Begin your letter by stating your position, title, or role and explaining why you’re writing. You don’t usually have to include your name in the letter, because your name will be included in your signature.
Cut to the chase: “I am writing today to inquire about openings for a new comptroller” or “I am writing to outline the features of a new product recently unveiled by my company” are perfectly effective statements of purpose, which should be one of the earliest sentences in the letter.
One common mistake that inexperienced writers make is in avoiding contractions at all cost, to such a degree the letter ends up sounding like it was translated, rather than written. Use contractions, letting the letter sound conversational, but also professional. [4] X Research source Let the letter represent you. Don’t try to sound smart by substituting thesaurus words for words you would normally use. This isn’t a master’s thesis, this is an intro letter. Use the appropriate words and be concise.
If you have any connection to anyone who works at the company, or if you’ve been referred to apply, or if you know someone who’s previously been awarded a grant from your institution for their work, it’s good to make a note of that early in the introduction. This can be a way of jogging someone’s memory (“Oh, this is who Jim told me about!”), or establish it for the first time.
Outline some of the experience that you have in the field or industry you reference in the letter. If you have targeted the introductory letter as mentioned, it will be focused on some kind of professional field or industry. It’s helpful to include specific skills and experience in order to make the letter effective. Wanting a job is not the same thing as qualifying for it. If you outline in the introduction that you’re interested in interviewing for the job because you’d made an excellent fit, you don’t need to repeat yourself fifty times throughout. Writing that you “really really need this job” doesn’t make you seem like a more attractive candidate.
Focus the introductory letter toward a specific job level. This job type or position doesn’t have to be explicitly mentioned, but keep in mind what kind of result you are going after in order to keep the letter relevant.
Reiterate the most important information in the conclusion. Just before you close the letter with an appropriate salutation, it’s a good idea to briefly reiterate the thing that you want, directly. [7] X Research source
Revising is more than cleaning up your typos and spelling errors. Give your letter a whole second look and make sure that the subjects and verbs are all in agreement, that your meaning is clear, and that your letter accomplishes what it needs to accomplish. Once you’ve gotten the writing as successful as possible, it’s ok to start proofreading and looking for “late concerns,” the last-minute things, including fixing typos, spelling errors, and formatting your letter.
Revising is more than cleaning up your typos and spelling errors. Give your letter a whole second look and make sure that the subjects and verbs are all in agreement, that your meaning is clear, and that your letter accomplishes what it needs to accomplish. Once you’ve gotten the writing as successful as possible, it’s ok to start proofreading and looking for “late concerns,” the last-minute things, including fixing typos, spelling errors, and formatting your letter.
Include a CV or resume as appropriate, following the introductory letter. The intro should be the first thing in any application packet. Include good contact information. Going through the final edit of the introductory letter, make sure that important contact information is included, generally in the top right-hand corner of the header. Include your email address, phone number, and other basic contact information.
