applying for the placement (phrase the placement title as your source phrased it). Tell where you learned about the placement (ad, referral, etc.). Include any reference number mentioned in the ad. Briefly show that you have the major qualifications required by the ad: a college degree, professional certification, job experience, etc. Summarize your other qualifications briefly in the same order in which you plan to discuss them in the letter.
2. Develop your major qualifications in detail. Be specific about what you've done; relate your achievements to the work you'd be doing in this new job. Remember that readers know only what you tell them. This is not the place for modesty!
3. Develop your other qualifications, even it the ad doesn't ask for them. (If the ad asks for a lot of qualifications, pick the most important three or four.) Show what separates you from the other applicants who will also answer the ad. Demonstrate your knowledge of the organization.
4. Ask for an interview; tell when you'll be available to be interviewed and to begin work. End on a positive, forward-looking note.

3.3 First Paragraphs of Solicited Letters
When you know that the firm is hiring, announcing that you are applying for a specific position enables the firm to route your letter to the appropriate person, thus speeding consideration of your application. Identify where you learned about the placement: "the position of junior accountant announced in Sunday's Dispatch," "William Paquette, our placement director, told me that you are looking for…”

Note how the following paragraph picks up several of the characteristics of the ad:

Ad: Business Education Instructor at Shelby Adult Education. Candidate must possess a Bachelor's degree in Business Education. Will be responsible for providing in-house training to business and government leaders... Candidate should have at least six months' office experience. Prior teaching experience not required.
Letter: I am interested in your position in Business Education. I will receive a Bachelor of Science degree from North Carolina A & T University in December. I have two years' experience teaching word processing and computer accounting courses to adults and have developed leadership skills in the North Carolina National Guard.

3.4 Showing a Knowledge of the Position and the Company
If you could substitute another inside address and salutation and send out the letter without any further changes, it isn't specific enough. A placement application letter is basically a claim that you could do a job. Use your knowledge of the position and the company to choose relevant evidence from what you've done to support your claims that you could help the company.

The following paragraphs also uses the writer's knowledge of the company.

A letter to Bendix Home Appliances uses information that the student got from information in the campus placement office about the job duties and market share.

Coursework in business communication has taught me how to write reports that meet the needs of readers. I can use this knowledge to summarize the trends that show up in the Saturday Night Reports that your dealers submit...

A minor in personnel management plus public-relations study has taught me that trends are manifestations of human motives and human feelings, and not just cold numbers. My attention to this fact will enable me to interpret retailers' reports concretely-to keep that thirty cents of every washing machine dollar clinking into Bendix tills.

One or two specific details about the company usually are enough to demonstrate your knowledge. Be sure to use the knowledge, not just repeat it. Never present the information as though it will be news to the reader. After all, the reader works for the company and presumably knows much more about it than you do.

3.5 Showing What Separates You from Other Applicants
Your knowledge of the company separates you from other applicants. You can also use coursework, an understanding of the field, and experience in jobs and extracurricular events to show that you're unique. Be specific but concise. Usually three to five sentences will enable you to give enough specific supporting details.

• This student uses both coursework and summer jobs to set herself apart from other applicants:

My college courses have taught me the essential accounting skills required to contribute to the growth of Monsanto. Since you recently adopted new accounting methods for fluctuations in foreign currencies, you will need people knowledgeable in foreign currency translation to convert currency exchange rates. In two courses in international accounting, I compiled simulated accounting statements of hypothetical multinational firms in countries experiencing different rates of currency devaluation. Through these classes, I acquired the skills needed to work with the daily fluctuations of exchange rates and at the same time formulate an accurate and favourable representation of Monsanto.

A company as diverse as Monsanto requires extensive record-keeping as well as numerous internal and external communications. Both my summer jobs and my coursework prepare me to do this. As Office Manager for the steamboat Julia Belle Swain, I was in charge of most of the bookkeeping and letter writing for the company. I kept accurate records for each workday, and I often entered over 100 transactions in a single day. In business and technical writing I learned how to write persuasive letters and memos and how to present extensive data in reports in a simplified style that is clear and easy to understand.

In your résumé, you may list activities, offices, and courses. In your letter, give more detail about what you did and show how that experience will help you contribute to the employer's organization more quickly.

When you discuss your strengths, don't exaggerate. No employer will believe that a new graduate has a "comprehensive" knowledge of a field. Indeed, most employers believe that six months to a year of on-the-job training is necessary before most new hires are really earning their pay. Specifics about what you've done will make your claims about what you can do more believable and ground them in reality.

3.6 The Last Paragraph
In the last paragraph, indicate when you' d be available for an interview. If you're free anytime, you can say so. But it's likely that you have responsibilities in class and work. If you' d have to go out of town, there may be only certain days of the week or certain weeks that you could leave town for several days. Use a sentence that fits your situation.

I could come to Albany for an interview any Wednesday or Friday.

1'11 be attending the Oregon Forestry Association's November meeting and will be available for interviews there.

I could come to Memphis for an interview March 17-21.

Should you wait for the employer to call you, or should you call the employer to request an interview? In a solicited letter, it's safe to wait to be contacted: you know the employer wants to hire someone, and if your letter and résumé show that you're one of the top applicants, you'll get an interview. In a prospecting letter, call the employer. Because the employer is not planning to hire, you'll get a higher percentage of interviews if you're aggressive.

If you're writing a prospecting letter to a firm that's more than a few hours away by car, say that you'll be in the area the week of such-and-such and could stop by for an interview. Companies pay for follow-up visits, but not for first interviews. A company may be reluctant to ask you to make an expensive trip when it isn't yet sure it wants to hire you.

End the letter on a positive note that suggests you look forward to the interview and that you see yourself as a person who has something to contribute, not as someone who just needs a placement.

I look forward to discussing with you ways in which ways I could contribute to The Limited's continued growth.

3.7 E-Mail Application Letters
Some Web ads give you a street address to submit applications but say "e-mail preferred." Other ads just give an e-mail address.

No research exists on whether e-mail application letters should be shorter than paper ones. Until we know which works better, you have two choices: paste a traditional letter into your e-mail screen, or edit your letter to create a shorter, one-screen letter.

When you submit an e-mail letter with an attached résumé,

• Tell what word-processing program your scannable résumé is saved in.
• Put the placement number or title for which you're applying in your subject line and in the first paragraph.
• Prepare your letter in a word-processing program with a spell checker to make it easier to edit and proof the document.
• Don't send anything in all capital letters.
• Don't use smiley faces or other emoticons
• Put your name and e-mail address at the end of the message. Most e-mail programs send along the “sender” information at the top of the screen, but a few don’t, and you do want the employer to know whose letter this is!

3.8 Creating a Professional Image
Every employer wants businesslike employees who understand professional¬ism. To make your application letter professional:

• Create your letter in a word processing program so you can use features such as spell check. Use a standard font (Times Roman, Palatino, or Hel¬vetica) in 11- or 12-point type.
• Address your letter to a specific person. If the reader is a woman, call the office to find out what courtesy title she prefers.
• Don't mention relatives' names. It's OK to use names of other people if the reader knows those people and thinks well of them, if they think well of you and will say good things about you, and if you have permission to use their names.
• Omit personal information not related to the placement.
• Unless you're applying for a creative placement in advertising, use a conservative style: few contractions, no sentence fragments, clichés, or slang.
• Edit the letter carefully and proof it several times to make sure it' s perfect. Errors suggest that you're careless or inept.

3.9 Writing Style
Use a smooth, tight writing style. Use the technical jargon of the field, but avoid businessese and stuffy words like utilize, commence, and transpire (for happen).

Use a lively, energetic style that makes you sound like a real person. Avoid words that can be interpreted sexually. A model letter distributed by the placement office at a Midwestern university included the following sentence:

I have been active in campus activities and have enjoyed good relations with my classmates and professors.

One young woman incorporated this sentence in a letter she mailed. The recipient circled the sentence and then passed the letter around the office (and did not invite the woman for an interview). That' snot the kind of attention you want your letter to get!

3.10 Positive Emphasis
Be positive. Don't plead (“Please give me a chance”) or apologize (“l cannot promise that I am substantially different from the lot”). Most negatives should be omitted in the letter.

Avoid word choices with negative connotations. Note how the fol¬lowing revisions make the writer sound more confident.

Negative: You can check with my references to verify what I’ve said.

Positive: Professor Hill can give you more information about the program in Industrial Distribution Management.

Verify suggests that you expect the employer to distrust what you have said.

3.11 You-Attitude
Unsupported claims may sound overconfident, selfish, or arrogant. Create you-attitude by describing exactly what you have done and by showing how that relates to what you could do for this employer.

Lacks you-attitude: An inventive and improvising individual like me is a necessity in your business.

You attitude: Building a summer house-painting business gave me the opportunity to find creative solutions to challenges. At the end of the first summer, for example, I had nearly 10 gallons of exterior latex left, but no more jobs. I contacted the home economics teacher at my high school. She agreed to give course credit to students who were willing to give up two Saturdays to paint a house being renovated by Habitat for Humanity. I donated the paint and supervised the students. I got a charitable deduction for the paint and hired the three best students to work for me the following summer. I could put these skills in problem solving supervising to work as a personnel manager for Burroughs.

Lacks you-attitude: I want a job with your company.

You attitude: I would like to apply for Procter & Gamble's management trainee program.

3.12 Paragraph Length and Unity

Keep your first and last paragraphs fairly short-preferably no more than four or five typed lines. Vary paragraph length within the letter; it's OK to have one long paragraph, but don't use a series of eight-line paragraphs.

When you have a long paragraph, check to be sure that it covers only one subject. If it covers two or more subjects, divide it into two or more paragraphs. If a short paragraph covers several subjects, consider adding a topic sentence to provide paragraph unity.

3.13 Length
Always use at least a full page. A short letter throws away an opportunity to be persuasive; it may also suggest that you have little to say for yourself or that you aren't very interested in the placement.

Without eliminating content, tighten each sentence to be sure that you're using space as efficiently as possible. If your letter is still a bit over a page, use slightly smaller margins, a type size that's one point smaller, or justified proportional type to get more on the page.

However, if you need more than a page, use it -as long as you have at least 6-12 lines of body text on the second page. The extra space gives you room to be more specific about what you've done and to add details about your experience that will separate you from other interns. Employers don't want longer letters, but they will read them if the letter is well written and if the applicant establishes early in the letter that he or she has the credentials the company needs.

Cartas de motivación para prácticas

1. Cómo la carta de motivación difiere del resumen

• Un resumen está adaptado a un puesto determinado. La carta de motivación, está adaptada a las necesidades de una organización particular.   
• El resumen sintetiza todas tus cualificaciones. La carta, muestra cómo tus calificaciones pueden convenir a la empresa, cuán diferente eres del reesto de los solicitantes, y que tienes cierto conocimiento sobre la empresa.   
• El resumen utiliza prases cortas, la carta, utiliza frases completas y bien estructuradas. 

2. Cómo conseguir información sobre Empresas y Prácticas

• El nombre y la dirección de la persona que ha de recibir la carta. Para conseguir esta información, consulta el anuncio, llama a la empresa o visita su página web. Una ventaja de llamar, es que puedes percibir el tono de los empleados, y preguntar por nuevas ofertas. Un folleto antiguo, no recoje las nuevas ofertas. 
• A qué se dedica la empresa, y cuatro o cinco hechos que lo demuestren.  Conociendo las metas de la empresa, tienes mayor facilidad para demostrarles que tus habilidades les van a se muy útiles para el desarrollo se su actividad. Trata de nombrar hachos de la empresa, como cuota de mercado, nuevos productos, nuevas ofertas, tipos de ordenadores utilizados, posibilidades de crecimiento, los nuevos retos que haya adquirido la empresa.
• Todo lo que esté relacionado con la práctica. En las páginas web, o en las oficinas donde se oferta el puesto, siempre hay más información de la que puede haber en un anuncio. Busca información.

• Hábleme de los papeles que tiene sobre la mesa.
• ¿En qué está trabajando ahora?
• ¿Cómo es n día normal aquí?  
• ¿Han cambiado mucho sus tareas desde que entró?
• ¿Qué le gusta lo que más de sus prácticas?
• ¿Qué es lo que menos le gusta?   
• ¿Qué cree del futuro de esta actividad?
• ¿Cómo consiguió este puesto?  
• ¡Qué cursos, actividades, o trabajos recomendaría a una persona que quisiera dedicarse a este tipo de trabajo? 

3. Contenido y Organización para Cartas de motivación

3.1 En tu carta, centrate en...

• Los principales requisitos del puesto que estás solicitando.
• Puntos que te diferencien del resto de aplicantes.
• Puntos que demuestren tu conocimiento sobre la empresa. 
• Cualidades que todos los empresarios valoran: La habilidad de escribir y hablar correctamente, la de solventar problemas, llevarse bien con la gente, etc. 

Dos formas diferentes de contratación, exigen dos tipos diferentes de cartas de motivación. Escribe una cara de solicitud, cuando sepas que la empresa esta contratando: has visto un anuncio, te lo ha dicho un profesor o amigo, has leído en alguna publicación que la empresa está contratando, etc. En esta situación, puedes indicar inmediatamente que estás solicitando el puesto que ofrecen. 

InEn ambas cartas, debes:

• Dirigir la carta a una persona en concreto.
• Indicar el puesto que estás solicitando. 
• Ser específico sobre tus calificaciones. 
• Mostrar qué es lo que te diferencia de los demás.
• Mostrar tu conocimiento sobre la compañía y el puesto. 
• Hacer referencia a tu resumen (el cual adjuntarás con la carta). 
• Pedir una entrevista. 

3.2 Cómo organizar una carta de solicitud:

1. Indica que estás solicitando el puesto. (indica el título del puesto) indica donde encontraste la oferta (anuncio). Indica número de referencia del anuncio. Indica que cumples con los requisitos que aparecen en la oferta: Licenciatura, títulos oficiales, experiencia laboral, etc. Sintetiza tus demás habilidades en el orden en el que quieres hablar de ellas en la carta.
2. Desarrolla tus principales calificaciones en detalle. Sé específico sobre lo que has hecho; indica tus logros en los trabajos que has realizado, indica los logros que podrías conseguir en ese puesto. 
3. Desarrolla otras habilidades, incluso si no te preguntan por ellas (si el anuncio necesita muchos requisitos, coge sólo los tres o cuatro más importantes) Indica lo que te diferencia del resto de participantes. Demuestra tu conocimiento sobre la empresa. 
4. Pide una entrevista indica cuándo estarás disponible para la entrevista y para el puesto. Acaba con una frase positiva, indicando que quieres una respuesta.  

3.3 Primer Párrafo

3.4 Mostrar conocimiento sobre el puesto y la empresa.

3.5 Indicar lo que te diferencia del resto

3.6 El último párrafo

3.7 Cartas de motivación por Email.

• Indica con que programa procesador de textos puede ser abierto tu documento. 
• Pon el número de referencia de la oferta en el apartado “subject” y en el primer párrafo.  
• Redacta tu carta en un programa procesador de textos que tenga corrección automática. Así te aseguras de que no haya errores. 
• No mandes documentos en mayúsculas.  
• Pon tu nombre y dirección al final del mensaje. La mayoría de los programas de e-mail tienen la opción de “emisor” en la parte superior de la pantalla, pero muchos otros no. Y tú quieres que el empresario pueda acceder con facilidad a tus datos.  

3.8 Crear una imagen profesional

• Redacta tu carta en un programa con corrección automática. Utiliza los tipos normales (Times Roman, Palatino, o Helvética) en 11- o 12-puntos.  
• Dirige tu carta a una persona específica. Si el receptor es una mujer, trata de averiguar cómo le gusta ser tratada (Sra.,  Srita.,  Doña).  
• No utilices nombres de familiares o conocidos de la empresa.    
• Omite información personal no relacionada con la empresa ni con el puesto.  
• A no ser que estés solicitando un puesto de creativo, utiliza un estilo moderado.  
• Redacta la carta con cuidado y repásala más de una vez, para asegúrate de que está perfecta.  
• Los errores indican que eres una persona poco cuidadosa.  

3.9 Estilo de escritura

3.10 Énfasis positivo

3.11 Tu actitud

3.12 Largura de párrafo y unidad.

3.13 Largura

Praktikumsbewerbung

Das Ziel einer Bewerbung ist es, zu einem Vorstellungsgespräch eingeladen zu werden. Falls ein Vorstellungsgespräch mit Hilfe Deiner Ausbildungsstätte arrangiert wird, musst Du wahrscheinlich keine Bewerbung schreiben. Eine Bewerbung zu schreiben, ist eine gute Vorbereitung für ein eventuelles Vorstellungsgespräch, da dies der erste Schritt ist, einer Firma Deine Qualifikationen zu zeigen.

1. Wie sich das Bewerbungsschreiben vom Lebenslauf unterscheidet.
2. Informationen über Arbeitgeber und Praktikumsplätze sammeln
3. Inhalt und Aufbau Deines Bewerbungsschreibens
3.1 In Deinem Schreiben konzentrier Dich auf…
3.2 Wie ein überzeugendes Anschreiben aufgebaut ist
3.3 Erste Absätze eines überzeugenden Bewerbungsschreibens
3.4. Kenntnisse über die Firma und die Arbeitsstelle zeigen
3.5. Unterschiede zu anderen Bewerbern aufzeigen
3.6 Der letzte Absatz
3.7 E-Mail Bewerbung
3.8 Ein professionelles Image entwerfen
3.9 Schreibstil
3.10 Positive Betonung
3.11 Über sich selbst schreiben
3.12 Länge der Absätze und Einheitlichkeit
3.13 Länge

1. Wie sich das Bewerbungsschreiben vom Lebenslauf unterscheidet

Das Bewerbungsschreiben begleitet Deinen Lebenslauf. Obwohl beide Dokumente einige Punkte gemeinsam haben, unterscheiden sie sich doch auf verschiedene Weise.
- Der Lebenslauf bezieht sich auf eine Position. Das Anschreiben ist an die Bedürfnisse einer bestimmten Institution angepasst.
- Der Lebenslauf fasst all Deine Qualifikationen zusammen. Das Anschreiben zeigt auf, wie diese Qualifikationen den Bedürfnissen der Institution entsprechen, wie Du Dich von anderen Bewerbern unterscheidest und dass Du Kenntnisse über die Institution hast, bei der Du Dich bewirbst.
- Der Lebenslauf verwendet kurze (Parallel-) Sätze und Satzteile, das Anschreiben verwendet ganze Sätze in ausformulierten Absätzen.

2. Informationen über Arbeitgeber und Praktikumsplätze sammeln

Um Dein Bewerbungsschreiben an den Adressaten anzupassen, brauchst Du Informationen sowohl über den Arbeitgeber als auch über das Praktikum. Folgende Informationen solltest Du haben:
- Name und Adresse der Person, die das Anschreiben erhalten soll. Um diese Information zu erhalten, schau in die Anzeige, ruf die Firma an oder schau auf deren Homepage nach. Der Vorteil eines Anrufs ist, dass Du die genaue Anrede erfragen kannst und evtl. aktuelle Infos erhältst. Ein Telefonbuch, das schon vor Monaten gedruckt wurde, enthält nicht mehr die aktuellsten Änderungen.
- Die Arbeitsgebiete der Firma und mindestens vier oder fünf Fakten darüber
Wenn Du die größeren Ziele der Firma kennst, kannst Du herausstellen, wie Du dazu beitragen kannst, diese umzusetzen. Nützliche Informationen könnten sein: Marktanteile der Firma, neue Produkte oder Werbeaktionen, welche Computer oder Arbeitsausrüstung sie nutzt, Pläne für Wachstum oder Schrumpfung, Konkurrenzsituation, zukünftige Herausforderungen für die Firma, Firmenkultur, etc.
- Was das Praktikums selbst einschließt
Bewerbungsbüros an der Universität und Internetlisten haben oft eine genauere Arbeitsplatzbeschreibung, als in den Annoncen erscheint. Sprich mit Freunden, die kürzlich ein Praktikum beendet haben, um zu erfahren, was ihr Praktikum beinhaltete. Führe Informationsgespräche, um mehr über die Möglichkeiten zu erfahren, die Dich interessieren.

In einem Informationsgespräch sprichst Du mit jemandem, der in dem Bereich arbeitet, für das Du Dich interessierst. Dabei kannst Du einiges über den Arbeitsalltag erfahren und wie Du Dich am besten vorbereiten kannst, um in diesem Bereich anzufangen. Ein Informationsgespräch kann Dir einen Eindruck vermitteln, ob Dich das Praktikum weiter bringen wird. Es kann Dir Hinweise darauf geben, wie Du Dich am besten in Deinem Bewerbungsschreiben präsentierst, und kann einen positiven Eindruck von Dir beim Personalentscheider hinterlassen. Wenn Du Dich positiv darstellst, wird sich der Personalentscheider daran erinnern, wenn eine Stelle frei wird. Während eines Informationsgesprächs kannst Du die folgenden Fragen stellen:
- Erzählen Sie mir über die Papiere auf Ihrem Schreibtisch. Woran arbeiten Sie gerade jetzt? Wie sieht ein typischer Arbeitstag für Sie aus?
- Haben sich Ihre Aufgaben sehr verändert, seitdem Sie hier angefangen haben. Was mögen Sie am meisten an Ihrer Arbeitsstelle und was am wenigsten?
- Wie denken Sie, wird die Zukunft Ihrer Arbeit aussehen?
- Wie haben Sie diesen Arbeitsplatz bekommen?
- Welche Kurse, Aktivitäten oder Jobs würden Sie empfehlen, um einen solchen Arbeitsplatz zu bekommen?

Um ein Informationsgespräch zu vereinbaren, kannst Du entweder anrufen oder einen Brief schreiben. Wenn Du schreibst, dann ruf eine Woche später an, um eine genaue Zeit zu vereinbaren.

3.1 In Deinem Schreiben konzentrier Dich auf…

- Hauptanforderungen des Praktikums, für das Du Dich bewirbst
- Qualifikationen, die Dich von anderen Bewerbern unterscheiden
- Informationen, die Deine Kenntnisse über die Firma herausstellen
- Qualifikationen, die jeder Arbeitgeber schätzen wird: die Fähigkeit, wirkungsvoll zu schreiben und zu sprechen, Probleme lösen zu können, mit Menschen umgehen zu können
Zwei verschiedene Bewerbungssituationen erfordern zwei verschiedene Bewerbungsschreiben. Wenn Du weißt, dass eine Firma einstellt, schreibst Du eine Bewerbung: Du hast eine Annonce gesehen, ein Professor oder ein Freund hat Dir zur Bewerbung geraten, Du hast in einer Handelszeitung gelesen, dass die Firma expandiert. Diese Situation ist vergleichbar mit einer direkten Anfrage: Du kannst sofort herausstellen, dass Du Dich für eine bestimmte Stelle bewirbst.
Manchmal aber ist die annoncierte Stelle nicht das, was Du Dir vorstellst, oder Du möchtest für eine Organisation arbeiten, die keine offenen Stellen in Deinem Bereich annonciert hat. In diesem Fall schreibst Du eine Initiativbewerbung, d.h. dass Du selber die Initiative ergreifst. Eine solche Bewerbung versucht, den Adressaten von einer Einstellung als Problemlösung zu überzeugen.
Initiativbewerbungen helfen Dir, in den versteckten Arbeitsmarkt zu gelangen. Deine Bewerbung wird unter Umständen eine Firma erreichen, die einstellen möchte, aber bisher noch keine offenen Stellen annonciert hat. In anderen Fällen schaffen Unternehmen Stellen, um gute Bewerber in die Firma zu holen. Selbst bei einem Einstellungsstopp werden gelegentlich Stellen für Fachkräfte geschaffen.
Sowohl im Bewerbungsschreiben als auch in der Initiativbewerbung solltest Du:
- das Schreiben an eine bestimmte Person richten
- den genauen Arbeitsplatz nennen, um den Du Dich bewirbst
- Deine Qualifikationen genau beschreiben
- aufzeigen, was Dich von anderen Bewerbern unterscheidet
- Deine Kenntnisse über das Unternehmen und die Arbeit herausstellen
- auf Deinen Lebenslauf Bezug nehmen, der beigefügt ist
- nach einem Vorstellungsgespräch fragen

3.2 Wie ein überzeugendes Anschreiben aufgebaut ist

1. Gib an, dass Du Dich um ein Praktikum bewirbst (verwende dabei die Bezeichnung, wie sie in der Ausschreibung angegeben ist). Erwähne, woher Du von dem Praktikum erfahren hast (Annonce, persönlicher Hinweis, etc.). Gib auch die Referenznummer an, wenn eine in der Annonce erwähnt ist. Zeig kurz auf, dass Du in der Ausschreibung erwähnten Qualifikationen besitzt: Universitätszeugnis, Ausbildungszeugnis, Berufspraxis, etc. Führe Deine anderen Qualifikationen kurz in der Reihenfolge auf, in der Du sie im Folgenden vorstellen wirst.
2. Beschreibe Deine Hauptqualifikationen detailliert. Sei genau bei der Beschreibung dessen, was Du getan hast. Stell eine Verbindung des bisher von Dir Erreichten zur Tätigkeit her, die Du in dem zukünftigen Job tun wirst. Bedenke, dass der Leser nur weiß, was Du ihm erzählst. Hier ist nicht der richtige Platz für Bescheidenheit!
3. Erwähne Deine weiteren Qualifikationen, selbst wenn die Annonce nicht danach fragt. (Wenn die Annonce viele Qualifikationen erfragt, such Dir die wichtigsten drei oder vier heraus.) Zeige auf, inwieweit Du Dich von den anderen Bewerbern, die auch auf die Anzeige antworten werden, unterscheidest. Stell Deine Kenntnisse über die Organisation heraus.
4. Frag nach einem Vorstellungsgespräch, gib den Zeitraum an, in dem Du erreichbar bist, und wann Du anfangen kannst. Beende das Schreiben mit einer positiven und optimistischen Aussage.

3.3 Erste Absätze eines überzeugenden Bewerbungsschreibens

Wenn Du weißt, dass ein Unternehmen einstellt, solltest Du deutlich machen, dass Du Dich um eine bestimmte Position bewirbst, damit die Firma Deine Unterlagen schneller an die betreffende Person weiter leiten kann und die Bearbeitungszeit dadurch reduziert wird. Gib an, woher Du von der offenen Stelle erfahren hast: „die Stelle als Juniorbuchhalter, die in der Sunday’s Dispatch ausgeschrieben war“ oder „William Paquette, unser Personalchef, sagte mir, dass Sie suchen…..“
Beachte, wie der nachfolgende Absatz einige Charakteristika der Annonce aufgreift:

Annonce: Weiterbildungsleiter bei Shelby Erwachsenenbildung. Bewerber muss einen Bachelor in Weiterbildung haben und wird für die hausinterne Weiterbildung von Geschäftsleuten und Regierungsvertretern verantwortlich sein. Bewerber sollten mindestens sechs Monate Arbeitserfahrung haben. Frühere Unterrichtserfahrung ist nicht notwendig.
Anschreiben: Ich interessiere mich für die Stelle im Bereich Weiterbildung. Im Dezember werde ich einen Bachelor in Naturwissenschaften an der Universität X abschließen. Ich habe zwei Jahre Unterrichtserfahrung in Textverarbeitung und Computerkursen und habe Führungsqualitäten in der Nationalgarde erlangen können.

3.4. Kenntnisse über die Firma und die Arbeitsstelle zeigen

Wenn Du das Anschreiben auch mit einer anderen Adresse und Anrede versenden könntest, ist es nicht spezifisch genug. Ein Bewerbungsschreiben ist vor allem der Anspruch, dass Du für eine bestimmte Arbeitsstelle qualifiziert bist. Bring Dein Wissen über die ausgeschriebene Stelle und das Unternehmen ein, um aus Deinem bisherigen Lebenslauf die Informationen auszuwählen, mit denen Du unterstreichst, dass Du dem Unternehmen hilfreich sein kannst.

Die folgenden Absätze verdeutlichen, dass der Bewerber sich über die Firma informiert hat. Das Schreiben an die Firma Bendix verwertet Informationen über das Aufgabengebiet und die Marktanteile, die der Student von dem Praktikumsbüro der Universität erhalten hat.

„In Seminaren über Geschäftskommunikation habe ich gelernt, Berichte zu schreiben, die den Bedürfnissen der Leser gerecht werden. Diese Kenntnisse kann ich einsetzen, um die Trends zusammen zu fassen, die in den Samstagabendberichten erscheinen, die ihre Händler einreichen….
In meinem Nebenfach Personalmanagement und Public Relation habe ich gelernt, dass Trends der Ausdruck menschlicher Motive und Gefühle sind, und nicht lediglich kalte Zahlen. Meine Aufmerksamkeit für diese Tatsache ermöglicht es mir, die Berichte der Einzelhändler richtig zu interpretieren – um so die 30 Cents jedes Waschmaschinendollars in Bendix Kasse klingeln zu lassen.“

Ein oder zwei spezifische Details über das Unternehmen reichen in der Regel aus, um Deine Kenntnisse herauszustellen. Vergewissere Dich, dass Du Dein Wissen wirklich anwendest und nicht einfach nur wiederholst. Präsentiere Deine Informationen nie so, als seien sie Neuigkeiten für den Adressaten. Schließlich arbeitet der Adressat für die Firma und weiß mehr über den Job als Du.

3.5. Unterschiede zu anderen Bewerbern aufzeigen

Deine Kenntnisse über das Unternehmen unterscheiden Dich von anderen Bewerbern. Um Deine Persönlichkeit zu demonstrieren, kannst Du ebenso Seminararbeiten, Erfahrung in dem Bereich, Berufserfahrung und besondere Ereignisse in Deinem Leben angeben. Sei spezifisch, aber halte Dich kurz. Normalerweise genügen drei bis fünf Sätze, um ausreichend Detailinformationen wiederzugeben.

Das nachfolgende Beispiel einer Studentin verwendet sowohl Seminararbeit als auch Ferienjobs, um sich von anderen Bewerbern zu unterscheiden.

„In meinen Universitätsseminaren habe ich die notwendigen Buchhaltungsfähigkeiten erlernt, um zum Wachstum von Monsanto beitragen zu können. Da Sie kürzlich neue Buchhaltungsmethoden für Wechselkursraten eingeführt haben, benötigen Sie Personal mit Fachwissen im Wechselkursrechnen. In zwei Kursen über internationale Buchführung habe ich in Simulationen für hypothetische Firmen Abwertungen ausländischer Währungen in der Buchführung berechnet. Dadurch habe ich die nötigen Fähigkeiten erlangt, mit täglichen Wechselkursschwankungen zu arbeiten und gleichzeitig Monsanto genau und positiv darzustellen.
Eine so diversifizierte Firma wie Monsanto benötigt eine umfangreiche Buchführung genauso wie eine ausgedehnte externe wie interne Kommunikation. Sowohl meine Ferienjobs als auch meine Seminararbeiten qualifizieren mich für diese Arbeit. Als Büroleiterin des Dampfboots Julia Belle Swain war ich verantwortlich für den Großteil der Buchführung und der Firmenkorrespondenz. Ich habe die Buchführung täglich genauestens erledigt und oft mehr als 100 Transaktionen am Tag durchgeführt. In Geschäftskorrespondenz habe ich gelernt, überzeugend Briefe und Vermerke zu schreiben und ausführliche Datenmengen in einfachem Stil wiederzugeben, so dass sie leicht zu verstehen sind.“

In Deinem Lebenslauf kannst Du Aktivitäten, Kurse und Äm