Job Application Letter

Before discussing the Job Application Letter, it will be much better if you know and
understand the general rules of writing it. It has been widely understood that a potential
employer's first impression of you (as job applicants) is your application letter. This is
because it will be able to introduce you and your curriculum vitae or resume. The stark
reality is your curriculum vitae or resume may never be read without its being
accompanied by a professional application letter. Without it, you might never receive a
callback. Here are the things to remember:
 The purpose of an application letter is to get your curriculum vitae or resume read.
 The purpose of a curriculum vitae or resume is to get an interview.
 The purpose of an interview is to get a job.
Application letters carry more weight than curriculum vitae or resume
Your application letter is a sales letter. It sells your curriculum vitae or resume;
therefore it sells you. A common mistake made by job hunters is either neglecting an
application letter with their curriculum vitae or resume or writing a poor application letter.
Application letter tips
The following are some general rules of writing an application letter. However, you
may have some changes. Here are some basic things to know about and include in your
application letter :
 Write the application letter on white bond paper.
 The application letter should be only one page in length.
 Your application letter heading should be identical to your resume heading.
Headings should include your name and contact information.
 Use a business format for dating and addressing our application letter to the
appropriate person.
 List his/her correct position. For an example: "Mr. Ronald Jones, director of
personnel."
 Your application letter salutation should be "Dear Mr. Jones:" or "Dear Mrs.
Smith:". If you do not know the marital status of a female interviewer, the safe
salutation is "Dear Ms. Smith:". Then, use a colon after the name and not a comma.
 An application letter is a business letter. That is why, use formal block (not
indented) paragraphs with spaces in between.
  Your application letter should consist of three paragraphs (as stated before, you may
have some changes as needed):

1. Application letter introduction paragraph

 State the position you are applying for.
 State why you are applying and how you learned about the position.
 If you can, drop a name. (Be sure you have permission.)
 Do a little research and say something about the company.
 Say that you are a strong candidate because of your qualifications, education,
experience, interests, etc.

2. Application letter job-matching paragraph

Now briefly expand on your qualifications, education, experience and
interests, especially those that match the employer's needs. You want to appear as
the perfect applicant. Additionally, application letters should call out other key
parts of your curriculum vitae or resume that you want the employer to notice.

3. Application letter "close" paragraph

 Close your application letter with a bold statement that you are a strong
match for the job position.
 State that you are looking forward to meeting with him/her.
 Take the aggressive: Say that if you don't hear from him/her in 7-10 days,
you will follow up.
 End your application letter with:
Sincerely,

(four returns-hit the "enter" key four times)

(your name)

As stated before that there are many ways to write job application letters. The following
are the samples of application letters followed by some explanations, especially on the lay-
out and on the contents of each sample.
Jl. Gambuta H 9
Tidar Permai – Malang, 65146
[email protected]

January 20, 2008

Human Resources Manager

PT Karya Abadi
Jl. Ir.H Juanda Kav. 17 – 18
Jakarta Pusat

Dear Sir:

I am writing to apply for the position of manufacturing engineer that was

advertised in yesterday's Jakarta Post. As you will note from my enclosed resume,
I have experienced with a wide range of programming languages through academic
projects and part-time employment.

Application letter introduction paragraph

 State the position you are applying for.
 State why you are applying and how you learned about the position.
 Say that you are a strong candidate because of your qualifications,
education, experience, interests, etc.

I have demonstrated excellent skills in addition to strong writing and analytical

skills. I believe my education, skills and experiences fit your requirements, and I
am confident my skills would be an asset to your company.

Now briefly expand on your qualifications, education, experience and

interests, especially those that match the employer's needs. You want to
appear as the perfect applicant. Additionally, application letters should call
out other key parts of your curriculum vitae or resume that you want the
employer to notice.

I am available to meet with you at a time that's convenient to you. Please contact
me to set up a time. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

 Close your application letter with a bold statement that you are a strong
match for the job position.
 State that you are looking forward to meeting with him/her.

Faithfully yours,

your signature (not needed when sending via e-mail or for online job applications)

Rizky Nourma Putra

 (0341) 568684 / 08562278490

 Your home address can be written on the right or left top of the paper. In this part you
may write not only the street and the number of your home-address, the city and its code
but also your telephone number; even you may write here your e-mail.
 The date when you write the job application letter should be placed under your home
address. The ways to write it are as follows:
 January 20, 2008
 January 20th, 2008
 20 January 2008 (without comma)
If the date is after the 12th of the month, you may write the month in figures, such as

 13 – 07 – 2008
 07 – 13 – 2008
But if the date is before the 13th of the month, it is not allowed to write the month in
figures. This is to avoid misunderstanding, for example when you write

 10 – 02 – 2008
It may mean “ October 2, 2008” or “ February 10, 2008”

 The inside address or the adressee can be written under the date when you write the job
application letter. It can begin with the name of the company or directly to the manager,
such as Human Resources Manager or Personnel Manager, or to the department, such as
Recruitment Department or Personnel Department. Of course this part must also contain
the company’s address (the street, the number, and the city where the company is
situated). In addition, if the job application letter is sent abroad, then the country where the
sender lives must be included.
 The salutation is written under the inside address or the addressee. If the the inside
address is written as follows “Recruitment Department or Personnel Department”, then
the salutation is written like “Dear Sir (without –s). However, if the inside address is
written directly using the name of the company, such as “PT. H.M.Sampoerna”, then the
salutation uses “Dear Sirs” (with –s).
 The first paragraph of the job application letter above contains the information which is
relevant to the description of the advertisement of the position that you are applying for.
So, show the skills and expertise that you have that match the description of the job you
 are applying for. Besides, it also contains the source where you got the information about
the vacancy, i.e. the advertisement you have read.
 You may state your qualifications which you think are important to tell to the company
you are applying for in the second paragraph.
 The third paragraph may contain your available time which can be used by the company
to test and/or interview you.
Note:

If the advertisement you are applying to asks for your salary expectations, it is
suggested you add a sentence in your job application letter that your salary expectations are
"negotiable" & to be more prepared for salary negotiations.

Keep in mind that the above sample of job application letter is only a sample and it
should be personalized for each job, company &  person you are applying to. The following
is another sample of job application letters.
Study the Sample 2

The following sample of the job application letter has different contents compared to
those of the previous one. As stated in the explanations above that the qualifications of the
applicant are written in the first and second paragraphs but not in the second sample of a job
application letter below. Instead the qualifications of the applicant are stated in the third
paragraph. In order to get a better picture of the whole contents, please learn the following
sample.
Jl.Gambuta III / H 9
Tidar Permai
Malang 65146

September 27th, 2007

HR Manager Save The Children

Brawijaya VIII No. 7 Kebayoran Baru
Jakarta Selatan

Dear Sir:

I was very interested when I read your advertisement in “Jawa Pos” dated on
September 24th, 2007 saying that you’re offering a job as The District Officers in your
office to the people who have graduated from educational study, have 2-4 years
experience in planning, establishing, running, and supervising a non-formal education,
and in providing technical support for education program, have communication skills,
organizational and management skills, are computer literate, and able to work
comfortably and effectively with or without supervision.

I am twenty eight-year- old, male, married, in good health , graduated from the English
Department of State University of Malang in 2003, the S-2 Program of English
Language Education of Islamic University of Malang in 2005 with GPA 3.73 and have
been teaching English in the State Polytechnic of Malang since 2005.

If you want to know my character and ability, you may contact the following people,
who have known me for at least two years:

1. Drs. Saleh Al-Baithy

Director of Central Service Network
Brawijaya University Malang
Jl. Veteran 12 Malang

2. Ir. Budi Cahyono

Director of State Polytechnic of Malang
Jl. Veteran P.O.Box 04 Malang

Finally , I hope you will be interested in having an interview with me.

Faithfully yours

your signature

Drs. Fariz Nourma Putra, M.Pd

 The way to write the home address, date, and addressee can be seen in the explanations
above. The following is only discussing the contents of the job application letter:

 The first paragraph of the job application letter above contains your interest in the job
offered, the source (“Jawa Pos” dated on September 24 th, 2007) where you got an
information that the company you are applying to needs an employee, and the
requirements needed:
 have graduated from educational study,
 have 2-4 years experience in planning, establishing, running, and supervising a non-
formal education, and in providing technical support for education program,
 have communication skills, organizational and management skills,
 are computer literate, and able to work comfortably and effectively with or without
supervision

 The second paragraph of the job application letter above tells what you are starting with
your age, sex, marital status, health condition, and your qualifications which can fulfill the
requirements needed as mentioned in the previous paragraph, i.e.:

 graduated from the English Department of State University of Malang in 2003, and the
S-2 Program of English Language Education of Islamic University of Malang in 2005
with GPA 3.73
 have been teaching English in the State Polytechnic of Malang since 2005.

 The third paragraph of the job application letter above contains the name, position, and
office address of the people who give you a letter of recommendation.

 The fourth paragraph of the job application letter above contains your hope that you are
expecting to have a job interview.

The following sample has a different form and contents.

Aulia Nourma Putri, SS
Jl.Gambuta III – H 9
Tidar Permai – Malang, 65146

July 1st, 2007

Prof. Dr. Mudjio Rahardjo

Islamic University of Malang
Jl. Gajayana 104 Malang

 Dear Mr. Rahardjo,

Vacancy Ref No EE/UN111

I should like to be considered for the post of Bilingual Administration Assistant as

advertised in “Jawa Pos”.

Currently I am studying at the S-2 Program of The English Education of State

University of Malang. Hopefully, I will have graduated by the end of this
semester.

I am presently employed as a part-time administration assistant in an academic

department within the University. This post involves compiling letters and reports
using Microsoft Word and Excel. I am also responsible for the distribution of
internal post within the department, and other related office duties.

Studying for a degree and working have made it necessary for me to learn very
quickly how to prioritise tasks, and have instilled in me the need to remain
flexible. I have had to be highly organized in order to meet tight deadlines both at
work and study.

I feel that I would be able to offer the position advertised a great deal, as along
with my 18 months of administration experience, I speak and write fluently in
English and can converse in Arabic.

I would appreciate the opportunity to discuss this with you further, and look
forward to hearing from you soon. 

Yours sincerely,

your signature

Aulia Nourma Putri, SS

  The sample above includes the name of the applicant before the home address.
 The letter is addressed directly to a certain person who will employ the applicant.
 If the addressee is the name of the employer, then the salutation uses “Dear Mr. /
Mrs. + his / her second name (Mr. Rahardjo not Mr. Mudjio).
 This letter has a vacancy reference which is put under the salutation.
 The first paragraph contains the applicant’s hope.
 The second and third paragraphs tell what the applicant is doing at present:
 studying at the S-2 Program of The English Education of State University of
Malang
 working as a part-time administration assistant in an academic department within
the University with the duties of:
 compiling letters and reports using Microsoft Word and Excel
 distributing the internal post within the department, and
 doing other related office duties.
 The fourth and fifth paragraphs try to convince the employer that the applicant
is the right person to be employed.
 The sixth paragraph contains the applicant’s hope to be given an opportunity for
the employment.
In addition to the explanations above, here are some useful key phrases to use in your
own application letters.

Useful Key Phrases

 I am writing to you in response to your advertisement for...

 As you can see from my enclosed resume, my experiences and qualifications match this
position's requirements.
 I would like to point out... immediately upon the return.
 During ...., I improved (furthered, extended, etc.) my knowledge of...,
 I look forward to an opportunity to speak with you in person. (OR to speak with you
personally)
Exercise 1:

1. Study the following sample of application letter (sample 1). Then, describe the
content(s) of each paragraph found in the letter.
Sample 1

Gambuta III – H 9
Tidar Permai – Malang, 65146

Malang, April 19, 2008

Mr. Bob Subianto, SH.,MH., PhD.

Personnel Manager
Importers Inc.
Jl.HR Rasuna Said Kav. 13 – 15
Jakarta Selatan

Dear Mr. Subianto:

I am writing to you in response to your advertisement for a Legal Assistant

specializing in Port Regulatory Law, which appeared in Kompas on Sunday, April 15.
As you can see from my enclosed resume, my experience and qualifications match
this position's requirements.

I especially would like to point out that I graduated Cum Laude from The University
of Indonesia and was hired directly upon graduation due to my expertise in port
authority regulations.

During the four years that I worked for Maria and Co., I furthered deepened my
knowledge of the fast changing regulatory laws in our country. My employer also
thought highly enough of my abilities to promote me to head legal researcher after my
first year of employment.

I look forward to an opportunity to personally discuss the position with you. I will be
ready to have a job interview by the end of this month.

Sincerely,

your signature

Akbar Nourma Putra

Enclosure
 2. Read the following sample of application letter (samples 2). Then, describe the
content(s) of each paragraph. Finally, compare it with the sample 1 above to find the
difference(s) and the similarity(ies).

Sample 2

Jl.Wonorejo 66
Arjowinangun - Malang

March 28, 2008

Ms. Dian Arum

Director of Human Resources
ABC Corporation
Jl. Menur 12 - Kebayoran Lama Selatan
Jakarta Selatan, 12100

Dear Ms. Arum:

I am interested in applying for the sales representative position recently advertised in

“Kompas”. The skills that I have developed from internship experience and academic
background support my strong interest in a sales career.

As you can see from my résumé, the internship I had with XYZ Corporation provided an
opportunity for me to gain practical experience with account maintenance and cold-calling
accounts. In addition, I have worked in the retail field throughout college and have learned
how to effectively deal with customers and their demands. I have even been formally
recognized with the “Employee of the Month” award.

Ever since I decided to pursue a sales career, ABC Corporation has been at the top of my
list of prospective employers. Your company is clearly the market leader in construction
products, as evidenced by the Corporarion Top 100 distinction. I would very much like an
opportunity to speak with you regarding the sales representative position. I will be ready to
discuss my qualifications for the position with you late next week, or you can reach me in
the meantime at (0341) 568684. Thank you for considering me for this position.

Sincerely,

your signature

Maria Ulfa

Enclosure
Exercise 2

 Write a job application letter based on the following advertisement

 Your job application lettter must contain:
 Your home address
 The inside address (see the advertisement)
 The date (when you are writing your job application letter)
 The salutation
 The body of the letter containing: your interest, source, requirements, your
qualifications, reference, closing sentence.

An outstanding foreign company is going to open its branch offices in Indonesia. We need
some professional civil engineers with the following qualifications:
1. The applicant must be a graduate from at least Diploma III of Civil Engineering –
Polytechnic. (Imagine that you had graduated from D-III of Civil Engineering –
Polytechnic ).
2. Not older that 24 years by the end of this year.
3. Fluent in English and Japanese.
4. Dedicated and energetic.
5. Willing to be placed in Denpasar Bali or Lombok.
6. Understand Word, Excel, Power Point, and Auto-Cad
7. Her / his GPA is > 3.00.
The application letter must be sent not later than August 15th , 2008 to:

NOURMA & SONS CO.LTD

Jl.Tengku Umar 25 Denpasar Bali

Bali Post, June 30th 2008