. Be Positive. Don’t complain about your boss or describe your present or previous work experience as “boring”. Nobody wants to hire somebody with an attitude. Above all, don’t sound like you’re begging for a job. A hiring manager may wonder why you’re so desperate.
. Be Confident, but Not Arrogant. Don’t be negative or too humble. Tell them you’re qualified for the job, but don’t demand it. Don’t profess to know more about the company than you really do. Explain why you find the company attractive (there must be some reason or you shouldn’t be writing) and leave it at that.
. Be Polite and Professional. You may be a comedian with your friends, but a potential employer should be treated with respect.
. Be Efficient. Don’t waste space (and the reader’s time) on unnecessary details. Respect the employer’s time – make sure every sentence has something to do with explaining your interest in the company, illustrating how you’ll fill the company’s needs, and how you’ll contact the company in the near future.
. Type Your Letter, but beware of the dangers of word processing. If you send a similar letter to several companies, make sure that you change all customized statements accordingly; no company wants to read how much you’d like to work for their competitor. Carefully read each letter before you sign it.
. Be Available. Remember to tell the employer how to reach you. Give a phone number which will be reliably answered by either a person or an answering machine. If possible, include an e-mail address.
Do not leave the ball in the employer’s court. Indicate what reaction you expect from your letter and how you will follow up. For example, don’t end with “I look forward to hearing from you soon”.
. Proofread. Check carefully for grammar and spelling mistakes, then check again. Typos and grammatical errors say a lot about the kind of work you do. Do not depend entirely on the spell-check function of your word processor; if you use “there” for “their”, for
example, spell-check won’t notice. Keep a dictionary handy for proper word usage and consult a style manual for grammar questions.
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Sign It. If you forget this, the employer may feel like you’ve sent a form letter.
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Package It Nicely. Print your resume and cover letter on the same paper stock; the uniformity will look professional. Use only printers that produce neat, readable text with no stray marks or smudges. If possible, avoid using a dot-matrix printer or a manual typewriter.
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Keep One for Yourself. Make a copy of each letter sent, and keep it for future reference.
Exercises
Question 1
What are the three things which should be accomplished with an effective application letter?
Question 2
Enumerate some tips on making your application look and sound professional.
Question 3
Should an application letter and a resume contain the same the information? Explain your points.
Question 4
In application letters, are acronyms appropriate? Explain.
Question 5
Professor Justin has agreed to serve as one of your employment references, but you have not talked with her for two years. Today, you listed her name on an application form. Should you write to her? Explain your reason.
Question 6
Write an application letter to each of the following cases below, make the assumptions you prefer.
1) You are applying for an intermediate part-time job.
2) You are applying for a full-time job.
3) You are applying for a full-time job immediately after your graduation.
第八章求职信
求职信也叫自荐书，是为了求得某一职位而向用人单位发出的专门信函。求职信区别于求职简历，它是使用书信格式写的职业申请书，目的是向对方表明你对用人单位正在招聘或可能招聘的某个职位感兴趣，陈述你的工作经历和经验，表述你适合该职位的理由。 中国航空网 www.aero.cn 航空翻译 www.aviation.cn 本文链接地址：电子商务专业英语实用教程(78)
