On this page:  Job application letter checklist: (Content, Organisation, Register, Accuracy, Conventions) | Useful links

Aim: this page is to help you proof-read your job application letters

Checklist

Content

1. Your address and contact details
2. the date
3. the full name of the person you are writing to, and/or his/her job title 'The Personnel Manager'
4. the address of the organisation you are applying to
5. the salutation; e.g. Dear Ms Chan
6. a subject heading; e.g. Application for the Post of Trainee Manager
7. First paragraph: 'I am writing to apply for the post of ..., which was advertised ... on (+date).
8. working experience relevant to this job
9. education relevant to this job
10. descriptions of how you fulfil all the requirements in the job advert or necessary for this post
11. why you want to work for this organisation (showing your knowledge of the organisation)
12. when you are available for interview
13. Yours sincerely / faithfully
14. your signature
15. your full name
16. enclosures

Organisation

• order: decide whether your education or your working experience is more useful to the employer, and put that in the second paragraph
• write good topic sentences: start each paragraph with words that show what it is about; e.g. 'My working experience...'; 'My degree in... '; 'My leadership skills...'; 'The reason that I would like to work for your company is...'
• write a different job application letter for each organisation that you apply to. You will need different addresses, dates, and names, and you will need to emphasise different skills, qualifications and experience depending on the requirements of the job.

Register

• be polite and formal, but not too polite; e.g. don't use "esteemed"

Accuracy of Grammar and Vocabulary and Range of Grammar and Vocabulary

• see the example job application letter or the job application letter writer for models

Conventions

• format your letter in block style: everything except the subject heading is left-aligned, and leave an empty line between each paragraph
• write the month as a word, not a number, to prevent confusion between the British and American systems; e.g. is confusing, so use
• in the date you do not need to use ^st/nd/rd/th or a comma.
• with 'Dear Sir', 'Dear Sirs' or 'Dear Sir or Madam', use 'Yours faithfully'. With 'Dear Mr Wong' use 'Yours sincerely'
• if you use a comma after the salutation, use one after the 'Yours sincerely/faithfully'. Otherwise omit them both. Be consistent.
• follow the conventions in your industry. The guidelines given here are general ones. You may want to make your letter stand out by doing something different, and that is acceptable as long as you follow the conventions in your field.

Useful links

• example job application letter
• job application letter writer
• accessing the workplace online materials
• Job Application Knowledge Game

hits since 7 May 2005.

If you have any suggestions or questions, please e-mail us at .