APPLICATION / COVERING LETTER: Useful Phrases

OPENING SENTENCES

I have read your advertisement (which was published) in (newspaper) of (date) / on (website) for the
post/position/vacancy of (job) in your _______ Department and I am interested in applying for the
post.

I read your advertisement (which was published) in El País of 20th March / on Infojobs website for
the position of office worker in your Purchasing Department and I am interested in applying for the
post.

I am interested in the vacancy advertised in (newspaper) of (date) / on (website) for the

post/position of (job) / for a(n) (job).

I would like to apply for the position of ________ advertised in (newspaper) of (date) / on (website).

I am writing in reference to the recent job advertisement in The Herald for an English language
teacher.

I am writing in order to apply for the position of ____________ .

I am writing to you in response to / concerning / in connection to your advertisement of (date) in

(newspaper) / on (website) _______ for a (bilingual secretary) to work in your Export Department.

I writing in response to your advertisement for the post/position of shop assistant which appeared in
yesterday’s Time.

I am replying to the advertisement of 18 June for a Sales Manager which you placed in the Export
Journal of _______.

PROSPECTING LETTER*

I am writing to enquire if/whether you might have a vacancy in the ________ department for a(n)
secretary / clerical assistant / office worker.

I am writing to enquire whether you (might) have a position for a recent graduate in …”

(*) A Prospecting Letter or Letter of enquiry is not written to respond to a specific advertisement, but to enquire if there are
any open positions that you may be qualified to fill. This covering letter also details your skills in the area of work you are
looking for. It may be a letter and CV that is placed in a file for future reference, so be sure to outline all the skills and types
of positions you wish to be considered for.

B) BODY OF THE LETTER

 PERSONAL DETAILS and EDUCATION

 WORK EXPERIENCE
[Education may be followed by Experience, in the same paragraph. If too long, use two separate
paragraphs for each of these two areas].

I am twenty years of age. / I am a twenty-four-year-old Spanish graduate in …

1
 APPLICATION / COVERING LETTER: Useful Phrases

I am (age), I was educated at (Secondary School), which I left in (date) having taken A-levels in
Mathematics, French and History. I graduated from (college / university) in (date) with a (diploma
/degree) in (subject)

I have been studying Business Management for three years and will finish/obtain my degree next
June.…

I am good at languages since/as my parents are American and we lived in Paris for ten years, so I
speak English and French fluently.

I have had six years’ experience as a Personal Secretary.

I have been working with computers since I was 17 years old / for 8 years.
I have a strong background in hotel work / programming.

I have (wide) experience in marketing.

I have (wide) experience of dealing with customers and arranging meetings.
I have wide experience working in different European countries.

I did a (degree in / course on) English and Business studies and since then I have been working as
a secretary for a manufacture company.

At present I am employed by (company), where I deal with ______.

At present I work for (company), where I have been employed as a secretary in the Marketing
department for two years.

[At the end of the paragraph on experience:]

Please find my CV* attached.
Please refer to my attached CV for further details.
I attach my CV for your consideration. References will be available on request.

[At the beginning of the paragraph on experience:]

As you will/can see from the attached CV, I hold a BSc degree in... / I am a graduate in…

(*) CV = résumé /ˈrɛzjʊmeɪ/ (AmE)

2
 APPLICATION / COVERING LETTER: Useful Phrases

C) PERSONALITY AND MOTIVATION

PERSONALITY

I believe I am a strong candidate / I would be ideal for this position as my computer skills are excellent
/ I master four languages / (…). In addition, …

I have excellent/outstanding communication/people skills and (I) am good at dealing with customers
and arranging meetings.

I enjoy working as a part of a team and I am capable of / as well as being capable of working
alone/unsupervised.

I am well-organized, reliable and thorough and I am eager to learn/develop/acquire new skills.

I am a very responsible and dedicated employee and have always given more than 100% to any
position I have held.

As someone who enjoys solving complex and challenging problems, I am convinced that this position
would suit me perfectly.

MOTIVATION

I am familiar with the company image and I am excited about the possibility of joining your team.

I am aware of the company’s reputation in the field of ______ and (I) read with interest recently that
______.

I believe that I have the appropriate qualifications, experience and personality for this post, and I
think that I would find the work stimulating and rewarding.

I am very interested in working as a(n) Office Administrator as this would give the opportunity to be
responsible for a team of staff.

I believe that (the line of business in) your company offers interesting perspectives for my career
development.

I am convinced that this position would suit my qualifications/training and experience/expertise ///

I believe that this position would suit my qualifications/training and enhance my skills and capabilities.

(I feel that) I am now ready to take on the responsibility of the post of ______ , as this would allow
me to make full use of my experience/expertise and knowledge of ______ .

I greatly look forward to the challenge of widening my professional experience.

As I have a strong background in programming, this position matches my interest and skills in the
area of mobile computing. I feel/believe I can contribute / I can make a valuable contribution to the
success of the organization while pursuing my professional goals.

3
 APPLICATION / COVERING LETTER: Useful Phrases

D) CLOSING SENTENCES

I look forward to being interviewed at your earliest convenience. Thank you so much for this
opportunity. If you require any additional information, I can be contacted on the phone numbers
below. I will be available for an interview any day after 21 September and able to take up a new
appointment from 1 October.

I would really appreciate your considering my application. I am available to attend an interview at

your earliest convenience. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you require any other/further
information. /// If you require / Should you require any further information/details, do not hesitate to
contact me.

I would enjoy the opportunity to discuss any other present or future positions you may have
that/which would suit my qualifications and experience. In the meantime, if you need any further
details about me, I would be happy to supply them / do not hesitate to contact me.

REQUEST FOR APPLICATION FORM:

I should be grateful if you would send me an application form and any other relevant details.

Would it be possible for you to send me an application form and further details?

I would be grateful if you could send me an application form. In the meantime, if you need any further
details about me, I would be happy to supply them / do not hesitate to contact me.

E) BEFORE SIGNATURE

I look forward to your reply.

I look forward to hearing from you.

I look forward to hearing from you in the near future (and would be grateful for the opportunity to
discuss my application further).

[Avoid repetitions and/or several references to the same idea]

4
 APPLICATION / COVERING LETTER: Useful Phrases

FURTHER RESOURCES

COVERING LETTER (application letter)

https://www.bradford.ac.uk/careers/applications/covering-letters/
 What to include in your covering letter
 Covering Letter Guideline
 Sample Covering Letters

https://www.bradford.ac.uk/careers/applications/words-and-phrases/
Phrases for Covering Letters:
 Personality
 What You Did (your achievements)

https://en.bab.la/phrases/application/cover-letter/english-english
Phrases for Cover Letters:
 Opening
 Reasoning (Qualifications, Experience)
 Skills (and personality)
 Closing

CV

https://www.bradford.ac.uk/careers/applications/cv/
What to include in your CV:
 Personal details,
 Personal Profile (optional),
 Education and Qualifications,
 Employment History or Work Experience,
 Skills/Personal Qualities,
 Interests, Responsibilities and Achievements (optional),
 Additional Skills (optional)

INTERVIEW

https://www.bradford.ac.uk/careers/applications/interviews/
 Preparing for your interview
 On the day of the interview
 At the interview
 The questions
 Example questions
 The types of interview
 The end of the interview