Professional Writing: Letter Format

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From the course by University of Pennsylvania

English for Career Development

2356 ratings

University of Pennsylvania

English for Career Development

2356 ratings

Welcome to English for Career Development, a course created by the University of Pennsylvania, and funded by the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, Office of English Language Programs. To enroll in this course for free, click on “Enroll now” and then select "Full Course. No certificate." This course is designed for non-native English speakers who are interested in advancing their careers in the global marketplace. In this course, you will learn about the job search, application, and interview process in the United States, while comparing and contrasting the same process in your home country. This course will also give you the opportunity to explore your global career path, while building your vocabulary and improving your language skills to achieve your professional goals. The first unit in this course will introduce the U.S. job application process and provide strategies for identifying the jobs that match your interests and skills. Unit 2 will take you through the steps necessary to produce a professional-looking resume. In unit 3, you will work to develop a clear and concise cover letter. The final unit of the course focuses on networking and interview skills. Anyone may take this course for free. If you want to get a Coursera Verified Certificate for free, please fill out the Financial Aid form. Unless otherwise noted, all course materials are available for re-use, repurposing and free distribution under a Creative Commons 4.0 Attribution license. Supplemental reading materials were provided by Newsela, which publishes daily news articles at a level that's just right for each English language learner.

From the lesson

Unit 3: Writing a Cover Letter

This unit focuses on another important document for job-seekers: the cover letter. You will learn how to write a clear cover letter that tells employers why you are the right person for the job.

What is a Cover Letter?5:01

Professional Writing: Letter Format6:30

Unlockable Achievement 50:09

Meet the Instructors

Brian McManus
Language Specialist
English Language Programs
Robyn Turner
Senior Language Specialist
English Language Programs

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.

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