Writing Tutorials

Writing a cover letter

By Mary-Anne Tyler
This site has been reproduced with the kind permission of Mary-Anne Tyler. Her original site can be found at www.writing-cover-letters.com.com

Cover Letter Writing Tips

11. Use the plain English style

This is the hardest tip to follow. Nine out of ten business letters suffer from poor style, with longwinded sentences, passive verbs, wordy phrases and unnecessary jargon. Writing clearly and concisely in plain English means saying everything you need to include in the fewest possible words. Imagine you're talking to the reader and your tone will be fine.

Here's a typical example of the difference between the typical business style and the plain English style.

typical business style

I have been enrolled as a design student in the department of environmental design at the University of Missouri in Columbia for two years and wish to be considered for any vacant positions in your company.

Although I do not anticipate graduation until June 1999, I feel that because of my current creative and technical skills, as well as an interest in behavioral-interface design, I would be qualified to do the type of design work you require.

 

 

 

 

 

plain english style

I am studying fashion design at the University of Missouri, graduating in June 1999. My creative and technical skills include computer-aided design and web-page design specializing in simple design techniques to help people grasp difficult technical ideas.

 

 

 

Business style characteristics :

• Passive Verbs
• Long Sentences
• Complex Words
• Wordy
• Jargon-ridden
• Generalizations

Plain English style characteristics:

• Active Verbs
• Short Sentences
• Simpler Words
• Concise
• Jargon-free
• Specific information

Click here to learn more about plain English

The easiest way to ensure your letter is written well is to use a plain English software editor with your word processor. StyleWriter — the plain English editor is the world's most powerful editor, checking for 35,000 ways to improve your writing style and picks up English usage errors missed by spelling and grammar checkers.

You can download StyleWriter immediately and run it over your own resume cover letter. Read more

12. Proofread your draft

You cannot afford one mistake or slip. Use your spelling checker and check all names carefully. Read the draft several times and make sure you have included all the necessary information. Check your punctuation, grammar and consistency of capital letters and names. Ask a friend to check it over.

Can you spot the main problem with this original draft cover letter?

example of professional cover letter

John Noakes
1221 Stave Avenue
Washington DC 22090

Sales Executive advertised in
Computer Monthly

Dear Mr Johns

Joining Datacom’s Sales Team

I would like to join Datacom Office Equipment as your new Sales Executive and bring to your organization my 12 years of experience working on international corporate clients for Bestdata.

My training at Bestdata helped me become Regional Sales Representative of the Month four times in two years. After my promotion to North-East Regional Sales Manager, we improved training for sales representatives, revamped our marketing strategy and moved into direct selling on the Internet. Sales increased by 30 per cent in the next year.

Many of these ideas apply to Datacom's product range, especially the innovative portable telephones and fax machines you recently launched in the trade press.

I'd be happy to discuss these ideas at an interview. Could we arrange an interview in early June when I am in New York?

Yours sincerely

John Noakes

Enclosed: Resume

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Answer: There's no contact telephone address and there's no date on the letter.

example of professional cover letter

John Noakes
1221 Stave Avenue
Washington DC 22090
(202) 445 4545

Sales Executive advertised in
Computer Monthly

May 13, 2000

Dear Mr Johns

Joining Datacom’s Sales Team

I would like to join Datacom Office Equipment as your new Sales Executive and bring to your organization my 12 years of experience working on international corporate clients for Bestdata.

My training at Bestdata helped me become Regional Sales Representative of the Month four times in two years. After my promotion to North-East Regional Sales Manager, we improved training for sales representatives, revamped our marketing strategy and moved into direct selling on the Internet. Sales increased by 30 per cent in the next year.

Many of these ideas apply to Datacom's product range, especially the innovative portable telephones and fax machines you recently launched in the trade press.

I'd be happy to discuss these ideas at an interview. Could we arrange an interview in early June when I am in New York?

Yours sincerely

John Noakes

Enclosed: Resume

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next: The follow-up to your cover letter

Writing a Cover Letter Tutorial Page: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5]

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