4 WRITING EXTRA

INTERMEDIATE UNIT 4 3 Read the covering letter. Is it a good covering letter?

Why?/Why not?
a covering letter

WRITING TIP Dear Ms Ennis,

When you apply for a job and you write I am writing to you regarding your advertisement for a Research
a covering letter, you need to show that Assistant, which I saw in The Daily Post. I would like to submit an
application for this post. Please find my CV attached.
you have the skills and qualities that the
employer is looking for. You should give I have spent the last two years working as a researcher in a law office.
Before that, I was at university doing a Media and Communications
examples of how you have used them in
degree. I believe that I meet all the requirements you outline in your
previous jobs or in other areas of your life. advertisement.
You can use the same words and phrases
Good communicator: My degree taught me good communication
that are used in the job advertisement.
skills, which I used in my day-to-day work at the law office. I also set
up and managed a project to improve internal communications in
1 Read the job advert below. What
the office.
skills and qualities are they looking Dynamic and organised: On my own initiative, I reorganised the system
for? Which words and phrases can be of researching and filing cases. This made it easier for the lawyers to
have quick access to relevant information.
reused in a covering letter?
Independent worker: As part of my job at the law office, I occasionally
had to travel and work on my own. In addition, when I was at university
Research assistant I spent a year studying abroad.
required: Thanks to this experience, I learnt a lot about getting things done with
little support or help.
Assistant needed to help author
research her new non-fiction book. If you require any further information, please contact me on
No formal qualifications are
New vacancies

01865 453728 or at [email protected].

necessary but applicants must
show relevant experience. I look forward to hearing from you.
You should be dynamic, a good Yours sincerely,
communicator, well organised and
capable of working independently. Gary Stevens
The successful candidate can work
from home, but having a fast
internet connection is essential.
Contact me for more details. 4 Read the covering letter again. Find examples of useful
expressions which you can use in any covering letter.
2 Look at the different parts of a 5 Many covering letters and job applications are now sent by email.
covering letter and put them into the If you send a covering letter by post, what other information do
correct order. you need to include?
a) Close with Yours sincerely or Yours
faithfully if you don’t know the name
6 Write a covering Web designer required:
letter in response Web designer needed to start ASAP. You
of the person you are writing to. relevant experience and be up-to-date should have
to the following with the latest
b) End with what you would like to software and trends in the industry. We
happen next. Will you contact them
advert. for a highly creative individual with a provare looking
work as part of a team. en ability to
or should they contact you? Please send your CV and samples of your
c) Explain that you have the qualities Claire Gifford at [email protected]. work to
that they are looking for. Use the
same words and phrases as they use
in the advertisement. Plan your writing
d) Address your letter to an individual • Think about the content of your letter and make notes about:
if possible. Use Dear Sir/Madam why you are contacting the company, where you saw the job
if you can’t find an individual to advertised, what relevant experience you’ve had and what qualities
address your letter to. and skills the employer is asking for, supported by examples.
e) Explain why you are contacting Check your writing
them, what the job is and where you • Have you used formal language? Have you re-used some of the
saw it advertised. expressions in the advertisement?
• Have you checked your grammar and spelling?
• Did you find any mistakes?

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