Practical Writing — How to Apply for a Job

Contents Application Letter Application Letter Resume Resume

General Introduction A letter of application is essentially a sales letter. An application is marketing his / her skills, abilities and knowledge. The immediate purpose of an application letter is to get the attention of the person who screens and hires job applicants. The applicant’s ultimate goal is to obtain a job interview. The successful application letter does three things: Catches the reader’s favorable attention, convinces the reader that you are qualified for the consideration, and requests an interview. Application Letter

A letter of application should provide the following information State a specific job title; Point out your source of information about the job; Summarize your qualifications for the job, specifically education, work experience and activities showing leadership skills; Refer the reader to your resume; Ask for an interview, stating where you can be reached and when you will be available for an interview.

Constituent parts of an application letter Heading or letterhead (Sender’s address and date of the letter) 信头 The sender’s address is written on the top right- hand side of the paper. The date is written below the sender’s address, sometimes separated form it by a space. Acceptable expressions of dates: 1) 17th October(,)2000 2) 17 October(,)2000 3) October 17(,)2000 Unacceptable expressions of dates:

Inside (or receiver’s) address 信内地址 This is written below the sender’s address and on the opposite side of the page. Order of the inside address: 1. Name of the person and/or company receiving the letter. 2. Name of the house or building 3. Number of building and name of street or road 4. Name of town or city and postcode 5. Name of country

Salutations 称呼 1. Dear Sir － to a man whose name you don’t know 2. Dear Sirs － to a company 3. Dear Madam － to a woman, whether single or married, whose name you don’t know 4. Dear Sir or Madam － to a person you whom you don’t know neither the name nor the sex 5. If you do know the name of the person you are writing to, the form would be: Dear + courtesy title + surname: Dear Mr Smith

The body of the letter 正文 This may be indented( 首行缩进式 ) or blocked( 齐头式 ), which is a matter of choice. But whichever style you use, you must be consistent and use that style all through the letter.

Complimentary close 结束套语 If the letter begins with Dear Sir/Sirs/Madam/Sir or Madam, will close with Yours faithfully or Yours truly. If the letter begins with (Dear+) the receiver’s name, e.g. Dear David, it will close with Yours sincerely, which is less formal and often used between acquaintances or friends. Signature 签名 Always type your name after your handwritten signature. Even though you may think your signature is easy to read.

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Sample 3 Dear Sir or Madam: I’m writing to you in response to the position of a translator you advertised in a local newspaper dated on November 25. I’m presently a student majoring in translation & interpretation in School of Foreign Languages and Literatures, Beijing Normal University (BNU), and I’ll graduate in early July next year. Please accept this letter as an application for employment with the Three Stars Translation Company. I have a good educational background. I have studied in BNU for more than 6 years. Two years ago, l got my Bachelor’s Degree of Arts, and next year I will receive my Master’s Degree of Arts. To prepare myself for my future career, I’m reading both extensively and intensively, taking non-credit courses, and going to lectures related to my major and beyond. As a result, l have developed my ability to achieve accuracy in translation and flexibility in interpretation.

Being a college student for so many years, I really have limited work experience. But in order to become a qualified employee upon graduation, I have been involved in several part-time jobs that have shown my potential. For example, one week before the celebration of the 100th birthday of BNU in 2002, I helped translate from Chinese to English the speeches that our president and a well-know professor would deliver. My translation was done quickly and was used in the Centennial Anniversary held in the Great Hall of the People. I believe that what I lack in experience is balanced by my enthusiasm--- enthusiasm makes perfect. Thank you very much for your consideration and I’m looking forward to having a job interview at your convenience. You can contact me by at or reach me at Yours sincerely, Li Ming

Dear Sir, On my graduation form college this fall, I am desirous of securing a position that will offer me opportunity in the field of import and export trading. Knowing something of the scope and enterprise of your huge export department, I thought perhaps you would keep me in mind for a possible opening. I am strong and alert, and shall be twenty years of age in July next year. At present I am a student in the college of XX but I shall graduate from the college this coming July, finishing the requirements in three years. I have had no business experience, but my college record has been good. A copy of my antecedents is enclosed for your reference. Dr.B.Chao, President of the college of XX will be glad to tell you more about my character and ability, I shall be glad to call at any time for an interview. Sincerely yours, XXX Sample 4

General Introduction A resume is an essential element in any job search because it is, in effect, a catalog of what an application has to offer to prospective employers. Sent out with the application letter, it is the basis for their decision to invite the applicant for a job interview. It tells them who the applicant is, what he/she knows, what he/she can do, what he/she done, and what the job objectives are. It may be the basis for the questions the applicant is asked in the interview, and it can help the prospective employer evaluate the interview. The aim of a resume is to present your qualifications as effectively as possible. Resume

Constituent parts of a resume Heading 信头 The heading usually contains one’s name, address, telephone number, and the position the applicant is applying for. Sometimes include the name of the company to which he is applying. Job Resume of P.L.Quackenbush 2160 Shelter Island Drive San Diego, California (714) for the position of System Analyst Brighton Industries Inc.

Experience 工作经历 Generally, the first side head of a resume is “experience”. The applicant should note all his/her employment and analyze each job on the basis of the following list of questions to write this part.

1.What was the job title? 2.What did you do (in reasonable detail)? 3.What experience did you gain that you can apply to another job? 4.Why were you hired for the job? 5.What special skills did you learn on the job? 6.Were you promoted or given a job with more responsibility? 7.Why did you leave it? 8.When did you start and when did you leave the job? 9.Would your former employer give you a reference? 10.What special traits were required of you on the job (initiative, leadership, ability to work with details, ability to work with people, imagination, ability to organize, and so on)?

YearJobUnit 1992-presentField Sales SupervisorHorton-Miller Book Company Sales RepresentativeHorton-Miller Book Company Head of Department of Business Education Dekalb High School Instructor in accounting and data processing Dekalb High School Russell R Buchanan’s Experience

Education 学历 For the applicant with little work experience, such as a recent graduate, the education category is of primary importance. For the applicant with extensive work experience, education is still quite important, even though it is now secondary to work experience. This part should provide the following information: 1.Colleges attended and the inclusive dates. 2.Degrees and the dates they were awarded. 3.Major and minor subjects. 4.Courses taken or skills acquired that might be important to the job you are applying for. 5.Special training courses (academic or industrial).

Other information 其他情况 In some resumes you can see such heading as “special interests and achievements”, “honors and awards” “brief personal history”, “statement of philosophy”, “English and computer skills” and the like. If you have something really important to say under these heading, by no means go ahead. Personal Data 个人情况 This part includes such information as date of birth, physical characteristics (height, weight, etc.), state of health, marital status, nationality, and so on.

References 证明人 This is the last mart of a resume. In this part three or four references are listed, with their courtesy title, name, position, affiliation, address, telephone/fax number and e- mail address given. 个人简历通常按年月顺序书写，时 间从现在往过去推移。要求简明扼 要，其语言特点是省略句子的第一 人称主语， 用动词、动名词等并列 形式来代替完整的句子。

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