At the time of writing a letter, we need to keep three questions in the mind:
- Who are we writing to?
- What are we writing for?
- What do we expect in return?
Let’s discuss each in detail…
Who are we writing to?
This question is important because it helps us choose the right tone for the letter. By tone we mean the manner of expression. Let’s understand it further with the help of an analogy. Suppose we are responding to a job advertisement in the news paper and we are writing a covering letter for our CV or Bio-Data. Let’s see how the tone of the letter could vary, depending on whom the letter is being addressed to. Three possible scenarios are discussed here.
- If the application were to be addressed to the CEO or someone similar, it means this appointment might be of significant strategic importance to the organisation and selection might be taking place under the direct supervision of the decision-maker. Hence, what we write in our letter might just work out to be even more important than our CV, at least for the initial rounds of scrutiny. Thus, highlighting our USP(Unique Selling Proposition) and our stability for the job in distinct terms attains significance in this case. In such a scenario we could adopt a direct and assertive tone for our letter.
- If the letter is being sent to the HR Department in general, then it is most likely to be read by one of the executive as a matter of routine. She/He would match our qualifications and experience with the given sent of criteria, and would accept or reject our candidature for the next round of scrutiny. Hence, we need not be too assertive in writing such an application. We should do well by providing sufficient information to prove that we are suitable for the job. Our letter in this case should more or less balance our CV.
- If we happen to be replying to a P.O. Box address, where the identity of the advertisement has not been disclosed, our letter could simply be a courtesy cover letter accompanying the CV and hope that our CV will eventually do the rest of the talking.
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