ENG 333 Communication for Science and Research

Jamie Larsen, Instructor

Application Letters

The primary difference between writing a solicited application letter - one where you are responding to a specific job opening - and an unsolicited application letter is the opening. When you send out a prospecting letter, you may need to begin in a slightly more indirect manner. You want to catch the reader's interest, and then create a bridge to your qualifications. The following information about the content of an application letter can apply to both the solicited and unsolicited situations.

Who

First, identify yourself. You want to stay reader centered so interpret yourself in the reader's terms. Consider the following reader-oriented openings:

Reference to an advertisement

I am writing in response to your ad for a civil engineer in the March 15th edition of the News and Observer . I hope you will agree that my education and experience qualify me for your position.

Reference to an individual

Professor Mark Price of North Carolina State's Chemical Engineering department suggested that I apply for the opening in your environmental engineering project office.

Reference to part experience with a company

Having spent the last three summers as a playground director with your department, I would like to apply for a permanent position as director of one of your recreation centers.

Why

You want to then match yourself to the potential employer. Address your letter to a specific person if at all possible. You want to emphasize your understanding and interest in the reader's organization. You want to show the reader what you have done, and can do. Aviod generalizations. A statement such as, "I am conscientious and hardworking," carries no conviction, but specifics do.

General

I get along great with people.

Specific

Currently, I serve on the program committee for Engineers' Day, which entails working with 24 other students and 5 faculty members.

General

I know a lot about designing children's furniture.

Specific

My interest in designing children's furniture was triggered by my visit to the Furniture Mart in Chicago three years ago, where I saw several pieces designed by your company. In my design classes, I focus any open assignments on issues in designing for children. I wrote one report, for example, on school playgrounds in Denmark. My design for a playbox was featured in our student exhibit last year.

NOTE: For the interview, you would want to bring a copy of the report that you reference, and the plan for the winning playbox.

What

Be clear in your request - ask for the interview. This is the goal of the application letter. Also, reference clearly the enclosed resume.

If my enclosed resume interests you, I would be happy to talk with you further at your convenience.

If you live some distance from the potential employer, mention that you would be willing to travel there for an interview. If this is not feasible, then mention that you would be available for a phone interview, and indicate appropriate times.

Before talking about the standard four paragraph application letter, I like to refer to the findings of a study conducted by the Western College Placement Association. They surveyed employers and asked them what was the most important information that they wanted to know about potential employees. The following list contains their priorities from 1st (most important) to 4th (least important). These items may help you as you consider what to include in the body of your application letter.

1st Priority
- Major field of study
- Academic performance
- Work experience
- Plant or home office interview
- Campus interview with a company representative
2nd Priority
- Extracurricular activities
- Recommendations from former employers
- Awards and honors (special achievements)
3rd Priority
- College or university that you attended (I disagree with this one. Most employers have lists of schools (e.g., A list, B list, and C list). If you attend an A list school and have a lower GPA than someone from a C list school then you will probably be given some special consideration.) In my opinion, always state the school you attend clearly in the first paragraph of an application letter along with your major field of study.
4th Priority
- Standardized test scores (e.g., GRE, LSAT, MCAT, etc.)
- Military rank or experience
- In-house testing (This is coming back into popularity and it is basically a glorified IQ test. If you face such testing on a call back interview with a company, take a deep breath, do the best you can, and realize that this is not high on any employer's list of priorities.)
Application letters and resumes need to "stand alone." In other words, you need to provide full contact information on both. Many times in large companies, the application letters are detached in personnel and only the resumes and an internal data sheet are forwarded to managers who are hiring.

Additional Information

Access the following useful information using NC State's Electronic Reserves:

Type in larsen for the search by instructor's name
Click on LARSEN, Jamie S. Larsen.
Click on ENG333.
Select the item listed as ENG333 Larsen Class Assignment Sheets and In-Class Worksheets .

Read the following helful hints. Guidelines for Application Letters, page 20.
General Check List for Application Letters, page 21.
Skills Clusters, page 22
Sample Letter Formats, page 25