【求职秘籍】求职信的格式

Covering letter styles

Cover letters can be written in various styles and formats. For each situation a certain style would be suitable. A letter responding to a job advertisement would be different to a speculative letter sent to an employer that hires people in your field. You would use a different introduction and include different types of information for both styles.

Likewise if you were submitting a cover letter, after being referred from a colleague, you would want to explain who you were being referred from. Similarly for an internal position or promotion in an organisation, it would be sensible to explain you currently work for them.

Let’s look at the differences between a standard and speculative cover letter.

Firstly a standard covering letter:

Dear Mr. Jones,

My name is John Smith and I enclose my CV for consideration for the post of Environmental Engineer, advertised in The Times on October 21st

The nature of my degree course has prepared me for this position. I became interested in environmental engineering during my second year at University. My course involved an understanding of the water purification industry, which I found most stimulating. I am particularly attracted to Johnsons Engineering Ltd because of the high reputation of your graduate training scheme

During my time as a student I had a variety of part time and vacation jobs, which all developed my sense of working in a team. In particular, my time as a volunteer in a canal reclamation project required me to supervise a small group. I have a strong sense of public responsibility and also the enthusiasm and determination to ensure that I would make a success of this important position

I will be available for an interview at any time, apart from November 4th to 6th when I am attending a wedding in Scotland. Thank you for taking the time to consider this application and I look forward to hearing from you in the near future.

Yours sincerely

Now let’s look at a standard speculative letter, which you would send if you were enquiring about the possibility of a job. It would, of course, vary according to the nature of the company:

Dear Mr. Brown,

I am writing to enquire if you have any vacancies in your company. I enclose my CV for your information

My reasons for wishing to work for Jenkins and Co. are because of the high reputation of your quality products and the opportunities you offer for career development. I am currently seeking a position in marketing but would be happy to consider other related positions within your organization

As you can see, I have had extensive vacation work experience in office environments, giving me varied skills and the ability to work with many different types of people. I know that a marketing manager needs to be flexible and to get results under pressure. These are qualities that my experience shows I possess

I would be most grateful if you could consider me for any suitable positions available within your company. I have excellent references and in case you do not have any suitable openings at the moment, I would be grateful if you would keep my CV on file for any future possibilities.

I am available for interview at any time and look forward to hearing from you

Yours sincerely

GLOSSARY

Formats (noun)    Layouts, general appearances

Speculative (adj)    Showing curiosity, questioning

Purification (noun)   Process of removing impurities, cleaning

Stimulating (adj)    Exciting, inspiring

Reclamation (noun)   Restoration

Supervise (verb)    Direct, oversee

On file (noun)    Recorded in a database