Cover Letters

Cover Letters Purpose: To interest employers scheduling an interview for you Key: target each letter to a specific company and position Cover letters shows how much time you spent on researching the company and writing an individual letter

Particular Purposes and Information Cover letters are sales letters Goals to achieve: 1. show how you as an individual will fit into the organization 2. Use key terms from the ad or job description that are clearly relevant to your background

3. Structure your letter so that each part achieves these particular goals: 1) Opening paragraph: clarify your purpose and build reader interest 2) The body: persuade the reader that you have skills and abilities useful for the company. 3) The closing: request an interview as well as a strong reminder of the benefit to the employer

Writing like a professional assumes that your letter contains no grammatical, spelling, or typographical errors. Adapt a formal tone to promote yourself as a professional. Use technical terminology appropriate for the position you seek. Try to downplay "I" and "me" and emphasize "you" instead.

e.g.: Another experience which could be readily adapted to the Resource Center is my work as counselor during the past two summers for boys and girls ages 11 to 14 at a United Methodist junior high camp. This rewarding experience involved skills such as creativity, leadership, listening, and one-to-one and group communication. Although children in this age level are quite different from those in the nursery school group, I found once again that treating the campers with respect and care fostered cooperation and growth.

This strategy is challenging -- particularly if you're trying to vary your sentence structure so it's not repetitive. Use concrete, specific language so that readers get a good sense of what you've done and who you are. This means using strong, active verbs to describe what you've accomplished. Make sure that you sound confident rather than cocky or unsure of yourself.

STRONG ACTIVE

Your Contact Information Address City, State, Zip Code Phone Number Cell Phone Number Email Employer Contact Information Name Title Company Address City, State, Zip Code

EXAMPLE Date Dear Mr./Ms. LastName, I am applying for the Inside Sales position posted on Boston.Monster.com. At your convenience, I'd appreciate the opportunity to discuss the position and my candidacy with you. You can find my resume attached to this e-mail. I am looking to bring my well-honed public relations, marketing, and client-focused online, oral, and interpersonal communication skills internally to succeed in an inside sales position. Pertinent experience and skills for the posted position include: *The power of persuasion. I’ve pitched stories for C-level executives via phone and e-mail and placed them in major media outlets, such as MSNBC, CIO Magazine, Sirius Satellite Radio, MSN Money, AARP Bulletin, and The New York Daily News. *The ability to reach key audiences. As a journalist, I published stories in key print and online media, including CareerJournal.com, CollegeJournal.com and StartupJournal.com (online publications of The Wall Street Journal), Consumers Digest, Woman's Day, and ePregnancy Magazine. As a copywriter, my work has been used in e-mail marketing, online and offline advertisements, blogs, brochures, taglines, and Web sites. EXAMPLE

*Strong financial aptitude (My experience includes a little over a decade in the accounting profession in external and internal client-facing environments.) *B.S. in Accounting from Southern New Hampshire University, with a Minor in Management Information Systems. *Relevant computer skills (Microsoft products, HTML, etc.). *Good listener...Solid work ethic...Desire to excel...Meet deadlines...Enjoy a fast-paced environment...Extraordinary factual recall... I'd love to find out more about the position you're looking to fill, and I would welcome the opportunity to tell you how my skills and ideas can benefit Wellesley Information Services. I can be reached at (5555) 555-5555 or name@gmail.com. Thanks for your consideration; I look forward to hearing from you soon! Sincerely, Your Signature Your Typed Name =======

Writing Letters of Request Mia Chen

Tips for Requesting a Favor • Ask politely. Do not demand or threaten.  • Show the reader what’s in it for her. Prove your case.  • Say exactly what you hope she will do for you. 

Sample Request Letters for Each Topic Business / Work Request a change in a contract or agreement Request a copy of an official document Request a raise or promotion Request a response to a survey or questionnaire Request an endorsement or testimonial Request confirmation of an authorization to take action Credit Line Request an explanation for a denial of credit Request an increased credit line Request correction of an error in a credit report Request or apply for a credit account Information Request information Request information about an applicant Request information from a government agency Request information on a product or service

Sample Request Letters for Each Topic Miscellaneous Request a retraction or correction from the media Request application materials for admission to college Request confirmation of receipt of earlier mailings Request correction of an insurance company's error Request payment of a personal loan Request that someone write a letter of recommendation in your behalf Sales Request a discount or a complimentary product or service Request samples or information about products or services Request a refund or reimbursement Request correction of a billing error Service Request a favor Request an individual to volunteer services Request government service or action

7. Close the letter with the closing "Sincerely." 1. Begin the letter with the proper formal letter formatting. The date goes at the top, followed by your return address, the name and address of the recipient, the greeting. Date, Address 2. State the purpose of your letter in the first paragraph. Be direct, yet polite. 3. Explain your request in the next paragraph with some details. Be sure to mention a deadline, provide background information about yourself or the situation. 4. Provide all the information necessary for your recipient to make a decision and grant what you ask. 6. Finish the body of the letter by thanking the recipient for his consideration and help. 5. Include your telephone number and e-mail address as part of the body of the letter. 7. Close the letter with the closing "Sincerely." Contact number, E-mail

I can finish a letter of request!! So awesome!!!

How to write Complain letter 蔡松旻Mini

Effective complain letters should be… Concise Authoritative Factual Constructive Friendly

1. Setting the Scene (Background) Who, When, Where, What, Why 【ex.3】 I am a shareholder of Sunshine Bank and I am very concerned regarding recent newspaper reports on the financial situation of the bank. Your company is listed as the auditor in the latest annual report of the bank, so I am writing to you to ask for an explanation of the following issues. 【ex.1】 I am writing to inform you that the goods we ordered from your company have not been supplied correctly. 【ex.2】 I attended your exhibition Sound Systems 2009 at the Fortune Hotel (22-25 January) and found it informative and interesting. Unfortunately, my enjoyment of the event was spoiled by a number of organizational problems. 【ex.4】 I am writing to inform you of my dissatisfaction with the food and drinks at the “European Restaurant” on 18 January this year.

2. Problems: Cause + Effect (a) On 10 February 2009 we placed an order with your firm for 12,000 ultra super long-life batteries. The consignment arrived yesterday but contained only 1,200 batteries. (b) Firstly, I had difficulty in registering to attend the event. You set up an on-line registration facility, but I found the facility totally unworkable. (c) You sent us an invoice for $10,532, but did not deduct our usual 10% discount. (d) We have found 16 spelling errors and 2 mis-labelled diagrams in the sample book.  Details

Problems Effect (a)This error put our firm in a difficult position, as we had to make some emergency purchases to fulfill our commitments to all our customers. This caused us considerable inconvenience. (b) Even after spending several wasted hours trying to register in this way, the computer would not accept my application. (c) I am therefore returning the invoice to you for correction. (d) This large number of errors is unacceptable to our customers, and we are therefore unable to sell these books.

3. Solutions ★Request rather than Demand Keep requests realistic Polite but Firm (a) I am writing to ask you to please make up the shortfall immediately and to ensure that such errors do not happen again. (b) Could I please ask you to look into these matters. (c) Please send us a corrected invoice for $9,479 (d) I enclose a copy of the book with the errors highlighted. Please re-print the book and send it to us by next Friday. ★Request rather than Demand

4. Warning(optional) Tone: Optimistic Patience Be Careful not to threaten "OVER” Otherwise, we may have to look elsewhere for our supplies. I'm afraid that if these conditions are not met, we may be forced to take legal action. If the outstanding fees are not paid by Thursday, 26 February 2009, you will incur a 10% late payment fee.   

5. Closing I look forward to receiving your explanation of these matters. I look forward to receiving your payment. I look forward to hearing from you shortly.

Fortune Goods 317 Orchard Road Singapore 17 February 2009 Attn: Mr David Choi Sales Manager Everlong Batteries 171 Choi Hung Road Hung Hom Hong Kong Dear Mr Choi Re. Order No. 768197 I am writing to inform you that the goods we ordered from your company have not been supplied correctly. On 10 February 2009 we placed an order with your firm for 12,000 ultra super long-life batteries. The consignment arrived yesterday but contained only 1,200 batteries. This error put our firm in a difficult position, as we had to make some emergency purchases to fulfill our commitments to all our customers. This caused us considerable inconvenience. I am writing to ask you to please make up the shortfall immediately and to ensure that such errors do not happen again. Otherwise, we may have to look elsewhere for our supplies. I look forward to hearing from you by return. Yours sincerely J. Wong Purchasing Officer

Dear Sir/Madam I attended your exhibition Sound Systems 2009 at the Fortune Hotel from 6 - 9 February and found it informative and interesting. Unfortunately, my enjoyment of the event was spoiled by a number of organisational problems. I explain each of the problems below. Firstly, I had difficulty in registering to attend the event. You set up an on-line registration facility, but I found the facility totally unworkable. Even after spending several wasted hours trying to register in this way, the computer would not accept my application. I eventually succeeded in registering by faxing you. Secondly, the exhibition was held at one of Hong Kong's most prestigious hotels, but frankly the venue was better suited to a medium-sized business conference than to a large exhibition open by registration to the public. The lack of space led to serious overcrowding in the venue, particularly at peak visiting times (i.e. lunch times and early evening). On one or two occasions I was also seriously concerned about the physical safety of attendees. The final point I want to make concerns product information. It is very enjoyable to see and test a range of excellent sound systems, but it is also important to be able to take away leaflets on interesting products, so that more research can be done before deciding which system to buy. However, by the time I attended the exhibition all the leaflets had been taken. Could I please ask you to look into these matters - not only on my behalf but also on behalf of other attendees, and in fact on behalf of your company, too. I look forward to hearing from you. Yours faithfully Michael Leung

How to Reply to Complaints

Hello, I am Anna, here I am going to talking about how to deal with complaints while you make a decision to accept a complaint. Immediately you receive a complaint you should therefore look into it. After collecting as many information as you can and deciding the complaints is justified, you should write back promptly. If the complaints is fair, you should apologize, say how much you regret the situation, explain it and then offer a solution. And most replies to complaints contain the following six parts.

Acknowledging receipt of a complaint letter Thank you for your letter of … regarding / concerning / in connection with … I refer to your letter of … about / relating to … Thank you for bring this matter to our attention. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to look into our… We appreciate your bringing this matter to our attention. The first part acknowledges receipt of a complaint letter. You have to refer briefly to the complaint that has been received. Here you should not give full details of the complaint, as this would simply remind the reader of the complaint and would give the letter a negative tone. It is sufficient to start your letter with the normal introductory phrase and refer in very general terms to the complaint. For instances, … …

Accepting the Complaint We agree that the usual high standards of our products / services were not met in this instance. Apology for the error or fault We really must apologise for … We sincerely apologise for … Please accept our apologies for … Please allow us to apologise for … I would like to apologise for the error made by our company in (verb+ing) Accepting the complaint is to accept responsibility for a mistake. Your decision will either support the person making the complaint or it will reject the complaint. If you find that the complaint is justified, you should state clearly that this is the case.

A short explanation of the fault 1 Introductory phrase As a result of our investigation, we found that... (Not: After our investigation...) Causes The error was caused by … / was due to … Apparently, the problem was the result of … / resulted from … The cause of / reason for the mistake was … Effects As a result … This led to … Consequently … Solutions We have modified / changed our ... We have implemented a system to... To prevent re-occurrences we have set up a verification procedure. Assurances We assure you that this will not happen again. We assure you that in future we shall do all we can do to avoid this error occurring again. We shall endeavor to make sure that this does not happen again. After you have accepted responsibility, you can give a simple statement of what you have done and found out since receiving the complaint. Findings involve describing causes and effects which can be summarized. This means that you should briefly explain why the mistake took place. Expressions include… After these, you can mention what changes you will make to procedures as a result of the complaint, like… and assure the reader that the problem will not occur again in the future.

Investigation to be made 2 We are currently investigating the cause of ... We will investigate the cause of... Proposal to settle the difficulty As a gesture of our regret, we are prepared to …/ we are willing to …/ we would like to … To show goodwill, we will …

An offer to take goods back, make a replacement, give a discount etc. We have dispatched the new items by express courier. They should arrive by Friday, 27 April 2012. To show our goodwill, we would like to offer you a 5% discount on your next order with us. A concluding paragraph aiming at retaining the goodwill of the customer Then you can simply present proposal to settle the difficulty. Phrases like,…, are good to use. While we can understand your frustration, ... We understand how disappointing it can be when your expectations are not met.

Example Letters

Dealing with complaints-Rejecting a Complaint Ariel

Your contact information: Address Phone numbers Email Employer Contact information: Name Title Company Date 37

1.Acknowledging receipt for a complaint letter 2.Regret at dissatisfaction 3.Rejecting responsibility for the problem leading to the complaint 4.Reasons for rejection

5. Proposal to settle the difficulty 6. Direct the complainer to that party 7.A concluding paragraph aiming at retaining the goodwill of the customer

Your name Title Finished!!!!