Hello, in this video we will introduce the parts of a professional letter and format of a letter or how it should look. In the United States, professional writing follows a standard format or order and includes four parts. The first part is the heading which includes the writer's address and contact information, the date and the reader's name and address The second part is the salutation. The third part is the three body paragraphs, opening paragraph, middle paragraph and closing paragraph. And the fourth is the closing which includes a complimentary close, a signature and a typed name. First the heading of a letter begins with the writers address and additional contact information such as e-mail address or phone number in the top left corner. Notice how this job seeker, Beth Bradley, wrote her information here. The date follows the US format of month, day and then year. Don't forget the comma separates the two numbers. For example, Beth wrote this letter on April 26th, 2016. The next part includes the full name and address of the reader. In this example, Beth is sending the letter to Jane Doe who is the Director of the Office of International Programs at the University of Texas. In addition to the first and last name of the reader, Beth also writes the title and the department as Jane Doe is part of a large university. Since you may not know whether the reader is a man or woman, it is acceptable to write the first and last name only followed by the job title. Nowadays, many job applications are completed online and job seekers may not know who the reader will be. In this case, it is acceptable to leave the name off of the readers address and simply put the department and address of the organization. The second part of the letter is the salutation, or official greeting, and always begins with the word dear. Because this is a greeting, it is better to have a person's name. Following the word dear, Beth uses the persons full name and a colon. Beth knows the name of her reader, but if she didn't know she could write Dear Hiring Manager. Generally, the salutation is better if you have a person's name. But sometimes job advertisements do not provide the name of the employer. Next, come the three body paragraphs of the letter. This is where you introduce yourself. Explain your qualifications, and ask for an interview. We will discuss each paragraph in detail in later videos. The opening paragraph tells the reader that you are applying for a specific job. We will talk about different ways job seekers write this information In the next video. The middle paragraph is where job seekers explain their skills and how they are qualified for the specific job. We will look at examples and discuss how to write this paragraph in a later video. The last paragraph is important because the closing should make a positive impression of the candidate. We will talk about how to write the closing paragraph in a later video. The end of the letter includes a complimentary close, a signature and the applicant's typed name. The complimentary close that is used most often is sincerely followed by a comma. The signature is usually hand written by the applicant followed by the typed name. As for the format, all parts of the letter should be along the left side of the paper. The lines should be single-spaced, with extra spaces between each of the parts. Writers should try to fit all of the parts onto one page. Let's review the parts of a professional letter. The heading includes the writer's address and contact information, the date and the readers name and address. The second part is the salutation. The third part includes the body paragraphs. The closing part of the letter includes a complimentary close. A signature and a typed name. Next, go on to a game to practice matching the parts of the letter.