Communication

education

A mention of the applicant's educational background, the schools he/she attended, the seminar/training courses that he has taken which are related to the job applied for, plus the award and the recognition he received should be written.

Be clean and neat Be businesslike Be brief and go directly to the point Be courteous or polite Be prompt Be self-critical Be complete and thorough

General Principles in Letter Writing

letter of claims and adjustment

-Respond to a claim promptly and courteously -Refer to the claim letter, identifying the transaction. -State clearly what action will be taken -Remember to be fair, friendly and firm

letter of follow up

1. Give explicit information regarding the order such as the date of the order, the invoice number and the description of the merchandise requested. 2. If chargers are made, indicate fully and explicitly what those charges are.

letter of acceptance

1. Indicate your pleasure in accepting. 2. Name your topic or subject. 3. Restate the day and hour of the speech. 4. Suggest how much time you intend to speak.

letter of transmittal

1. Reference to the authorization, indicating what the report is all about, it's purpose and the authorization date. 2. Summary of the report. 3. Scope and limitations of the report. 4. History and background of the report. 5. Need and use of the report. 6. Conclusion and recommendations must be explicit. 7. Personal attitudes and opinions of the writer.

letter of acknowledgement

1. Thank the customer for his order. 2. Restate the order. 3. Assure the customer that his order is being filed. 4. Mention how it will be shipped. 5. Close with a brief sales talk to make him more enthusiastic about your product. 6. Express your pleasure and interest in serving him(Parkhurst, 1963).

letter of instructions

1. The opening paragraph of the letter should explain the situation or problem. 2. Detailed instructions are contained in the body of the letter. Clear, definite and concise should be used. 3. The conclusion of the letter should contain other action/steps and precautions that should be taken aside from the instructions.

objective

After the heading, the objective of the applicant for that position should be stated. The objective may be specific or general.

letter of reference

An individual seeking for a job should include in his application letter three persons(including their address) who could vouch for his capability and character. An employer therefore, who is seriously considering the applicant will write a letter to the three individuals mentioned in the application letter. This is to verify what the applicant wrote in his letter regarding his qualifications and character is true. It aims to seek their judgement or opinion regarding the applicant's honesty, industry, and trustworthiness. This type of letter should be brief, courteous and direct to the point. This type of letter is called the letter of reference.

data sheet, resume, or vita

Aside from the educational background that was mentioned in the application letter, the applicant may want to give more information about himself. These may be written in a separate sheet called

purpose of the letter

At the first paragraph, the applicant should state the special job or position he is applying for. A mention of how he found out about the job opening should be made. A job applicant may learn about the job vacancy through advertisements in the newspaper, radio, or television. He may also learn about it from other people. An application letter which is a response to an advertisement is called a Solicited Letter. A job seeker who walks into an office, trying his luck but not knowing whether there is a job vacancy or not is submitting an unsolicited letter. An applicant should also explain in the first paragraph his reason for wanting the job or position. He should point out that he or she possesses those qualities and qualifications that they are looking for. He should impress upon the mind of the employer that here is an individual who has the capability, talent, positive attitude, aggressiveness and interest for the job.

request for an interview

In the third paragraph, the applicant should request for an interview at the prospective employer's convenience. He should impress upon the employer's mind his desire for an interview and how, where and when he can be reached.

1. Purpose of the letter. 2. Background information. 3. Request for an interview. Purpose of the Letter

Parts of Letter Application

heading objective education experience personal data

Parts of data sheet or Resumé

letter of inquiry order letter sales letter letter of acknowledgement letter of claims and adjustment letter of follow up letter of instructions letter of authorization letter of transmittal letter of contract letter of appointment letter of invitation latter of acceptance letter of appreciation letter of introduction and recommendation letter of reference application letter

TYPES OF BUSINESS LETTER

personal data

The age, weight, hobbies, interest, special skills and memberships in organization ofnthe applicant should be stated.

Business letters

are a common form of writing in any organization

Order letter

are sent by consumers or businesses to a manufacturer, retailer or wholesaler to order goods or services. These letters must contain specific information such as model number, name of product, the quantity desired and expected price. Payment is sometimes included with the letter.

Letter of Inquiry

ask a question or elicit information from the recipient. When composing this type of letter, keep it clear and succinct and list exactly what information you need. Be sure to include your contact information so that it easy for the reader to respond.

letter of instructions

in the operation of the equipment, in the assembly of machine or in the intake of drugs may also be contained in letters of _____________

heading

include the applicant's full name, complete address, and telephone number. Some may include the salary that they expect. However, some authorities discourage this. One might write and amount which may either too high or too low and thus eliminated be from further consideration. In such case, a sentence that reads "salary is negotiable" may be written.

letter of invitation

is a document that presents a request for the attendance of a person, a group or an organization to attend your company's business function or an event hosted by you.

letter of claims and adjustment

is a response made to a claim or complaint letter.

letter of transmittal

is the communication from the writer to it's recipients

application letter

is the individual's personal emissary. It is a means by which an applicant can sell himself to a prospective employer. An application letter must be clean(white paper of good quality), neat(typewritten) and free from errors in spelling, punctuation, capitalization and grammar.

Letter of Introduction and Recommendation

is written by an individual, organization or company to other individual or organization for the purpose of bringing about acquaintanceship of two persons not known to each other.

letter of authorization

is written by the person requesting the report to the person who is to conduct the study.

letter of contract

legally binds and commits a letter sender with a firm or an organization to one particular individual. The commitment may be in terms of delivery and payment of the merchandise, or the rendering of a particular service.

experience

The current or most recent employment shall be mentioned first followed by a list of all previous jobs. For each job, the date of employment, the specific work, the name of the address of the firm and the full name of the supervisor must be cited. Major responsibilities and accomplishments in the position such as projects completed, production records broken, increased earnings in the company, number of persons supervised should be mentioned.

background information

The second paragraph should contain the applicant's educational background who would vouch for his integrity, honesty and capability.

Heading and the date line Inside address Salutation Body Complimentary close Signature Special parts

The traditional parts of a business letter are:

letter of follow up

When a customer does not received the merchandise or service he is expecting, he usually writes a _________________ urging the seller to hasten the delivery of the item.

letter of appreciation

When a manager wants to compliment his subordinate for a job well done, when an individual want to thank a giver for a beautiful gift or a person wants to thank somebody for a service rendered, the _________________must always be sincere and genuine.

letter of acknowledgement

When an order letter is acquired by a store or company, a ______________ should immediately be sent.

seles letter

entails a lot of influencing, convincing and persuading. Some people have special talents in convincing people into buying their products or services. Like a good psychologist, they know and understand people. They also know their products very well. Selling, however, is not always done by person but by writing letters as well. A Sales Letter is advantageous in the sense that, it is less costly to sell by mail than to maintain a sales force. It is efficient and usually receives a prompt reception and it may sell a wider range of merchandise.

job interview

provide an opportunity for you and your potential employer to decide how well your skills align with the company needs. Job interviews allow you to get better acquainted with prospective colleagues and obtain information to help decide if that job is the right one for you. Before getting employed, one undergoes an application process that involves the communication skills you have been practicing in the previous lessons. The application process usually begins with a job advertisement that is made available through various forms such us newspaper, advertisement, radio/ television broadcast etc.

THE BUSINESS LETTERS

refers to any written communication that begins with a salutation, ends with a signature and whose contents are professional in nature.

letter of appointment

to certain, committees or functions should be notified and informed of this task assigned to them through_________________