Com BUSINESS WRITING 2 NTTHA WEEK 1 2

Lac Hong University UNIT 1: WRITING A JOB COVER LETTER Lesson aims: Upon the completion of this unit, students can - understand the concept of a job cover letter - master the tips on

Lecturer: Ngo Thi Thu Ha

Faculty of foreign language

Lac Hong University

UNIT 1: WRITING A JOB COVER LETTER

Lesson aims:

Upon the completion of this unit, students can

- understand the concept of a job cover letter

- master the tips on writing a job cover letter

- grasp the expressions used in a job cover letter

- write their own personal job cover letter

Lesson focus:

- The general structure and useful expressions of a cover letter to apply for a job Lesson’s time allocation: 8 periods (2 weeks)

1 Introduction of a job cover letter

1.1 Warm-up

Activity 1: Answer the following questions

1 Look at two following documents and guess which of them is the cover letter? Explain why?

26 Windsor Road

CHINGFORD

CH4 6PY

MAY 15th, 2010

Mrs W R Jenkinson

Personnel Manager

Leyland & Bailey Ltd

Nelson Works

CLAPTON

CH5 8HA

(week 1)

2 General structure of a job cover letter and

practice on general structure

3 Useful expression and practice on using

expression

Period 3, 4 (week 1)

4 Practice on writing complete job cover

letters

Period 1, 2 (week 2)

(week 2)

Dear Mrs Jenkinson

PRIVATE SECRETARY TO MANAGING DIRECTOR

I was interested to see your advertisement in today’s Daily Telegraph and would like to be considered for this post

I am presently working as Private Secretary to the General Manager at a manufacturing company and have a wide range of responsibilities These include attending and taking minutes of meetings and interviews, dealing with callers and correspondence in my

employer’s absence, and supervising junior staff, as well as the usual secretarial duties The kind of work in which your company is engaged particularly interests me, and I would welcome the opportunity I would afford to use my language abilities which are not utilised

in my present post

A copy of my curriculum vitae is enclosed with copies of previous testimonials

I hope to hear from you soon and to be given the opportunity to present myself at an

interview Should you need further information please feel free to contact with me at my mobile phone number xxxxxxxxx

Yours sincerely

JEAN CARSON (Miss)

Encs

[Your Name]

[Street Address], [City, ST ZIP Code]

[phone]

[e-mail]

OBJECTIVE

A position as a general office clerk for a major corporation

SKILLS PROFILE

 Ability to operate Model 5000 copy/collating machine

 Knowledge of and experience with corporate mailroom procedures

 Good filing and organizational skills

 Experience in handling confidential paperwork

 Ability to take accurate phone messages and deliver messages promptly

 Good customer-relations background

EMPLOYMENT HISTORY

Contoso, Ltd., Milton, NY

 Copy and collate all projects (including confidential papers) for 25 -lawyer firm

 Successfully complete all jobs by time requested

 Coordinate delivery of large projects with mailroom clerk

 Initiated “rush procedure,” which guarantees “rush” copy projects of 1,000 pages or fewer will be completed within 30 minutes of submission; met all guaranteed deadlines and enhanced copy room operations

 Won the quarterly “Employee Suggestion Award” for “rush procedure”

Contoso, Ltd., Milton, NY

 Accurately filed and delivered mail to all company departments

 Suggested new mail code system, which reduced filing errors and increased timely delivery

 Computed amount of postage required for outgoing mail, depending on

weight and classification

 Covered phones for word-processing clerk during clerk’s lunch break

Coho Winery, Harris, NY

 Took orders, served restaurant patrons, and assisted at the cash register

 Created “Tuesday Casino Night” theme, including food and games, which doubled the number of customers on a typically slow night

EDUCATION

Elm High School, Harris, NY

2 Have you ever applied for any job?

If yes, did you send the cover letter to employer to apply for jobs?

If no, brain storm the ideas for writing a cover letter?

3 In your opinion, is it necessary to write this letter when applying for a job? Why?

1.2 What is a job cover letter?

A cover letter is a letter that you send to accompany your Curriculum Vitae (resume) when you apply for job [1]

A cover letter is not a job application form- it's a short and specific letter that should always accompany any resume, folio or any other application documents that you send to a prospective employer.[2]

A cover letter is a brief letter that introduces your resume to the company or organization to which you are applying [3]

Your cover letter should emphasize why you want to work for that particular organization and why you would be a good fit An effective cover letter engages the reader and encourages him or her to invite you for an interview [3]

2 General structure of a job cover letter

2.1 Warm-up

Activity 2: Study the following letter and fill in blanks on the left to indicate the

main content of each given part

26 Windsor Road CHINGFORD CH4 6PY

MAY 15th, 2010 Mrs W R Jenkinson Personnel Manager Leyland & Bailey Ltd Nelson Works CLAPTON CH5 8HA Dear Mrs Jenkinson PRIVATE SECRETARY TO MANAGING DIRECTOR

I was interested to see your advertisement in today’s Daily Telegraph and would like to be considered for this post

I am presently working as Private Secretary to the General Manager at a manufacturing company and have a wide range of responsibilities These include attending and taking minutes of meetings and interviews, dealing with callers and correspondence in my employer’s absence, and supervising junior staff, as well as the usual secretarial duties

The kind of work in which your company is engaged particularly interests me, and I would welcome the opportunity I would afford to use

my language abilities which are not utilised in my present post

A copy of my curriculum vitae is enclosed with copies of previous testimonials

I hope to hear from you soon and to be given the opportunity to present myself at an interview Should you need further information please feel free to contact with me at my mobile phone number xxxxxxxxx

Yours sincerely JEAN CARSON (Miss) Encs

Activity 3: From the above letter, apply three labels in the box for three following main contents and then rearrange them to make a correct structure of a cover letter

1 opening paragraph

2 middle paragraph(s)

3 closing paragraph

_:

 thank the employer for considering you for the position

 express wishes for an interview

 give your contact information

_:

 state the reasons for writing the cover letter

 mention the position applied for and where the job listing was found

_:

 describe qualifications to offer the employer (If currently the applicant has a job, give an outline of present job )

 give the reason why you are interested in the advertised post (optional)

 refer the reader to the enclosed CV and copies of other testimonials are

enclosed with the letter (If have)

 Add the referees (if have)

2.2 General structure

Opening:

• Say why you are writing this letter

• Mention the post to be applied and where you saw the job advertisement

Middle:

• Say why you are qualified Highlight some most relevant experiences and qualities related to the position

• Refer the reader to the enclosed CV and copies of other testimonials are enclosed with the letter (If have)

• Add the referees (if have)

Closing:

• Thank the employer for considering you for the position

• Express your wishes for an interview or reply from the reader

• Indicate the available time for the interview including the contact information

2.3 Practice:

Activity 4: This letter is in the incorrect order Rearrange it

1 Enclosure

2 Ms Janice Wilson

Personnel Director

Anderson Construction Company

3507 Rockville Pike

Rockville, MD 20895

3 Dear Ms Wilson:

4 Every summer for the last five years I have worked at various levels in the construction industry As indicated on my enclosed resume, I have worked as a general laborer, and moved up to skilled carpentry work, and last summer served

as assistant construction manager on a two million dollar residential construction project

5 1000 Terrace View Apts

Blacksburg, VA 24060

3 Useful expressions for writing a job cover letter

3.1 Useful expressions

a Opening

Say why you are writing this letter

- I am writing this letter to enquire whether you have a suitable vacancy for

me in your company

- I would/ should like to be considered for this post

State how or where you saw the job advertisement

- In replying to your advertisement in… newspaper, I am writing to apply

for the post as a…

- In response to

- I understand from Mr…., one of your suppliers, that there is an opening in your company for…

- Mrs … informs me that she will be leaving your company on… And if her position has not been filled,

- Mr … , your Personel Officer, has told me that you have a vacancy for a ……

- I was informed by… that…

b Middle:

Highlight relevant education and working experience

- I graduated from… in the year … with BA in English major

- I worked for…….for… years…

- My extensive course work …… department at …… University has allowed

me to gain an understanding and appreciation for …….that this post need

(540) 555-4523

stevemason@vt.edu

6 Sincerely,

7 The Anderson Construction Company projects are familiar to me, and my aspiration is to work for a company that has your excellent reputation I would welcome the opportunity to interview with you I will be in the Washington area during the week of April 12th and would be available to speak with you at that time In the next week to ten days I will contact you to answer any questions you may have

8 Jesse Mason

9 I read in the March 24th Washington Post classified section of your need for a

Civil Engineer or Building Construction graduate for one of your Washington, DC, area sites I will be returning to the Washington area after graduation in May and believe that I have the necessary credentials for the project

10 March 25, 2010

11 In addition to this practical experience, I will complete requirements for my B.S

in Building Construction in May As you may know, Virginia Tech is one of the few universities in the country that offers such a specialized degree for the construction industry I am confident that my degree and my years of construction industry experience make me an excellent candidate for your job

12 Thank you for your consideration

- This rewarding experience working for ………sharpened my knowledge in …

- I have 5 year experience working in company A as a…… so I can do……

Refer to the enclosed documents

- I enclose my resume and ….together with this letter so that you can understand more about my abilities

- My resume is enclosed/ attached with this letter for your reference

- Enclosed are my resume and testimonials…

Closes

Thank the employer for considering you for the position

- Thank you for + Noun (Thank you for your time and consideration )

- Thank you for + Gerund (Thank you for considering my cover letter)

Express your wish for an interview or reply

- I look forward to hearing from you and to be granted the opportunities of

an interview

to speaking with you about this employment opportunity

to the opportunity of attending an interview when I can provide further details

to your reply soon

- I hope (that) you will consider my application favorably and grant

me an interview

I may be given the opportunity of an interview to discuss further about my abilities

to hear from you as soon as possible

Indicate the available time for the interview and contact information

- I would be available at anytime

- I am available on……

- I can be reached anytime at my cell phone XXXXXXX

- I am able to attend an interview at any time

- I shall be pleased to provide any further information you may need and I am ready for any interview at your convenient time

- Please call me at XXXXXXX if you need……

- Please contact me at XXXXXXXXX

3.2 Tips to Make Cover Letter Professional [4]

Appearance:

- Keep your letter tidy, short and simple

- Use good quality paper that matches your resume paper and envelopes

- Use double tab for each paragraph

Letter’s tone:

- be sincerely, friendly

- DO NOT make exaggerated claims or sound boastful when stating about your qualifications; simply show proper appreciation of your abilities

Content:

- Research the company and the specifics about the position before writing this letter

- Avoid using too many sentences that start with "I" or writing in the passive voice (ex "This experience enabled me to " or "Through my internship, I was responsible for "); instead, make yourself the subject of each sentence and use active descriptions (ex., "In this internship, I demonstrated sound judgment and problem-solving skills on a daily basis.")

- DO NOT imply that you are applying for the job because you are bored with your present one

- If your main interest is the salary, DO NOT state the figure you expect Instead mention how much you are earning now

- Do not use contractions (I'd, didn't, it's)

- Check spelling, grammar, or punctuation mistakes

3.3 Practice

Activity 5: Put (O) for opening phrases, (M) for middle phrases and (C) for closing phrases

1 As you can see from my CV

2 Currently, I am working as a

3 I am in charge of

4 I am particularly interested in this position

5 I am very keen to use my English

6 I am writing in reply to your advertisement

7 I have five years experience in this sector

8 I look forward to hearing from you

9 I will be available for interview from

10 I would be more than happy to discuss

11 Please do not hesitate to contact me for

12 With reference to your advertisement in

Activity 6: Select the correct words in the box to fill in the following cover letter’s

gaps Each word is used just once

Riyaz Soofi

13 George Terrace Twickenham Middlesex TW5 8LR

26th June 2010

FAO: Personnel (1)

I would like to apply for the (2) of company manager

I have over four year (3) _ of working in this area

attend courses application experience interview

Please find enclosed my (4) form I have written a list of my (5) _ and the training (6) _ I have attended

I can (7) _ an (8) at any time

I look forward to your (9)

Yours (10)

Mr Riyaz Soofi

Activity 7: Practice writing opening part:Use the given clues to write 4 openings for cover letters applying for 4 positions

1

- How do you know our job advertisement?

- Job you want to apply for:

Read newspaper Import-export staff

2

- How do you know our job advertisement?

- Job you want to apply for:

Via internet Teacher of English for children

3

- How do you know our job advertisement?

- Job you want to apply for:

Via a friend Interpreter

4

- How do you know our job advertisement?

- Job you want to apply for:

Via newspaper Bank staff

Activity 8: Rearrange the jumped words make complete sentences of the cover letter’s middle part

1 have I three three experience year area working in sales the

2 four I ago Hoa Sen years graduated University

3 plan My production duties current in dealing the include with, coordinating company customers’ order

4 enable skills The working English experience me in Dai Viet Company Ltd to my improve knowledge and my sharpen

5 position I in have Company tried my in Hanco Secretary ability

Activity 9: Translate into English

1 Tôi là một sinh viên năm cuối chuyên ngành Tiếng Anh-trường Đại học Lạc Hồng đang quan tâm đến vị trí Thư ký văn phòng quảng cáo trên trang web tuyendungvieclam.com ngày 20/07/2010 của Quý công ty

2 Để đáp lại thông tin tuyển dụng một hướng dẫn viên du lịch của công ty Ngài trên báo Nhân dân ngày hôm qua, tôi viết lá thư này với mong muốn được đảm nhận vào vị trí này

3 Để thuận tiện cho Ngài, tôi xin phép đính kèm theo thư này hồ sơ cá nhân và một

số giấy chứng nhận năng lực chuyên môn của tôi

4 Tôi là sinh viên mới tốt nghiệp với tấm bằng cử nhân Anh văn loại khá Dù mới ra trường nhưng tôi đã có kinh nghiệm làm partime cho một số Trung tâm ngoai ngữ với vai trò là giáo viên Tiếng Anh cho trẻ em Ông Dương Minh giám đốc trung tâm ngoại ngữ Hugo có thể chứng nhận kết quả làm việc tốt cuả tôi Ngoài ra trong suốt thời gian ở trường tôi tham gia tích cực vào các câu lạc bộ tiếng Anh, làm tình nguyện viên phiên dịch tiếng Anh trong một số sự kiện thể thao tổ chức tại Biên Hòa Ông có thể thấy rõ chi tiết hơn trong CV đính kèm của tôi

5 Với trình độ học vấn và kinh nghiêm của mình thì tôi tin mình có thể đảm đương tốt công việc này

6 Cảm ơn Ngài đã dành thời gian đọc và cân nhắc Nếu Ngài cần biết thêm thông tin, tôi rất sẵn lòng cung cấp Tôi hi vọng có nhận được lời mời phỏng vấn để có

cơ hội thể hiện mình rõ hơn

7 Tôi có thể tham dự phỏng vấn vào bất cứ lúc nào Xin hãy gọi vào so xxxxxxx

Activity 10: Clarify which part of a cover letter each statement in Activity 9 belong

to

Activity 11: Based in the following job advertisement and write an outline describing your qualifications and experience to apply for this job

4 Homework:

Exercise 1: Write a complete letter to apply for the job advertised in Activity 11 Exercise 2: Choose one of jobs offered in the following advertisements and write a cover letter to apply for that job

Job title: Marketing Manager

Job Description:

 Research target market

Job title: English Translator and Interpreter

Job description:

- Be responsible for translating and interpreting technical material in garment industry

- Be interpreter in meeting (if required)

- Support other departments in company in translating and interpreting

- Support manager in some administrative tasks

Job Requirement

- - Years of experience: 1 year(s)

- Minimum career level: Experienced (Non-Manager)

- Minimum education level: Bachelors

- Graduated from College, University, English major

- Have at least 1 year of experience in related position Have experience in Garment industry in plus

- Have proficiency in 4 skills of English

- Be active and responsible

- Be able to adapt to the pressure working environment

RED RIVER MANUFACTURING SHAREHOLDING COMPANY