TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC LẠC HỒNG

KHOA NGÔN NGỮ ANH

GIÁO TRÌNH
MÔN: BUSINESS WRITING 2

BIÊN SOẠN : NGÔ THỊ THU HÀ

Tháng 06/ 2015

 TABLE OF CONTENTS
PREFACE
UNIT 1: INTRODUCTION TO BUSINESS LETTERS .................................................................. 1
1.1. Main parts of a business letter .................................................................................................. 1
1.1.1. Inside addresses ........................................................................................................... 2
1.1.2. Date ............................................................................................................................... 2
1.1.3. Attention line ................................................................................................................ 3
1.1.4. Subject line ................................................................................................................... 4
1.1.5. Salutation and complementary close ............................................................................ 6
1.1.6. Signature ...................................................................................................................... 7
1.1.7. Enclosure ..................................................................................................................... 7
1.1.8. Copy ............................................................................................................................. 7
1.2. Letter formats ............................................................................................................................ 8
REVISION QUESTIONS ............................................................................................................. 10
EXERCISES ................................................................................................................................. 11
REFERENCES ............................................................................................................................. 13

UNIT 2: WRITING A COVER LETTER ........................................................................................ 14

2.1. Introduction to a cover letter ................................................................................................... 14
2.1.1. What is a cover letter? ............................................................................................... 14
2.1.2. Structure of a job cover letter ..................................................................................... 15
2.2. Composing the letter ............................................................................................................... 17
2.2.1. Letter opening ............................................................................................................. 17
2.2.2. Letter middle ............................................................................................................... 19
2.2.3. Letter closing .............................................................................................................. 24
REVISION QUESTIONS .............................................................................................................. 26
EXERCISE .................................................................................................................................... 27
REFERENCES ............................................................................................................................... 28

UNIT 3: WRITING RESUMES ........................................................................................................ 27

3.1. Introduction to a resume ......................................................................................................... 27
3.2. Types of Resume .................................................................................................................... 31
3.2.1. Chronological Resume ............................................................................................... 31
3.2.2. Functional Resume .................................................................................................... 33
3.3. Composing the Resume .......................................................................................................... 35
3.3.1. Writing about your personal information ................................................................... 35
3.3.2. Writing about your job/ career objective .................................................................... 37
3.3.3. Writing the summary part in your resume .................................................................. 39
3.3.4. Writing about your education .................................................................................... 41
 3.3.5. Writing about your work experience .......................................................................... 42
3.3.6. Writing about your skills ............................................................................................ 45
3.3.7. Writing about your activities ...................................................................................... 47
3.3.8. Writing the reference part ........................................................................................... 47
REVISION QUESTIONS .............................................................................................................. 49
EXERCISES .................................................................................................................................. 49
REFERENCES ............................................................................................................................... 49

UNIT 4: WRITING FOLLOW-UP LETTERS................................................................................ 50

4.1. Introduction to follow-up letters .............................................................................................. 50
4.1.1. Definition-Purposes-Types ........................................................................................ 50
4.1.2. Structure of follow-up letters ..................................................................................... 52
4.2. Composing follow-up letters ................................................................................................... 54
4.2.1. Reminding the employer of applicant’s sending the resume ...................................... 54
4.2.2. Stating the main purpose of the application-follow-up letter ..................................... 55
4.2.3. Restating important qualifications ............................................................................. 55
4.2.4. Writing closing sentences in the resume-follow-up letter........................................... 56
REVISION QUESTIONS .............................................................................................................. 59
EXERCISES .................................................................................................................................. 60
REFERENCES ............................................................................................................................... 60

UNIT 5: WRITING A LETTER TO AN APPLICANT REQUESTING AN INTERVIEW ....... 61

5.1. Introduction to the letter........................................................................................................... 61
5.2. Letter structure ......................................................................................................................... 62
5.3. Composing the letter ............................................................................................................... 63
5.3.1. Acknowledging the application .................................................................................. 63
5.3.2. Inviting the applicant for an interview ........................................................................ 63
5.3.3. Providing guiding information related to the interview .............................................. 64
5.3.4. Showing your enthusiasm for the applicant’s attendance in the interview ................ 65
REVISION QUESTION ................................................................................................................ 65
EXERCISE .................................................................................................................................... 69
REFERENCE.................................................................................................................................. 69

UNIT 6: WRITING A DECLINING LETTER TO AN APPLICANT

6.1. Introduction to the letter........................................................................................................... 67
6.2. Letter structure ......................................................................................................................... 67
6.3. Composing the letter ............................................................................................................... 68
6.3.1. Acknowledging the application .................................................................................. 71
 6.3.2. Refusing to offer the job to the applicant and explaining reason(s) ........................... 72
6.3.3. Promising positive action toward the applicant’s resume ........................................... 73
6.3.4. Giving wishes to the applicant ................................................................................... 73
REVISION QUESTIONS .............................................................................................................. 73
EXERCISES .................................................................................................................................. 73
REFERENCE.................................................................................................................................. 73

UNIT 7: WRITING A THANK-YOU LETTER ............................................................................. 74

7.1. Introduction to the letter........................................................................................................... 74
7.2. Letter structure ......................................................................................................................... 74
7.3. Composing the letter ............................................................................................................... 75
7.3.1. Telling why you are writing........................................................................................ 75
7.3.2. Giving specific information ........................................................................................ 76
REVISION QUESTION ................................................................................................................ 78
EXERCISES .................................................................................................................................. 78
REFERENCES ............................................................................................................................... 80

UNIT 8: WRITING A LETTER OF CONGRATULATIONS ....................................................... 81

8.1. Introduction to the letter........................................................................................................... 81
8.2. Letter structure ......................................................................................................................... 82
8.3. Composing the letter ............................................................................................................... 83
8.3.1. Congratulating the receiver on his/ her accomplishment ............................................ 83
8.3.2. Giving praise to the receiver ....................................................................................... 84
8.3.3. Referring to the future................................................................................................. 85
8.3.4. Writing the closing of the letter ................................................................................. 86
8.3.5. Notes when writing a letter of congratulations ........................................................... 86
REVISION QUESTIONS .............................................................................................................. 88
EXERCISES .................................................................................................................................. 88
REFERENCES ............................................................................................................................... 88

UNIT 9: WRITING A SYMPATHY LETTER ............................................................................... 89

9.1. Introduction to the letter........................................................................................................... 90
9.2. Letter structure ......................................................................................................................... 91
9.3. Composing the letter ............................................................................................................... 92
REVISION QUESTIONS .............................................................................................................. 93
EXERCISE .................................................................................................................................... 93
REFERENCES ............................................................................................................................... 93
BIBLIOGRAPHY ............................................................................................................................... 94
 PREFACE

The “Business Writing 2” text book aims at developing junior English majors’ ability
to write kinds of business correspondence for the job searching and other personal
purposes.

Designed for a 60-period-syllabus, the text book consists of nine units with different
objectives:
Unit 1 equips students with knowledge of how to write and arrange basic parts in a
business letter; the letter formats commonly used in business environment. After
the lesson, students are expected to be able to recognize, write letter parts correctly
in different formats.
Unit 2 guides students how to arrange and write ideas in a cover letter, which is
used for the job application purpose. Upon the completion of the lesson, students
are expected to be able to write their own cover letter introducing their personal
qualifications that match employers’ job requirements.
Unit 3 brings students knowledge about the features, purposes of two common
kinds of resume. The lesson also teaches students how to list their personal
qualifications that match employers’ job requirements in each kind. After the
lesson, students are assumed to be able to choose the suitable resume kind for their
own need and write it correctly.
Unit 4 instructs students to structure and write two kinds of follow-up letter in the
job searching. After learning this lesson, students are expected to be able to write
letters following up their application and job interview efficiently.
Unit 5 is composed with the expectation that students are able to correctly arrange
and write the ideas in a letter which is sent to an applicant inviting him/ her for a
job interview.
Unit 6 focuses on helping student be able to arrange and write the ideas in a letter
refusing to offer an applicant a job.
Unit 7, 8, and 9 teach students the structures and useful language for writing
person letters. It is expected that students are able to correctly write their personal
thank-you, congratulations, and sympathy statements.
Serving different purposes, various kinds of exercises in the text book are organized in
the easy-to-difficult order so as to enable students to firstly recognize features and
language used in each kind of correspondence, then apply the things they learn to
finish practice exercises, and compose their own writing. In addition, these exercises
also contribute to enhance students’ synthesizing and analyzing skills.
 UNIT 1: INTRODUCTION TO BUSINESS LETTERS
1.1. MAIN PARTS OF A BUSINESS LETTER

Parts
Jame Howart
Sender’s address Bradgade 51
DK 1260
Copenhagen
Denmark

Date 6th May 2010

Soundsonic Ltd.,
Warwick House
Receiver’s address
Warwich Street
Forest Hill
London SE23 IJF
UNITED KINGDOM

Attention line For the attention of the Sales Manager

Salutation Dear Sir or Madam

Subject
Re: Enquiry about products

I am writing this letter to ask for more information of your

quadraphonic sound systems, which were advertised in the
April edition of Sound Monthly.
Body
We are particularly interested in some products of the Omega
range. Enclosed you will find the list of our concern. Could
you please send us the prices and specifications of them?

Look forward to your reply.

Complementary close Yours faithfully

Signature
J. Howart

Enclosure Enc.

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1.1.1 Inside addresses
Example:
Ms. Nancy Simons Full name [First name Last name]
Industrial House Company/ Organization
34-41 Craig Road Building number, Road/ Street
Bolton BL4 8TF Town/ City, (Code)
United Kingdom Country

Practice 1: You want to send a letter to a person with last name Sargent, first
name Keith who works in Hamlyn Lanscaping Corporation, Number 3,
Horncaster Lane, Lackington, LK2 4GF, United State of America. Write in the
space below your own address and the receiver’s address.
Your address:

Receiver’s address

1.1.2 Date
- The date of the letter can be written in two ways:
Europe format U.S. format
Date Month Year Month Date, Year
21 October 2013 October 21st, 2013

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Practice 2: Write the following dates in two formats
Europe format U.S. format
1. the first day of October, year 2011
2. the second day of June, year 2010
3. the twentieth third of January 2009
4. 09/05/2009

1.1.3 Attention line

- This line is used when:
• you do not know the name of the person you are writing to and the letter
is addressed to the firm. Or,
• you are not sure about of the receiver’s title. Or,
• you want to send copies of the letter to the appropriate department.
- The phrase “For the attention of” can be written in the short forms:
“Attention” or “Attn.”
- This line may include:
 only the name of the receiver. Or
Attention: Mr. Michael Jack
 the name and job title of the receiver. Or
Attention: Mrs. Ann Baker, Human Resources Manager
 the name and working section of the receiver. Or
Attention: Mrs. Ann Baker, Human Resources Department
 only the job title of the receiver
Attention: Human Resources Manager

Practice 3: You are sending your cover letter applying for an advertised job.
Write in the space given the attention line for each of the following cases
1. You do not know exactly the name of the receiver. However, you want
your cover letter to be sent to the Personnel Manager of the Company.
……………………………………………………………………………

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 2. You know receiver’s name (Mr. John Howatt) and working section
(Human Resources Department).
……………………………………………………………………………
Human Resources (or HR): the department in a company that deals with
employing and training people
3. You know both the name (Mr. John Howatt) and the title of the receiver
(HR Manager).
…………………………………………………………………………..

1.1.4 Subject
- The subject line consists of a few words that briefly describe the content of
your letter.
- It is a Noun phrase without articles (a/ an/ the) at the beginning and
punctuation at the end of the line.
Non-payment of invoice 322/17
- It is not absolutely necessary to include the subject in a letter. In fact, it is
often omitted in current business writing. But it does serve as a courtesy to
the reader.
- This line can begin with the word “Subject” or “Re”. It can also be
underlined or typed in capitals.

Practice 4: Match the subjects (A-D) with the correct openings (1-4) of four
letters below them.
A. Subject: Your enquiry letter dated 4th May 2010
B. ORDER NO. 175/03
C. Re: Late Payment Reminder, Invoice # 548520
D. Your proposal of payment

1. With reference to the above order, we are glad to inform you that it is
going to finish next week.

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 2. Thank you for your order for 500 Irina 262 Typewriters by your letter of
17 July. We have considered your proposal to pay by 30-day letter of
credit and our Director decides to accept this payment
3. This letter serves as a reminder that you have an outstanding payment of
USD 2500, on the invoice # 548520 which was sent to you on the 14th of
March, 2010. We are yet to receive this payment from you. We have
enclosed another copy of the invoice with this letter for your reference.
4. Thank you for your letter of enquiry. We would be glad to meet your
requirements of selling our fan in your retail showroom.

Practice 5: Read the letters below and write their subject lines in the space
given above each
1. _____________________________________________
Thank you for speaking to me on the phone. I would like to apply for the
post of trainee sales person at Milers Music which was advertised in the
Evening News dated 12 June 200..
I am 17 years old and have 4 GCSEs grade A-C in English, history, art,
and music. I am about to finish a BTEC 1st Diploma in business studies
at Townley School and am looking for a job with training.

2. ___________________________________________________
Your long-term disability insurance carrier until now has been Security
of America. The cost to you for this coverage has been $ 0.30 per
$100.00.
As of August 1, we are pleased to announce that we have changed long-
term disability carriers. As a result, your costs have been reduced by
25%. The new carrier on the long-term disability plan is Sambuki
General Life Insurance Ltd.

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1.1.5 Salutation and Complementary close
- The salutation Dear Sir, or Dear Madam, or Dear Sirs/ Madams opens the
letter written to a person whose name is not known by the writer.
- When the receiver’s name is known, the salutation takes the forms of:
• Dear Title First name Last name (Dear Mr. John Michael). Or,
• Dear Title Last name (Dear Mr. Michael)
- If the letter begins with salutation Dear Sir(s) or Dear Madam(s), it will
have complementary close Yours faithfully.
- If the letter begins with a personal name (i.g. Dear Ms Jasmin), it will
close with Yours sincerely
- Both salutation and complementary close can have no punctuation at their
ends. However, if the salutation ends with a comma (,) or a colon (:), the
complementary close ends with a comma (,)
- Examples:

Salutation Dear Mr. John Michael Dear Mr. John Michael,

Dear Mr. John Michael:

Complementary Yours sincerely Yours sincerely,

close

Practice 6: Write a complementary close for each of the following

Salutations Complementary close
Dear Madam,
Dear Mr. Michael David:
Dear Ms. Nancy
Dear Sir

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1.1.6 Body
- The basic organization for the body of a business letter follows:
Opening - State your purpose

Middle - Explain what you want to happen or explain the

information you have
Closing - Request a dated action, conclude or thank the reader for
his response

1.1.7 Signature:
- Write the hand-written signature and then write/ type your full name
under the complementary close of the letter.
- Before your full name, your title “Mr.”, “Ms.”, or “Mrs.” can be written,
but it is optional.
- Example:

Hand-written signature
(Title) Full name

1.1.8 Enclosure
- The Enclosure part indicates that you have included additional
paperwork in your correspondence. You can write the word Enclosure
or its short forms Enc(s)., or Encl(s).
- List the names of the attached documents in separated lines:
Enclosure
- Commercial Invoice
- Packing list
- Or, write the number of the attached documents in brackets and after the
word “Enclosure”:
Encs. (2)
- Or, write only the word “Enc”

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 Practice 7: You are writing a letter applying for an advertised job and you
want to enclose with this letter a resume, a copy of university degree and a
copy of transcript. Write the enclosure part of your letter in the given space.

1.1.9 Writing Carbon copy (cc) part of the letter

- This line tells your reader who else is being sent a copy of your letter.
- Example:
CC: Jenny Marston, Head Office

1.2. LETTER FORMATS

A full-block- format letter: Full-block format features:
Jame Howart - The full-block format has no
Bradgade 51
indentations.
Copenhagen
Denmark - Everything in the letter is
ranged left.
6th May 20xx

Soundsonic Ltd.,
Warwick House, Warwich Street
Forest Hill, London SE23 IJF
United Kingdom

For the attention of the Sales Manager

Dear Sir or Madam

Please would you send me details of your quadraphonic

sound systems which were advertised in the April edition
of Sound Monthly?

I am particularly interested in the Omega range of

equipment that you specialize in.

Yours faithfully

J. Howart

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A block-format letter: Block format features:
Jame Howart
Bradgade 51 - The sender address and the date
DK 1260
Copenhagen are ranged right.
Denmark
- The complementary close is to
6th May 20xx
the right of the centre.
Soundsonic Ltd., - The signature is aligned beneath
Warwick House
Warwich Street the complementary close.
Forest Hill
London SE23 IJF - The receiver address, salutation,
United Kingdom
and body of the letter are ranged
Dear Sir or Madam left.
Please would you send me details of your quadraphonic
sound systems which were advertised in the April edition
of Sound Monthly?

I am particularly interested in the Omega range of

equipment that you specialize in.

Yours faithfully

J. Howart

Modified format features:

A modified-format letter Jame Howart
Bradgade 51 - The sender address and the date
Copenhagen
Denmark
are ranged right.
6th May 20xx - The complementary close is to
Soundsonic Ltd.,
Warwick House, Warwich Street the right of the centre.
Forest Hill, London SE23 IJF
United Kingdom - The signature is aligned beneath
Dear Sir or Madam the complementary close.
Please would you send me details of your - The receiver address, salutation,
quadraphonic sound systems which were advertised in
the April edition of Sound Monthly? and body of the letter are ranged
I am particularly interested in the Omega range of left.
equipment that you specialize in.
- The beginning word of each
Yours faithfully
paragraph in the letter body is

J. Howart indented.

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 REVISION QUESTIONS
1. List out main parts of a business letter.
2. How many kinds of addresses should be included inside a letter?
3. How many ways can we write the date of a letter?
4. When is the attention line needed?
5. If the name of receiver is stated in the address part already, is the attention
line necessary or not? Explain.
6. In which paragraph(s) can the sender talk about the reason(s) for his/ her
writing the letter?
7. If the sender wants to recommend some actions to be done, where can he/ she
write them?
8. Which complementary close will be used if the sender doesn’t know the name
of the receiver?
9. When should the complementary close “Yours faithfully” be used?
10. Is this possible for the sender to list the names of all enclosures in only one
line?
11. If the letter is written in a paper with company’s letter head (logo, address,
contact information), should all these details be repeated in the sender’s
address part? Explain.
12. Is it necessary to include all mentioned parts in every business letter? If not,
which parts are compulsory and which parts are not, according to you?
13. List the similarities and differences between the full-block and the block
formats, between the block and modified formats.

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 EXERCISES
Exercise 1: Parts of the following letter are in the wrong order. Rearrange
them in order to have a meaningful letter. The first two parts have been done
for you
1. Angelo Bonetti
Modern Shoes Fashions
78 Via Appia
Italy
Rome
2. Dear Sirs,
3. Boulevard Haussman
Paris
France
Moda Shoes
4. August 16th, 2008
5. If your prices are competitive we would expect to transact a significant volume
of business.
6. We have obtained your name and address from Aristo Shoes, Paris, and we are
writing to enquire whether you would be willing to establish business relations
with us?
7. We look forward to receiving your early reply.
8. Yours sincerely,
9. We have been importers of shoes for many years. At present, we interested in
extending our range and would appreciate your catalogues and quotations.
10. Chief Buyer
11. Angelo Bonetti
12. For the attention of Mr. J. Howart, Sales Manager.

1- 4- ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

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Exercise 2: Use the following suggestions to write a letter including necessary
parts.
1. Letter to: 44 Clifton Avenue, E2M3V0
Letter from: 200 Channing Drive, R8A 0S5
2. This letter is written to Ms. Charlotte Holt on March 3, 2011 by Mr. James
Sanderson with the purpose of placing an order:
1 set of 4 coffee mugs (“Lefties Only”), item B013 $10.00
1 t-shirt, XL, blue, (“Lefties Only”), item A123 $15.00
tax $3.75
Postage and handling $4.00
TOTAL $32.75

3. He encloses a payment note for $32.75 along with this letter and needs the
items within 6 weeks.

Exercise 3: Study the following letter and do the tasks below it

Highland Health Clinic

30 Highland Boulevard
Ross, CA 98759

Feb 23rd, 2013

Discount Medical Supplies

2727 Canyon Rd.
Oakland, CA 94577

Dear Sirs,

I am the medical supplies manager of the pharmacy within a small health

clinic. An acquaintance of mine who holds the same position as I at the

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 Marshlands clinic, recently recommended that I use your services. I would
like to order the following items, and have included the relevant catalog
numbers:
 Item No. G32 Gauze, 10 rolls of 4 inches
 Item No. G33 Gauze, 10 rolls of 2 inches

Please let me know how long it will take to fill this order, and then invoice me
at the above address.

Any questions regarding this order should be directed to our main office at
telephone number (02) 941-1254 ext. 41, 42 and 43.

Yours sincerely,
Girlie Mendoza

1. Which format is the above letter?

2. Rewrite this letter using other formats that you have learnt.

REFERENCES
Carey, J.A. (2002). Business Letter For Busy People, 4th ed, pp. 3-4. National
Press Publications.
LearningExpress. (2007). Business Writing Clear and Simple, 1st ed. New York:
LearningExpress, LLC.
Nguyễn, Q.H. (2007). Sổ tay thư tín thương mại quốc tế. Nhà xuất bản văn hóa Sài
Gòn.
Ashley, A. (1998). A Handbook of Commercial Correspondence. Oxford
University Press.

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 UNIT 2: WRITING A COVER LETTER
2.1. INTRODUCTION TO A COVER LETTER
2.1.1. What is a cover letter?
- Cover letters are letters that people send to companies with their
resumes.
- A cover letter introduces you to the person who is hiring for the job.
Model letter

2500 North Fruitridge Road

Terre Haute, Indiana 47811

March 1, 2011

Mr. Ikuo Saito

Vice President
Indiana Gas and Electric Company
1114 Broad Street
Terre Haute, Indiana 47815

Dear Mr. Saito:

I would like to apply for the position of Executive Secretary which you
advertised in the Terre Haute Gazette of Sunday, February 28, 2011.

As a Secretary to the Benlow Corporation here in Terre Haute, I was

directly responsible to Ms. Alba Cruz, the company owner. In addition to
the usual typing, filing, and taking dictation, I was responsible for
scheduling appointments, screening telephone calls, and, and organizing
paperwork and correspondence. Essentially, I did everything I could to
make Ms. Cruz’s heavy responsibilities easier. Thus, I am familiar with the
duties of an Executive Secretary and believe I am prepared to meet all your
expectations.

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 Enclosed is my resume for your further reference.

I would appreciate your giving me the opportunity to discuss my

qualifications in person. I would be happy to come for an interview at your
convenience, and I can be reached after 5 p.m. at 772-1248.

Yours sincerely,
JEAN CARSON (Miss)

Encs.

2.1.2. Structure of a job cover letter

• State which job you are applying for
Opening • Mention how you learned about the position
• Give the reason you are writing
• Show why you are suited for the job
Middle
• Inform the receiver of the enclosed documents (If any)

• Express wishes for an interview or reply from the reader.

Closing • Indicate your available time for the interview and contact
information

Practice 1: Parts in this letter are not in the correct order. Rearrange them.
1. Mary Hogan
2. As my resume shows, I have a B.A in English from Yale University. I am
looking for a job that will be challenging and that will give me lots of
opportunities to move ahead in my career.
3. Port of Seattle
Pier 55
Seattle, WA 98190
4. I am interested in applying for any administrative jobs available in your

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 organization.
5. Sincerely,
6. August 10, 2012
7. Dear Sir
8. I look forward to hearing from you regarding an interview for any openings
you have in your company.
9. 280 Winslow Way
Bainbridge, WA 98110

2.2. COMPOSING THE LETTER

2.2.1. Writing the opening of the letter
Useful language:
a. Writing about the job being applied and the source of information:
• I read about a job opening for an Administrative Staff on the NetLives
• I heard from Mr. Albert Richard, one of your suppliers that your
Restaurant needs a Chef
• I was interested to see your job advertisement on website www:
jobhunting.recruitment.com for a Sales Executive
• I was informed by Mrs. Nancy Jane, your Secretary that there is a
vacancy in your company for the Accountant position
Note: Some jobs
 Administrative Staff: the person whose job is connected with
organizing the work of a business or an institution
 Chef: the person who is the highest-level cook in a restaurant
 Sales Executive: the person who has an important job as a manager
of Sales Department
 Secretary: the person who works in an office for another person,
dealing with letters and telephone calls, typing, keeping records,
arranging meetings with people, etc.
 Accountant: the person who works in the Accounting Department

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b. Writing about the purpose of the letter
Useful language:
I am applying for… the…position.
would like to be considered the Sales post (which was)
for... advertised on your website.
am interested in applying for.. the Chief Accountant position
posted on Times Newspaper.

Practice 2: Complete these opening sentences for the job cover letters. Use
the prepositions about, for, in, and on. Some prepositions will be used more
than one time.
1. I saw your advertisement __________ a customer service representative
__________the May 13 Herald Tribune.
2. I am applying ____________ the position of administrative assistant
announced ___________the A-Way.com
3. __________the IronGate.com Web site, I read _____________ an
opening _________a receptionist.
4. Your colleague, Jannie Qin, told me _______ the executive assistant
opening.

Practice 3: Match 1-4 with a-d to make complete openings of job cover
letters.
1. Yesterday I saw on your bulletin a. so I am writing to apply for this
board that your Company is in need post.
of an import-export staff,
2. I am interested in the position of b. I have submitted my resume
Interpreter announced on your applying for the position of
website and teacher of English for children.
3. I was informed by Mrs. Nancy c. for the job opening for an
Jane, your Secretary that you are in Administrative Staff advertised

17
 need of an Accountant. in Times newspaper.
4. I am applying d. would like to apply for this.
5. In response to your job e. I would like to be considered for
advertisement on your website, this post.

2.2.2. Writing the middle of the letter

a. Showing why you are suited for the job
Contents: In order to show why you are suited for the job, you should:
• briefly highlight your most relevant qualifications (background,
working experience, skills) got from the time working in companies
and the time studying at schools/ courses
• show how these qualifications match the requirements mentioned in the
job advertisement.

I have been working as the secretary to the Benlow Corporation in

Terre Haute for 3 years.

I have been working as the secretary to the Benlow Corporation

in Terre Haute for 3 years. In addition to the usual typing, filing,
and taking dictation, I was responsible for scheduling
appointments, screening telephone calls, and, and organizing
paperwork and correspondence. Thus, I am familiar with your
required duties of an Executive Secretary and believe I am
prepared to meet all your expectations.

Useful language:
• I have [degree] in [major].
• I graduated from [university/ school] in [year] with [major].
• I worked/ have been working for [company] as [position] for [time].
• I was/am responsible for [duty].
• My responsibilities include(d) [duty]

18
 • I am familiar with your required duties.
• The time working in [company] provides me with [experience/ skills]
in [field]
• The experience as [position] for [company] enables me to …….
• My [qualifications] meet your needs/ requirements.

Practice 4: Complete blank(s) in each statement about work experience

1. Currently, I __________ in charge ___________ day-to-day running of the
Sales Department.
2. I ___________to work for Hanco Construction JSC two years ago as a
customer service representative. Dealing ___________ enquiries and
complaints from customers __________ my daily duty.
3. One of my main responsibilities in that hospital _______ looking ______
patients.

Practice 5: Words/ phrases are in the wrong order. Rearrange them to

make complete sentences of the cover letter middle part.
1. have/ I/ three- year experience / the/ area/ working/ in/ sales/.
__________________________________________________________
2. I/ from/ Hoa Sen/ have graduated/ University/.
__________________________________________________________
3. and/ skills/ a/ studying/ necessary/ IT staff/ Four/ university/ knowledge/ to/
at/ years/ prepared/ me/ good/ for/ become/.
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
4. production plans/ My/ company/ current duties/ in/ dealing with/ the/
include/ and coordinating/ customers’ orders/.
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________

19
5. enables/ The experience / working/ my English skills/ me/ in/for/ Dai Viet
Company Ltd/ to/ and improve/ my knowledge/ sharpen/ the sales area/.
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
6. am/ with/ I/ familiar/ duties/ a/ of/ General Accountant/.
__________________________________________________________
7. requirements/ experience/ believe/ my/ I/ fits/job/the/.
__________________________________________________________

Practice 6: Combine sentences into one sentence using the suggested word
1. I am writing this letter to apply for the interpreter position. This position
was advertised on website vietnamworks.com by your company on 21
October.
I _________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
2. I am a new graduate. I have a fair degree of National Economic University.
I _________________________________________________________
3. I graduated from Lac Hong University in 2005. From 2005 to 2009, I
worked for Duong Minh Foreign Language Center as a teacher of English
for children.
After________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
4. During the time working in Hanco Company, I took over the position of a
sales staff. This experience brought me basic background in sales area.
The experience _____________________________________________
________________________________________________________
5. Now I am working for Chengshin Company, I contact daily with customer
via email. I draft contracts in English languages. I manage and coordinate
the production of customers’ orders.
My current_________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________

20
6. I am active and careful. I believe I am suitable for this post.
Being_____________________________________________________

Practice 7: Look at the job advertisements for the administrative assistant

position. Write some sentences that describe your experience, background,
and skills to show how you are suited for the job. The first one has been
done for you as an example.
ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT WANTED

A local Internet service provider has a full-time position available for an

administrative assistant to work with the General Manager.

The individual will manage schedules, order supplies, prepare expense

reports, and perform general word processing. The Admin. Asst. will also
be responsible for mailings, faxes, photocopying, and filing.

Candidate must
 be familiar with word processing programs.
 have excellent communication skills
 have a college degree
 have a minimum of 2 years of experience

Contact information:
Maria Sanchez
Human Resource Specialist
NetLives Ltd
632 Garrison Road
Cambridge CB4 IHD
Tel: 1223 334566

21
 1. My work experience matches your requirements. (write 2-3 sentences)
I work as an Administrative assistant for two years. In addition to the
usual mailings, faxes, photocopying, and filing paperwork and
correspondence, I am familiar with scheduling appointments, ordering
supplies, and preparing expense report.
2. My background fit your needs. (write 1-2 sentences)
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
3. I have the skills required. (write 2-3 sentences)
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
b. Referring to the enclosed documents
Useful language:
• I enclose…..for your reference/ convenience.
• My….. is (are) enclosed…
• Please refer to the/ my….
• Enclosed you will see my….

Practice 8: Rewrite the following sentences using the given words/ phrases.
1. I am enclosing my resume for your reference.
My resume________________________________________________
2. Please see my enclosed profile for further information.
Should you need_______________, please refer to_________________
3. My curriculum vitae and testimonials are enclosed.
Enclosed you will see________________________________________
testimonial (n): a formal statement written by a former employer about
somebody's abilities, qualities and character

22
2.2.3. Writing the closing of the letter:
a. Expressing wishes for an interview, appointment, or reply from the
reader
Useful language:
• I hope to [verb]…
I hope to have a chance to discuss more about my
qualifications
• I look forward to [Verb-ing] …
I look forward to hearing from you soon

b. Indicating the available time and contact information

Useful language:
• I am free/ available at/ after [time]
• I am ready for … at [time]
• I can be reached at/ after [time]

Practice 9: Rewrite these sentences. The rewritten sentence should include

the words given in brackets. The first one has been done for you.
1. I want to work with IronGate. (…look forward…)
I look forward to working with IronGate.
2. I’d like to talk to you next week. (…hope…)
_________________________________________________________
3. I am looking forward to meeting with you. (…would like…)
_________________________________________________________
4. I probably should discuss my interest in A-way with you. (…wish
that…)
_________________________________________________________
5. I hope I can contribute to your team. (…look forward…)
_________________________________________________________
6. I hope to hear from you soon about an interview. (…expect…)
_________________________________________________________

23
 Practice 10: Complete these sentences using the prepositions at, on, after,
for. Put X if no preposition is needed. Some prepositions will be used more
than one time.
1. I am ready _______ your interview _______anytime
2. I am available ___________ weekends.
3. I can be reached ______5 p.m. ______ every day
4. I am able to attend an interview _______your convenience
5. Please call me ________773-4567 if you could arrange an interview
with me.

Practice 11: Follow these steps to develop your own cover letter.
1. Find out the name and position of the person you should apply to.
2. Research the company. Is it growing? Does it want people with certain
skills? Get information that might help you get a job there.
3. Think about your qualifications that could help the company?
4. Start your cover letter. Write the addresses and date. Be sure to use
correct position titles and a correct greeting.
5. Now begin the text, or body of the letter. Start by saying how you found
out about the job (an advertisement or referral) and then state the
purpose of your letter.
6. Use your notes from question 3 to write about your qualifications
7. In your last paragraph, express your wish for an interview and say how
you can be contacted.
8. Edit your letter carefully to make sure that you have used correct
grammar and punctuation.

REVISION QUESTIONS
1. What is a cover letter?
2. What are some main contents in a cover letter?

24
3. Should the applicants list any experience, education, or skills they have when
writing about their qualifications? If not, which ones should be mentioned?
4. Supposed that you are an applicant. Write some sentences to show the
suitability between your qualifications and the requirements in the job
advertisement.

EXERCISE
Write a cover letter in response to one of the following job advertisements
Job Advertisement 1
Job title: English Translator and Interpreter
Job description:
• Be responsible for translating and interpreting technical materials in
garment industry
• Be interpreter in meetings (if required)
• Support other departments in company in translating and interpreting
• Support manager in some administrative tasks
Job Requirements
• Graduated from College or University, English major.
• Have at least 1 year of experience in related position.
• Have experience in Garment industry in plus
• Have proficiency in 4 skills of English
• Be active and responsible
• Be able to adapt to the pressure working environment.
If you are interested in this post, send your resume to:
RED RIVER MANUFACTURING SHAREHOLDING COMPANY
1234 ROASTER ROAD
WASHINGTON DC 1267
USA

25
Job Advertisement 2
Web Discount Corporation of Barcelona, Spain, seeks full-time Client
Service Coordinator. Responsibilities include greeting clients, answering
telephones, and performing other clerical functions.
Requirements
1. High school diploma and/or business college program
2. 2-4 years of clerical or administrative experience
3. Excellent organization skills
4. Typing speed of 30 wpm
5. Word processing and database experience
6. Good communication skills
If you are interested in this post, send your resume to:
WEB DISCOUNT CORPORATION OF BARCELONA
123 Garison Road
Barcelona
Spain

REFERENCES
Lougheed, L. (2003). Business Correspondence: A guide to Everyday Writing.
Longman.
McGraw-Hill. (2004). Send me a message: A step by step approach to business
and professional writing. McGraw-Hill.

26
 UNIT 3: WRITING RESUMES

3.1. INTRODUCTION TO A RESUME

- A resume is a descriptive record or a detailed outline of an applicant’s
education, skills, activities, experience, etc., intended to tell a prospective
employer about the applicant.
- The main objective of a resume is winning a job interview by highlighting
the applicant’s education, achievements, and skills, etc.
- The number of parts in resumes may varied but here are the most common
ones:
• Personal information: This part includes the contact information
(name, address, telephone, email) and other personal information of
the applicant.
• Career Objective: This is a statement of the applicant’s goal.
• Professional Summary: This is a one-sentence statement listing the
applicant’s most important qualifications, essential skills, and key
work experience.
• Employment/ Work experience: This part provides a brief and specific
overview of the applicant’s work and professional experience.
• Education: This part includes specific details about the applicant’s
education and professional training.
• Special skills: This part lists the applicant’s special skills, abilities and
aptitudes that are of significance and of direct relevance to the job
applied for.
• Interests: This part mentions the applicant’s interests that are relevance
to the job applied for.
• References: This part mentions the name and contact information of
persons who can give letters of recommendations or references for the
applicant’s.

27
Model Resume:
Personal Details
Name: Rikita Mishra
Address: A1 Rajender, Nagar, Hyderabad 500034
Mobile: 9849620505
Email: [email protected]
Date of Birth: 29th June 1981

Summary
6 years of experience in teaching
3 research publications in journals of repute
Well versed capacity with statistical software
Conductor of MDPs for four organizations

Experience
Aug 2005-present: Institute of Management, Banjara Hills,
Hyderabad
Position: Senior Lecturer
Responsibilities:
• Teaching financial management to MBA students
• Being Chairperson of the BBA programme
• Being the Editor of the institute journal “SYNERGY”
Jan 2002-Aug 2005: IIT Roorkee
Position: Lecturer
Responsibilities:
• Teaching financial management to MBA students
• Handling Administrative responsibilities
• Being a member of research team carrying out a nation-wide
study on dividend capture strategy.
• Preparing reports
• Organizing short-term courses and seminars

28
Academic qualification
2002: MBA (Finance) from Osmania University, Hyderabad
2000: Certificate B (Computer) from Utkal University Bhubaneswar

References
Mrs. Ann Jane, Osmania University, Hyderabad
Email: [email protected]

Practice 1: Match the following titles with parts of resumes (a-h)

Contact information Education
Summary Activities
Career objective Skills
Employment References
a. _______________
Mr. J. Brown, Snr. Librarian, Collingley Libraries, Collingley,
Derbyshire DE2 9LL
Email: j.brown@libraries .gov.uk

b. _______________
2003-present: Office Assistant, University of California English
Language Programs
• Manage reception and telephones for 40-person office
• Develop data base to track inquiries about application status
• Train temporary workers in office procedures

2000-2003: Volunteer, International Student Office, University of

California
• Arranged special events for international students
• Assisted program directors in orientation and cultural exchange
programs
• Reorganized office to be more efficient

29
 1997-1998: Volunteer, Shoreline Boys and Girls Club
• Led afternoon activities for groups of children
• Managed activity budget for programs
• Recognized as Volunteer of the Year, 1998

c. _______________
Tomoko Martin
8105 50th N.W., Davis CA 96515
415-945-0200
[email protected]

d. _______________
B.A. in Business Administration, University of California Davis, Davis,
CA, 2003

e. _______________
• Native speaker of Japanese
• Advanced proficiency in Spanish and English
• Three year experience with all Microsoft Office applications
• Experience with all Microsoft Office applications

f. _______________
• Volunteer translator, Community Center, 1996-1998
• Assistant Leader for Girl Scouts, 1997-1998

g. _______________
• Fluent in Spanish
• Excellent interpersonal communication skills

h. _______________
To use my knowledge of languages, computer skills, and experience working
with international visitors in a tourist-ralated industry

30
3.2. TYPES OF RESUMES
3.2.1. Chronological Resume
- This type of resume focuses on education and experience. It organizes
past employment record or education in reverse chronological order. It
lists working experience or educational qualifications starting with the
current or most recent.
- It is advised to have this kind of resume, if
• the applicant has a continuous career history with continuation within
the same area
• there are no major gaps the applicant’s responsibilities have increased
with each in the career change
- However, this type may reveal gaps in the career path easily.
Model:
Joe Bloggs
6 Pine Street, Arlington, VA 12333
Home phone: 555.555.5555 Mobile phone: 566.486.2222
Email: [email protected]

OBJECTIVE
To obtain the position of General Sales Manager where over 10
years of experience will add value to operations.

EXPERIENCE
Aug 2005 - present Ferguson and Biggs Lower Hutt
Ferguson and Biggs is a company specializing in the supply of
IT financial packages for mid - large businesses. It holds the
franchise for a range of products and this office covers the
lower North Island.
Position: District Sales Manager
Responsibilities
• Managing a team of 5 staff
31
 • Looking after the top 5 clients personally
• Managing training for all staff
• Developing sales methodologies in conjunction with the team
• Liaising with the implementation team

Achievements
• Increasing regional sales from $3 million to $10 million
• Managing 5 sales representatives in 3 different locations
successfully
• Implementing training course for new recruits helping to
increase profitability

Jan 2002–Aug 2005 Duffy Vineyards Hastings

Duffy Vineyards had just increased its production to the point
where it needed to more actively market their products
nationally and overseas.
Position: Senior Sales Representative
Responsibilities
• Developed sales strategies
• Worked in conjunction with a marketing company to
establish branding for local and overseas markets

Achievements
• Expanded sales team from 1 to 3 representatives
• Tripled revenues for the company

ACADEMIC EDUCATION
2001: B.B.S (Business Administration and Information Science)
from University of Waikato

REFERENCES
Mr. J. Brown, General Director of Ferguson and Biggs, 123 Lower
Hutt, Derby DE 9LL
Email: [email protected]

32
3.2.2. Functional CV
- This type of resume highlights accomplishments and emphasizes skills.
- Some employers are more interested in the applicant’s ability to handle
the position they are applying for, and they would prefer a functional
resume.
- It is advised to have this kind of resume, if
• there are gaps in your career path.
• the applicant does not have too much of work experience.
• the applicant wants to make career changes.
• the applicant needs to highlight skills and achievements they have
developed away from work.
Model:
Ben Turner
23 Brook Avenue, Englewood, Colorado 12345
(123) 456-7890
[email protected]
OBJECTIVE
Seeking a position as an armed security guard for Pinkerton
Services

SUMMARY
• Active U.S. government security clearance
• Bilingual-fluent language in both English and Spanish
• Superior performance award for past four years in security
management
• Good ability to make difficult decisions in stressful situations

SKILLS AND ACHIEVEMENTS

Security
• Supervised $100 million of highly sensitive equipment -resulted
in zero loss in a 3-year period

33
• Implemented new system security plan-led to the increased
lockdown protection for brig personnel
• Monitored restricted personnel in a correctional facility -
ensured they remained in detention
• Helped develop and implement an effective security system - led
to $24,000 savings annually by reducing pilferage and damage

Investigation
• Investigated security and safety violations and wrote detailed
incident reports – led to Mayfield Mall being recognized as the
“Safest Shopping Facility in the Mountain States”
• Expertly managed investigative reports – recognized as NCO of
the Quarter for efficiency and accuracy of written instructions
and documents

Communication
• Efficiently managed a diverse workforce and inmate population
resulting in a 10% decrease in inmate violence thanks to proven
ability to communicate effectively in diverse environments –
• Helped diffuse conflicts in a public environment with regard to
everyone’s safety – consistently recognized through customer
feedback for excellent customer relations

Supervision
• Provided leadership, instruction, and supervision of 25
personnel –resulted in a 30% decrease in staff turnover and a
10% increase in promotions
• Supervised a crew of 15 in daily operations, including
evaluation and discipline –led to a company-record promotion
rate for staff and a 10% decrease in staff turnover.

34
 EMPLOYMENT
• Security Specialist U.S. Marine Corps
• Warehouseman Supervisor Micro Chemical, Inc. Denver, CO
• Security Guard Mayfield Malls Denver, CO

EDUCATION
• U.S. Marine Corps Specialized Training: Explosives, Firearms,
Leadership, Diversity, and Communication
• Metro State College 42 Semester units in Administration of
Justice, Denver, CO

3.3. COMPOSING RESUMES

3.3.1. Writing about your personal information
- This part often includes your contact information including full name,
address, telephone, email. Other personal information (date of birth, place
of birth, gender, age, etc.) can be included based on the requirements in the
job advertisement.
PERSONAL INFORMATION
Full name: GOPAL KRISHNAN
Address: 3221, C6, Dood Bowli, Hyderabad-264, A.P, Germany
Place of birth: Hyderabad-264, A.P, Germany
Tel: +49 10 234567
Email: [email protected]
Gender: Female
Age: 25
Date of birth: 21 July 1991
Marital status: Single
Religion: Christian
Nationality: German

35
Practice 2: Read the following advertisement and write the personal
information part for your resume

3.3.2. Writing about your job/ career objective

- This is an optional part which gives the employer an idea of the applicant’s
career goal.
Objective: To use my knowledge of languages, computer skills,
and experience working with international visitors in a
tourist-related industry
- The career objective statement may include the basic information such as
area of job sought, position of job sought, and type of organization in
which the job is sought
- The objective can be very specific about the area and position of job sought.
A specific job objective may contain the following items: level or type of
job, specific position, skills, type of company or industry
An entry-level position as a sales account representative in a
foreign investment company

36
 - The objective may also be general about the area and position of job
sought.
To seek a position in which financial planning skills can be
used to help clients increase their wealth over long term,
through the use of appropriate investment strategies

- An objective statement can begin with a noun phrase.

A part-time clerical position in a small company

- An objective statement can begin with an infinitive.

To use my quantitative and analytical skills as an accountant
at a University

- An objective statement can begin with a Verb-ing

Seeking a position as a Sales Manager in a foreign investment
company

Practice 3: The job objective statement is optional in writing resume. Put

an X beside each situation in which you should include one.
1. ____ You are only planning to work for the summer.
2. ____ This is your first job search and you don’t care what job you get.
3. ____ You are applying to a very large corporation that has many different
types of jobs open at all levels and areas of the company.
4. ____ You are applying to a company where everyone always starts in an
entry-level position.

Practice 4: A well-written job objective is specific. Tick ( ) the more

specific objective in each pair below

1. a. ____ A job in accounting
b. ____ To use my accounting skills and clerical experience in a job related
to international trade

37
2. a. ____ To work as an English teacher in an international school
b. ____ To be a team player in a creative environment

Practice 5: Write the appropriate letters under items in the sentence

below. The first sentence has been done as an example.
A. level or type of job
B. specific position
C. skills
D. type of company or industry

1. A part-time clerical position in a small company

A A D
2. An administrative position a medical technology firm where I can
demonstrate my strong organizational and communication skills
3. A full-time position in a computer game company where I can use my
creativity and be part of a dynamic team
4. To use my quantitative and analytical skills as an accountant at a university
5. An entry-level position as a sales account representative

Practice 6: Answer the questions 1-4 to develop your own job objective
1. Which level position are you looking for?
__ entry level __ part-time __ administrative __ executive
__ volunteer __ full-time __ managerial
2. What are your skills? ___________________________________________
3. What position do you want to have? _______________________________
4. What industry or area do you want to have?__________________________
Write your job objective. Start with a noun (“An entry level job in …”) or
an infinitive (“To work in…”).
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
38
3.3.3. Writing the summary part in your resume
- This is an optional part which sums up the applicant’s most important
skills, experience, and (or) qualifications. A summary saves the reader
time.
Summary • Native speaker of Japanese
• Advanced proficiency in Spanish and English
• Three years experience with customer service and
office management
• Experience with all Microsoft Office applications
- The part is often written in the form of a list. In this list, it is important
to be consistent in word form.

Practice 7: In the following summary, the writter has listed several skills,
but has used a mix of nouns, verbs, and adjectives. Edit the list to make it
consistent.
• have experience managing large staff __________________________
• skills in Spanish and English __________________________
• effective communicator __________________________
• demonstrated leader in school __________________________
• experienced in dealing with cultural __________________________
differences

Practice 8: Write a skills list for the person described below. Make sure
that you are consistent in your list (all nouns or all verbs, for example).
He is a native speaker of Thai. He is also fluent in Japanese and English. He
has taken the TOEIC (Test of English in International Communication) and
has gotten scores of 855 and 990. He also has computer skills in Microsoft
Word, Excel, Frontpage 2000, PowerPoint, and Basic HTML.

________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

39
 ________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

Practice 9: Write a summary of your most important skills and

qualifications here.
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

3.3.4. Writing about your education

- In this part, include specific details about the name, location of the school/
college/ university/ institute attended, dates of attendance, major, degree/
certificates received. Just mention the details which are related to the job
applied.
Education: B.A. in Business Administration, University of
California Davis, Davis, CA, 2003

- Applicants may also mention the grade point of class/ course/ subject if they
are high. Do not mention a poor grade.
Education: B.A., anticipated in June, 2004, The Wharton School,
University of Pennsylvania
Major: Finance GPA in major: 3.5/ 4.0
Minor: Spanish GPA (all courses): 3.0/ 4.0

- Applicant should also include relevant training programs, special courses,

seminars, and workshops that he/she might have completed, attended, or
conducted.
- Use reverse chronological order to list education information, i.e., starting
from the most recent education information.

40
Practice 10: Write about your own education in the reverse chronological
order. Include the dates, name of the college or program where you
studied, your degrees, relevant courses, professional training, or honors.
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

3.3.5. Writing about your work experience

- This part may include the job title, employer’s name or name of the
organization/ company, location of work, dates of employment.
- Work experience in a Chronological CV or Combined CV must be
relevant to the job applied. Beside the detailed mentioned above, important
job responsibilities, accomplishments/ achievements should also be
included in these two types of CV.
- Mention work experience in reverse chronological order by listing the
most recent employment first.
- Use action verbs to list responsibilities or achievements. Here is the list of
some common action verbs:
Management Development Information Communication
administered created analyzed corresponded
arranged designed collected drafted
approved developed evaluated edited
budgeted for established identified generated
coordinated founded interviewed negotiated
directed introduced organized promoted
managed prepared researched publicized
planned reviewed represented
set goals summarized spoke
supervised translated
wrote

41
 Operations Facilitation Accomplishments
arranged adapted achieved
built advised changed
calculated assisted (someone, in something) decreased
computed communicated (with someone) expanded
engineered facilitated increased
maintained informed reduced
operated participated in resolved
programmed taught
repaired trained
solved

- Use bare infinitive/ V-ing to list the current responsibilities/ achievements

- Use Verbs in simple past to list the past responsibilities/ achievements

EXPERIENCE:
Office Assistant, University of California English Language
Programs, 2003-present
• Manage reception and telephones for 40-person office
• Develop data base to track inquiries about application status
• Train temporary workers in office procedures

Volunteer, International Student Office, University of California,

2000-2003
• Arranged special events for international students
• Assisted program directors in orientation and cultural
exchange programs

42
Practice 11: The list in this job experience section use a mix of adjective
phrases, nouns, and verbs. The verbs are not very specific. Use the action
verbs to replace the underlined words below.
Section Manager, Marketing Department, Benetton, Taipei, Taiwan
• involved in general management a. ______________________
decisions
• discussed plans for integrated b. ______________________
marketing strategy
• responsible for database marketing c. ______________________
team
• in charge of advertising, events, and d. ______________________
public relations
Marketing Executive, Direct Marketing Department, Benetton, Taipei,
Taiwan
• responsible for brand management e. ______________________
• chose target consumers f. ______________________
• involved in Direct marketing project g. ______________________
Marketing Specialist, English Education Division, Giant Trading
• responsible for marketing strategy and h. ______________________
advertising
• did workshop for staff members i. ______________________
Sales Coordinator, Lloyd & Wong, Ltd., Taipei, Taiwan
• did international sales transactions j. ______________________
• did filing k. ______________________

Practice 12: Write about your own experience including the following
information
• The name of the place where you worked
• Your position
• Your duties in a bulleted list

43
Practice 13: Add more words to given words to write full accomplishment
statements.
1. Implement/ new/ quality-controlling-method/ successfully minimizing/
half/ number/ faulty products/
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
2. Applied/ peer-editing/ technique/teaching essay writing/ reducing/ teacher’s
burden/ marking/ much
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
3. Succeeded/ negotiation/ 10 important deals/ raising company turnover/ to
$50.00 million this year.
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________

4. Found/ solutions/ cut down/ unemployed rate/ by/ one third/ total number.
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________

3.3.6. Writing about your skills

- In this part, use Noun(s) to list the name of special skills which can
support the job applied.
For example: If the applicant is applying for the Office Manager position,
skills listed should be:
SKILLS:
• communication
• negotiation
• management

44
 - In a functional resume, write the achievements to support each skill.
SKILLS AND ACHIEVEMENTS
Security
• Supervised $100 million of highly sensitive equipment –
efforts led to zero loss in a 3-year period.
• Implemented new system security plan that led to increased
lockdown protection for brig personnel.
• Monitored restricted personnel in a correctional facility
ensuring they remained in detention
• Helped develop and implement an effective security system –
efforts led to $24K savings annually by reducing pilferage
and damage.

Investigation
• Investigated security and safety violations and wrote detailed
incident reports – led to Mayfield Mall being recognized as
the “Safest Shopping Facility in the Mountain States.”
• Expertly managed investigative reports – recognized as NCO
of the Quarter for efficiency and accuracy of written
instructions and documents.

Practice 14: Work in group to discuss skills that are useful for the
following jobs
Teacher of English for children Marketing Manager

Accounting Tour guide

45
Practice 15: Write about your own skills
Which job do you want to work? List your skills that are related to this job.
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________

3.3.7. Writing about your activities

- The activities section is optional.
- When writing this section, consider activities that are related to the job
applied and might interest an employer such as volunteer work, activities
in groups or clubs, etc.
Activities: • Volunteer trandlator for Community Center,
Shoreline Japanese, 1996-1998
• Assistant Leader for Girl Scouts, 1997-1998
- Use Nouns or Verbs to list activities but write them in a consistent way.

Practice 16: List your own activities in a consistent way (all verbs, all
adjectives, or all nouns).
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________

3.3.8. Writing the reference part

- Included in this part are the name and contact information (address,
telephone, email) of the person/ people who can certify the applicant’s
work or study result.

46
- If the applicant wants to provide the information after being requested by
the employer, he/ she can write “Available on request”.

Practice 17: Write the name and contact information of the two people
who can certify your work or study
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________

Practice 18: Read the following job advertisement and do the steps
below it to write your own functional resume
MERCHANDISER WANTED
Yen Bien Company Limited
NV20, Me Tri Ha, Tu Liem, Hanoi
Job Description
• Looking after export garment orders.
• Sourcing & Ordering material and trims
• Planning with suppliers and factories
• Daily English communicating with buyers
• Time: Working 5 days per week. 8 hours per day.

Job Requirement
• Male or Female, Graduated from relevant universities
• Experience in Garment or translation is priority
• Good English: especially in written form
• Good at office computing
• Good communication skills
• Hardworking, honest, responsible job.
• Candidates who are interested in this post submit your profile to
the above address.

47
• Write the personal information part of the resume
• List the skills required in the job advertisement in the order of
importance (i.e.: The most importance and relevant skill is listed first).
Then, write sentences about your achievements to prove that you are
good at each skill required
• Write about your experience, education, and personalities basing on the
requirements in the job advertisement

Practice 19: Read the following job advertisement and do the steps
below it to write your own chronological resume

Job title: English Translator and Interpreter

Job description:
 Be responsible for translating and interpreting technical
material in garment industry
 Be interpreter in meeting (if required)
 Support other departments in company in translating and
interpreting
 Support manager in some administrative tasks
Job Requirements
 Years of experience: 1 year
 Minimum career level: Experienced (Non-Manager)
 Minimum education: Bachelors
 Graduated from College/ University, English major.
 Have at least 1 year of experience in related position.
• Write the personal information part of the resume
 Have experience in Garment industry in plus
• List companies/ organizations and job title(s) that you have experience
 Have proficiency in 4 skills of English
in the order of time. Then, describe specific duties in each job title.
 Be active and responsible
• Write about your skills, education, and personalities basing on the
 Be able to adapt to the pressure working environment.
requirements in the job advertisement

If you are interested in this post, send your resume to:

RED RIVER MANUFACTURING SHAREHOLDING 48

COMPANY
1234 ROASTER ROAD
 REVISION QUESTIONS
1. List out names of some basic parts in a resume.
2. What kind of resume is not good for people who have gaps in their work
history or have very limited work experience?
3. What kind of resume should the applicants use if the job they are applying
requires a lot of different skills?
4. Which time order should be used in a chronological resume?
5. Which part-of-speech can be used to list the duties in the EXPERIENCE part?

EXERCISE
Write a resume applying for the job you like.

REFERENCES
McGraw-Hill. (2004). Send me a message: A step by step approach to business
and professional writing, pp. 67-73. McGraw-Hill.
Sethi, A. & Adhiraki, B. (2010). Business Communication. McGraw-Hill.

Rizvi, M. Ashraf. (2008). Resumes and Interviews: The art of winning. Tata
McGraw-Hill.

49
 UNIT 4: WRITING FOLLOW-UP LETTERS

4.1. INTRODUCTION TO FOLLOW-UP LETTERS

4.1.1. Definition-Purpose-Types
- A follow-up letter is sent after a candidate submits application materials, and
before this person hears anything from the company.
- The purposes of follow-up letters are to:
 remind employers of the applicant’s previous submission of application
letter or resume
 show the applicant’s continued interest in a position
 update the application with recent information or the information that was
missed in the previous resume or interview

- Types of follow-up letters:

 Application-follow-up letter: the letter which is sent after the applicant’s
submission of the application letter and resume. See the letter 1:
Letter 1
Dear Mr. Gilhooley,

I submitted my resume for the position of Senior Sales Manager on 23

May 2013 but so far I have not yet received your reply. I am writing to
follow up my application and emphasize that I remain very interested in
the position.

I did graduation in Sales from Michigan University in 2007. In my

current role, the sales campaigns that I have devised and implemented
have been successful both in developing existing buyer relationships
and in generating valuable new business. I have delivered a substantial
increase in weekly sales levels from $45,000 to $85,000. Therefore, I

50
 believe to be able to make a significant contribution to your own sales
operation.

I also have completed MBA from IGNO University. The course

improves my professional competence and I feel more confident now.

Could you please keep my file in your active consideration? Or in case

my application has not been in your hands, I would be happy to
resubmit it.

You can reach me at (011) 23658788 between 8:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m.,
or contact me via email at [email protected] for further
information.

I look forward to receiving your response soon.

Yours sincerely,
Arshad Mohsin

 Interview-follow-up letter: the letter which is sent after the interview

between the employer and the applicant. See the letter 2:
Letter 2
Dear Ms. Smith:

Thank you for your courtesy during my interview on December 9, 2005

for the position of Executive Trainee in your company.

I have been impressed by the professional approach of the company.

Moreover, the way you explained the exact requirements has made me
more interested in the job.

51
 During the interview, I neglected to mention my experience working as
a temporary office worker for two summers. This experience helped me
to develop my secretarial and clerical skills.
I believe that I do possess all the qualifications and skills needed to
meet the challenges of a junior executive in your firm.

I am enclosing a recommendation letter from my present employer

asked by you during the interview.

I am ready to discuss further about the job if necessary.

I look forward to your soon decision.

Yours sincerely,
Rita Jacob

Enc.

4.1.2. STRUCTURE OF FOLLOW-UP LETTERS

An application-follow-up letter
Opening • Introduce yourself
• Remind the reader of your sending resume previously
• State the purpose of the letter (to follow up on the status of
your job application)
Middle • Confirm your continued interest in the job
• Restate your qualifications briefly
• Indicate your willingness to send your documents again
Closing • Encourage employer’s reply
• Express your wish for an interview

52
An interview-follow-up letter
Opening • Thank the employer for the interview
• Express feeling about the company or interview
Middle • Confirm continued interest in the job
• Add relevant information missed in the previous resume and
interview
• Confirm you are suited to the job requirements
• Send things requested by the employer in the interview
Closing • Show willingness to provide more information or discuss
further about the post
• Urge the employer’s soon decision

Practice 1: The statements in the bodies of two follow-up letters are in the
wrong order. Rearrange them.
Letter 1 Letter 2
1. I should be happy to be granted 1. I have enclosed a copy of my
an interview to discuss further college transcript and a list of
about my ability. Please contact references that you requested in our
me at 123456777 or email last appointment.
[email protected] in 2. I have worked seven years in the
case you need further retail industry in various positions
information. from Sales Associate to Assistant
2. I submitted a resume and a job Department Manager.
application letter last week for 3. As mentioned during the interview,
the position of a programmer I will be graduating in December
that was advertised in the with a B.S. in Fashion
Express Times. Till date, I have Merchandising. I have gained a lot
not heard from your side. I of skills as well as an understanding
would like to receive your of retailing concepts and dealing
confirmation of my application with the general public through my

53
 and reiterate my interest in the education.
specified job. 4. Thank you very much for your time
3. If it is essential, I would be and the privilege of having an
happy to resend my documents interview with you yesterday,
or to provide further October 25, during your recruiting
information that you may visit to Virginia Tech.
require regarding my 5. The management trainee program
candidacy. you outlined sounds both
4. I am really interested to work in challenging and rewarding and I
ABC Company Ltd. and I feel look forward to your decision
that my experience and skills in concerning an on-site visit.
the IT areas would be ideal 6. Thank you again for the opportunity
match for the vacant post. to be considered by Fashion
Department Store. The interview
served to reinforce my strong
interest in becoming a part of your
management team.
7. I believe my education and work
experience would complement
Fashion’s management trainee
program.

4.2. COMPOSING FOLLOW-UP LETTERS

4.2.1. Reminding the employer of applicant’s sending the resume
Useful language:
• In response/ reply to your …., I sent my … applying for the position
of…… on/ last…
• I submitted my….for the advertised position of….on….

54
 Practice 2: Use the above patterns and given information to write complete
sentences
Position Time
Sales Manager last Friday
Import-Export staff three days ago
Teacher of English on 12 June 2013
IT staff two previous days
1. __________________________________________________________
2. __________________________________________________________
3. __________________________________________________________
4. __________________________________________________________

4.2.2. Stating the main purpose of the application follow-up letter

Useful language:
• I would like to follow up on my….
• I am writing to show my continued interest in …..

Practice 3: Write complete sentences with the given words and phrases.
Change verb tenses or forms where necessary
1. I/ would like/ follow up/ status/application/.
_____________________________________________________________
2. I/ grateful/ receive/ comment/ my resume/.
_____________________________________________________________
3. Please/ kindly/ advise/ whether/ you/ receive/ it/.
_____________________________________________________________
4. Could/ you/ please/ confirm/ whether/ profile/ reach/ hands/ since/ so far/ I/
receive/ reply/ you/?
_____________________________________________________________
5. I/ write/ reiterate/ interest in/ vacant/post.
_____________________________________________________________
55
 Note: to reiterate something [ˈɪtəreɪt]: to repeat something

4.2.3. Restating the most important qualifications

- When writing this content, select the most important qualifications or
achievements only. Do not repeat all the qualifications in the cover letter
written previously.
For example:
In a cover letter In a follow-up letter
I have been working as the secretary As mentioned in my cover letter, I
to the Benlow Corporation in Terre have three year experience in the
Haute for 3 years. In addition to the secretary position so I am
usual typing, filing, and taking familiar with your required duties
dictation, I was responsible for of an Executive Secretary.
scheduling appointments, screening
telephone calls, and, and organizing
paperwork and correspondence.
Thus, I am familiar with your
required duties of an Executive
Secretary and believe I am prepared
to meet all your expectations.

- Useful language:
• To reiterate my point further, I did my graduation in…. from…..in ….
• As mentioned in my resume, I have rich experience in …..

Practice 4: Think about the job you want to apply for and summarize your
qualifications. Then complete your own sentences with the given words.
As mentioned in my resume, I graduated from ________________University in
_________major in ________. I have experienced ____________ year(s)
working in ______________ area, which familiarizes me with the duties of a(n)

56
 ________________. I believe my background, experience, and skill will
__________________________________________.

4.2.4. Writing closing sentences in the resume follow-up letter

Practice 5: Match halves of sentences with each other
1. Could you please a. to receive your final decision.
2. I would be happy to b. should you need further information.
3. I am willing to c. keep my file in your active consideration?
4. Please do not hesitate d. to an appointment with you to talk further
to contact me at 123456 about my qualifications.
5. I hope e. send my resume again if it is necessary.
6. I look forward f. have an opportunity to discuss further about
the job.

Thanking the employer for the interview

Practice 6: Write thank-you statements with the given words
1. take me to visit your company/ 21 October
Thank you for_________________________________________________
2. spend time/ interview/ yesterday
I am writing to express__________________________________________

Expressing feeling about the company

Useful language:
 I was very happy to meet with you …..
 It is my great honor to…
 I was very impressed by the chance to…
 I appreciate the time….

57
 Practice 7: Write the following sentence which expresses feeling about the
company using different patterns. The first has been done as an example
It was very interesting when I had a chance to see your facilities and meet
some of your employees.
1. I was very happy to + verb
_____________________________________________________________
2. It is my great honor to + verb
_____________________________________________________________
3. I was very impressed by + Noun
_____________________________________________________________
4. I appreciate + Gerund/ Noun
_____________________________________________________________

Confirming the continued interest in the job

Practice 8: Rewrite the following sentences with the word in brackets
1. After the interview, I am still very interested in the job. (REMAIN)
_____________________________________________________________
to remain + adjective/ noun = to keep the same state, to continue to be something
2. The interview and visit to your company made me more interested in
working for your company. (REINFORCE)
_____________________________________________________________
Note: to reinforce [ˌriːɪnˈfɔːs]: to make an idea/ a feeling stronger
3. Having seen your operation, I am all the more excited about the career
opportunity that you offer. (EAGER)
_____________________________________________________________
eager for something (adj) [ˈiːɡə(r)]: be very interested and excited to do something

Adding relevant information missed in the previous resume and interview

Useful language:
• I forgot to mention my…..
• I did not mention ….
• I forgot to talk about my…
• I neglected to talk about…

58
 Practice 9: Rewrite the following sentence with the given words
1. In my previous resume, I did not mention my experience as a designer,
which may support the job.
I would like to add one more detail________________________________
_________________________________________________________.
2. During the interview, I forgot to mention that I had worked as a temporary
office worker for two summers.
During the interview, I neglected to talk about________________________
____________________________________________________________.
to neglect to do something = to forget to do something

Follow up with any information requested/ discussed after the interview.

Practice 10: Write complete sentences with the given words. Change the
verb tense and forms where it is necessary.
1. Enclosed/ this/ letter/ be/ working plan/ in response/ your request/ in/
interview/.
_____________________________________________________________
2. I/ enclose/ recommendation for/ solution/ problem/ your company/ discuss/
in/ interview/.
_____________________________________________________________

REVISION QUESTIONS
1. What is a follow-up letter?
2. What are the purposes of follow-up letters?
3. Compare the difference(s) between an application follow-up letter and an
interview follow-up letter?

59
 EXERCISE
Choose one of the following situations to write.
Situation 1: You have just had a visit and an interview to discuss about the
position of Production Planning Manager in a company. Write a follow-up letter to
the company’s General Director and remember to enclose the plan for some
project that you were requested before.
Situation 2: You are applying for a job as an Interpreter and two weeks have
passed since you sent your resume. However, so far you haven’t received response
from the company you are applying into. Write a letter to follow-up the status of
your resume. In this letter, restate briefly your best qualification for the job.

REFERENCES
McGraw-Hill. (2004). Send me a message: A step by step approach to business
and professional writing. McGraw-Hill.
Rigzvi, M.A. (2008). Resume and Interview-The art of winning. McGraw-Hill

60
 UNIT 5: WRITING A LETTER TO AN APPLICANT
REQUESTING AN INTERVIEW
5.1. INTRODUCTION TO THE LETTER
Model letter
Mr. Ikuo Saito
Vice President
NetLives
1114 Broad Street
Terre Haute, Indiana 47815

March 1, 2011

Jean Carson
2500 North Fruitridge Road
Terre Haute, Indiana 47811

Dear Miss Carson

Thank you for applying into our company. After reviewing your resume, we
are pleased to invite you for an interview for the position of administrative
assistant.

Your interview is scheduled for Monday, March 13th at 10:00 a.m. Please
come to the Human Resource Department of our main office. If that is not
convenience, please contact me immediately to reschedule.

We look forward to meeting you at NetLives.

Sincerely
Ikuo Saito

61
5.2. LETTER STRUCTURE
Opening • Acknowledge the application
• Invite the applicant for an interview
Middle • Provide guiding information related to the interview
Closing • Show your enthusiasm for the applicant’s attendance in the
upcoming interview

Practice 1: You are going to write a letter requesting a candidate who

applied for the Accountant post to attend your interview. Choose the
suitable ones of the following statements for your letter body. Then put
these statements in the correct order.
1. We will keep your resume on file and contact you in case we find another
suitable position for you.
2. Your application has been carefully examined; however, we regret to
inform you that the job has been occupied.
3. We will contact all applicants that we would like to interview by March 10.
4. Thank you for applying the Sales post in our company.
5. We have received your application for the Import-Export Staff position.
6. We are pleased to invite you to talk with our General Manager.
7. Our HR department is currently reviewing all files.
8. Thank you for your interest in the Accountant post in our company.
9. We have scheduled an interview with you at 4.00 p.m. next Thursday.
10. We wish you every success in your career.
11. Your academic background is excellent, but we need someone with more
experience.
12. We look forward to meeting you.

62
5.3. COMPOSING THE LETTER
5.3.1. Acknowledging the application
Useful language:
• Thank you for your…
• We (have) received your…

Practice 2: Use the following given words to write complete sentences.

Change the form of the word if it is necessary.
1. Thank/ send/letter/ applying/ Interpreter post/ our company.
_____________________________________________________________
2. Thank/ applying/ QC staff/ ABC company.
_____________________________________________________________
3. Thank/ interest/ teacher of English for children/ APC School.
_____________________________________________________________
4. We/ receive/ application/ Warehouse Manager/ our Company.
_____________________________________________________________

5.3.2. Inviting the applicant for an interview

Useful language:
• After reviewing your …., we are pleased to invite you for an interview
for the position of ….

Practice 3: Rewrite the following sentences with given word in brackets

1. We are pleased to invite you for an interview for the position of
Administrative Assistant. (attend)
_____________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
2. We kindly to invite you to our interview for the Chief Accountant post.
(honor)
_____________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
63
3. We are pleased to invite you to talk with our General Manager. (invited)
_____________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
4. ABC Company has its honor of requesting you to our interview round.
(presence)
_____________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________

Practice 4: Match sentences/ clauses with each other

1. Thank you for your interest in our a. are interested in speaking
company. further with you about the job
2. We received your resume applying for b. We would like to invite you to
the post of Sales Executive. an interview for the Chief
Accountant post.
3. We have reviewed your application c. We are pleased to arrange an
and interview with you.
4. Thank you for applying into our d. After reviewing your
company. Your qualifications seem to qualifications in the resume,
match our needs. we are glad to inform you that
you are qualified for our
interview round.

5.3.3. Providing guiding information related to the interview

- Information related to the interview may includes a specific time, date,
and, place for the interview.
- For example:
Your interview is scheduled for Monday, March 13th at 10:00 A.M.
Please come to the Human Resource Department of our main office.

64
 Practice 5: Match sentence halves together
1. The interview begins with you at 9.00 a.m. on November
20th
2. The interview with you is at 8 a.m. this Wednesday in our
scheduled meeting room.
3. We have scheduled an interview to have a talk with our General
Director at 2.00 p.m. next Monday.
4. Please come to our office for Friday morning, October 21 at
8.00 a.m. at our HR Department.

5.3.4. Showing your enthusiasm for the applicant’s attendance in the

upcoming interview
Useful language:
• We look forward to meeting you …
• We hope to see you….

Practice 6: Make sentences including the following words/ phrases to show

your enthusiasm for the applicant’s attendance in the upcoming interview
1. appreciate
__________________________________________________________
2. hope to meet
__________________________________________________________
3. your presence
__________________________________________________________

REVISION QUESTION
1. List contents in a letter to an applicant requesting an interview

65
 EXERCISE
Look at the following interview schedule and write three letters to the three
applicants inviting them for interviews
Applicant Position applied Time Place
Akiko Client Services 7.30 a.m. Company’s main
Yamamoto Coordinator Tuesday office
16 Sep
John Kim Executive Assistant 8.00 a.m. HR Dept.
Next Monday
Christina Chen Accountant 8.30 a.m. Meeting room
next 3 days

REFERENCE
Lougheed, L. (2003). Business Correspondence: A guide to Everyday Writing.
Longman.

66
 UNIT 6: WRITING A DECLINING LETTER TO
AN APPLICANT

6.1. INTRODUCTION TO THE LETTER

- A declining letter to an applicant is a letter written by the employer to refuse to
offer an applicant a job.
Model letter:
ABC company
123 Hamming Str.,
London

25 October 2010

Ms Elisa Kristy
27 Oklaine Str.,
London

Dear Ms Elisa Kristy,

Thank you for applying for the job opening with our company. This letter is to
let you know that you were not selected for the position for which you applied.

We interviewed a number of candidates for Sales Manager post and have

decided to offer the post to another applicant who is the most qualified for our
requirements.

However, because you were selected to go through to the interview process,

we will maintain your resume on file for a one-year period. We will contact
you should there be an opening that matches your profile during that time.

67
 Once again thank you for your interest in our company and wish you great
success with your job search.

Sincerely,

Michael David
Human Resources Manager

6.2. LETTER STRUCTURE

Opening Acknowledge the application
Refuse to offer the job to applicant
Middle Explain why the applicant is rejected
Promise positive action(s) toward the applicant’s resume
(optional)
Closing Give good wishes to the applicant.

Practice 1: Parts in this letter body are not in the correct order. Rearrange
them.
1. We wish you the best of luck in your job search.
2. We have reviewed your application, and unfortunately we are unable to
offer you a position at this time.
3. Please continue to check our job board for available opportunities.
4. This job requires an experienced candidate.
5. Thank you for your interest in the Chief Accountant position at ABC
Company.

6.3. COMPOSING THE LETTER

6.3.1. Acknowledging the application (Refer to section 5.3.1)

68
Practice 2: Match the beginnings of sentences below with their endings
Beginnings Endings
1. Thank you for a. you took to take part in our interview for
the position of an interpreter.
2. We have received your b. spending time applying into our company.
application
3. We appreciate your c. for your interest in our company and the
position of Sales Executive for which you
applied.
4. We appreciate the time d. for the General Accountant position.
5. Thank you e. the time and great effort spent preparing
and sending your resume applying for the
post of Marketing Staff.

6.3.2. Refusing to offer the job to the applicant and explaining reason(s)
Useful language:
• Regretfully, we cannot offer …(refusal)
• Your …… do not meet our needs. (reason)

Note: Be tactful and polite when giving the reasons for refusing the applicant.

Practice 3: Rewrite the following sentences using the given beginning

words. The answer can be varied but you have to keep the original
meaning.
1. After considering deliberately, we decide to decline your application
After ________________________________________________________
2. We regret that we cannot offer you the job at this time.
We _________________________________________________________
3. We have difficulties in giving decision of turning down your application.
It ___________________________________________________________

69
4. I am writing to let you know that you were not selected for our next
interview.
This ________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
5. We had discussed seriously before arriving the final decision that we must
reject your application.
We had a_____________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
6. We must regretfully inform that you failed our professional test for the post
of Chief Accountant.
We must regretfully inform you of ________________________________
_____________________________________________________________

Practice 4: Match the beginnings of the sentences (1-4) with the

appropriate endings (a-d).
1. Your application has been carefully a. need to hire someone with more
examined; however, your experience.
2. Your resume is excellent but you b. qualifications do not match the
job description.
3. Unfortunately, we c. do not have the experience
necessary for the job
4. We reviewed your application, but d. we need someone with advanced
computer skills.

Practice 5: Discuss in groups to write at least three statements to explain

the reasons for refusing the applicants in the following situations.
1. Now, the advertised job has been given to someone already.
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________

70
2. You feel that the applicant do not have enough experience for the job.
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
3. The salary required by the applicant is too high.
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________

6.3.3. Promising positive action toward the applicant’s resume

Useful language:
• We will keep your…on file

Practice 6: Use the given words and phrases to write complete sentences.
Change word forms and add punctuation when necessary.
1. We/ encourage/ continue/apply/ positions/ available/ our company/ for
which/ you/ be qualified/ in future/.
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
2. Because/ you/ be selected/ go through/ to/ interview process/ we/ maintain/
resume/ on file/ a twelve-month period/.
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
3. If/ there/ be/ openings/ in/ company/ where/ qualifications/ be/ suitable/ we/
definitely/ contact/ you/.
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
4. We/ reserve/ resume/ next recruitments/.
_____________________________________________________________

71
 5. Should/ find/ other position/ suits/your interest/ you/ be/ welcome/ apply/
again/ in future/.
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________

6.3.4. Giving wishes to the applicant

Useful language:
• We wish you the best….
• Hope that you can find….

Practice 7: Match sentence halves with each other

1. We wish you a. ,with your long experience, would be granted
many other good opportunities in other
companies.
2. We believe you b. get a job that suits your ability and experience
shortly.
3. We hope you can c. would succeed in your future endeavor.

REVISION QUESTIONS
1. What is a declining letter to an applicant?
2. List the main contents in a declining letter to an applicant.
3. What should you do when giving the reason for your refusing the applicant?

72
 EXERCISES
Exercise 1:
The reason given to refuse the applicant in the following letter is not tactful.
Change words/ phrases that you feel necessary to make it better.
Dear Applicant
We have reviewed your application for the position of PR executive and
unfortunately I cannot accept to let you take over this post.

Your degree is too low and under our expectation. You cannot meet our
requirement. I think you should find other job of your low level.

Sincerely
Michael Bob
Human Resources Manager

Exercise 2:
You have just received a follow-up letter from an applicant asking for your
opinions about his application for the Chemical Analyst post. After the interview
with him, you found him unsuitable for the post because of his limited knowledge
in the Chemical field.
Your task: Write a letter declining this applicant. Be tactful when explaining the
reason for your decline.

REFERENCE
Lougheed, L. (2003). Business Correspondence: A guide to Everyday Writing.
Longman.

73
 UNIT 7: WRITING A THANK-YOU LETTER

7.1. INTRODUCTION TO THE LETTER

Model letter
Dear May
Thank you for referring us to Xenest Industries.

I met with Jae Yun last week in Beijing, and he is very interested in our
security alarm systems. Not only does Xenest need security on its Beijing
warehouse, but it also has storage centers in Fushun and in Harbin.

I hope to see you soon in Beijing so I can thank you personally for your
introduction.

Again, thank you for putting me in tough with your contacts in Beijing.

Yours

Lisa

7.2. LETTER STRUCTURE

Opening - Tell why you are writing (Purpose of the letter)
Middle - Give specific information for your thank
Closing - Mention action(s) to show your appreciation
- Repeat the thank-you statement

7.3. COMPOSING THE LETTER

7.3.1. Telling why you are writing
Useful language:
 It was very kind of you to…..
 Thank you (very much) for …..

74
Practice 1: Rearrange the words in the following sentences
1. for/ in/ during/ very much/ for/ Thank you/ everything/ did/ you/ us/ the
time/ stayed/ we/ London/.
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
2. to/ project/ are/ contributions to/ very/ for/ We/ our/ grateful/ your/
valuable/.
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
3. help/ organizing/ your/ in/ event/ appreciate/ charity/ We/ our/ really/
recent/.
_____________________________________________________________
4. last week/ New York/ during/ for/ my deep thanks/ your support/ the/
express/ to/ is/ This/ conference/ in/.
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________

Practice 2: Use different expressions to write sentences for the situations

below.
1. your hospitality last weekend
_____________________________________________________________
2. the birthday card
_____________________________________________________________
3. helping me set up my computer yesterday
_____________________________________________________________
4. the thoughtful gift
_____________________________________________________________

75
7.3.2. Giving specific information
- How to write: Make sure that the specific information in the middle of the
letter must support your opening.
- For example:
Opening: Thank you for referring us to Xenest Industries.
Middle: I met with Jae Yun last week in Beijing and he is very interested in
our security alarm systems.

Practice 3: Match each of the following openings (1-4) with the suitable
specific information (a-d)
Opening Specific information
1. I arrived home safely yesterday, a. It went really well.
and would like to thank you for
your help during my stay in
Karachi and the delicious dinner
in my final evening.
2. Thank you for spending time b. The event ended successfully and
interviewing me two days ago. we received enough money for
disable children in our city.
3. We really appreciate your c. The chicken tikka was
enthusiasm in assisting us to hold wonderful. My trip in Pakistan
the charity event two days ago. was also very useful.
4. Thank you for your support d. After the talk with you, I could
during the conference in London learn more about the job.
last week.

Practice 4: Write sentences giving specific information for the following

openings.
1. This is to express my deep thank for the service you gave to me during my
stay in your hotel.
76
 _____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
2. We sincerely thank you for the time working with us in Commercial Bank.
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
3. Thank you for spending time filling the feedback form of our Hotel.
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
4. Thank you very much for your great contributions in helping us fulfill the
recent English Education Project in our company.
_____________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________

Practice 5: Arrange the following statements in the correct order and then
put them in the correct position of the blank letter
1. to hearing from you.
2. for helping us organize the office party.
3. Thank you very much
4. your help again.
5. It was a great success.
6. Could you call me
7. We are planning to arrange
8. to discuss this?
9. Sincerely
10. Looking forward
11. and we would really appreciate
12. another event in December
Dear Ian
Thank you very much……………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………….................
………………………………………………………………………….................

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 ………………………………………………………………………….................

………………………………………………………………………….................

………………………………………………………………………….................

Conchita

REVISION QUESTION
1. List the main contents in a thank- you letter

EXERCISES
Exercise 1: Complete the followings thank-you letter with your own
sentences.
1. Letter 1
Dear Mrs. Ann

I am writing this letter to let you know how much we at NES Products,
Inc., appreciate the opportunity to be able to serve you in the recent
business.

____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
______________________________

____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
______________________________

__________________
__________________

78
2. Letter 2
Dear Mr. David

__________________________________________________________
_________________

You play a vital role in our operations to maintain a safe working

environment.

__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________

__________________
__________________

3. Letter 3
Dear Mr. Darkek

I am really grateful for your sending your reference letter

acknowledging my work in your Company.

__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________

__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________

__________________
__________________

79
Exercise 2: You have just come back after a trip to Ireland. Write a letter to a
business acquaintance thanking him/ her for the time at the pub in your last
evening. Remember to express your feeling about the music and your trip
there and show your wish to meet him/ her again somewhere.

REFERENCES
Lougheed, L. (2003). Business Correspondence: A guide to Everyday Writing.
Longman.

Barnard, R., & Meehan, A. (2005). Writing for the Real World: An Introduction to
Business Writing. Oxford University Press.

Badger, I. & Pedley, S. (2003). Everyday Business writing. Pearson Education

Limited.

80
 UNIT 8: WRITING A LETTER OF CONGRATULATIONS
1.1. INTRODUCTION TO A LETTER OF CONGRATULATIONS
- The purpose of writing a letter of congratulations is to sincerely express
your delight in hearing the good news.
- Model letter
SecurityNow.com
605 Third Ave.
New York, NY 10158
USA

December 2, 2013

Mr. Hasan Muhammad

Commercial Bank of Egypt
35 Sharia Qasr en-Nil
Cairo
Egypt

Dear Hasan,

Congratulations on your promotion to Vice president. All of us here who

have known and worked with you over the years are pleased that you
received the recognition you deserve.

When we first heard that Abbas Zaki resigned, we immediately thought of

you for the position. Your many years of diligent service to Commercial
Bank, and to the other banks where you have worked, show your
commitment to quality banking in Egypt.
We look forward to continuing our working relationship with you and your
bank.

81
 Again, congratulations from all of us here. Your promotion is richly
deserved.

Yours,

Lisa Rivelli
President

1.2. LETTER STRUCTURE

Opening - Congratulate the receiver on his/ her accomplishment
(Purpose of the letter)
Middle - Give compliments or praise to the receiver
- Refer to the future
Closing - Repeat the congratulations

Practice 1: Match the statements (1-4) in a congratulation letter with

suitable contents (a-d)
Statements Contents
1. I would like to congratulate you on your a. Referring to the future
recent promotion to Regional manager.
2. The last five years when you were Area b. Giving praise to the
Sales Manager, your company enjoyed a receiver
good turnover of business because of your
innovative methods of increasing sales.
3. We believe you can be even more effective c. Repeating
in your new position. We look forward to congratulations.
even better years.
4. Once again, congratulations and best d. Congratulating the
wishes from all of us here. receiver on his/ her
accomplishment

82
 Practice 2: Parts of the following letter body are in the wrong order.
Rearrange them.
1. Jason Parker
2. In case you would need any help or advice about your business, do not
hesitate to contact me or visit me at home or at my office. I would gladly
assist you in any way I can. Doing business is a bit tricky and it takes a lot
of patience and good decisions to be able to stay afloat.
3. Dear Mr. Baldwin,
4. We have been talking so much about your dream of opening your own shop
to showcase your designs, and I can say that it is such a rare feat to be able
to do so in such a short period of time. I have seen customers flocking to
your shop on your first week of business and I hope that everything is doing
well.
5. Sincerely,
6. As a member of the business community in town, I would like to
congratulate you for putting up your own clothing store.
___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
1.3. COMPOSING THE LETTER
1.3.1. Congratulating the receiver on his/ her accomplishment
Useful language:

congratulations (n) - Congratulations on your promotion to Vice

on… President at ABC Company. (Informal)
- Please accept my hearty congratulations on your
being promoted to Vice President at ABC
Company. (Formal)
congratulate (v) - Congratulate you on winning the Customer
you on… Service Award. (Informal)
- I would like to congratulate you on your
promotion to Vice President at ABC Company.
(Formal)

83
Practice 3: Make complete opening sentences using the given words
1. Please accept/ congratulations/ be the region's top sales rep this year/.
_____________________________________________________________
2. Let/ congratulate/ opening of/ new offices/ Tokyo/.
_____________________________________________________________
3. Congratulations/ be awarded/ Blanding Foods’ account/.
_____________________________________________________________
4. We/ congratulate you/ be made/ partner of Winston and Bradley/.
_____________________________________________________________

Practice 4: Write sentences using “congratulations” or “congratulate” for

the situations below. Use a different expression each time.
1. a co-worker on her promotion (informal)
_____________________________________________________________
2. a business acquaintance on the opening of his company’s Milan branch
(formal)
_____________________________________________________________
3. a co-worker on his twentieth year of employment with your company
(formal)
_____________________________________________________________

1.3.2. Giving praise to the receiver

- Be specific when praising someone in a congratulation letter. Avoid less
specific words like really, good, great, very, and a lot.

You did a really good job for Commercial Bank.

Your many years of diligent service to Commercial Bank show your

commitment to quality banking in Egypt.

84
Practice 5: Choose the sentence that is more specific.
1. a. You were a good teacher, and I learned a lot from you.
b. Your detailed explanations helped me learn more effectively.
2. a. Your sales record looks really good, and your customers must be very
happy.
b. With the highest European sales for the year, you are clearly keeping
your customers happy.
3. a. Your keen sense of timing and your careful research into market trends
have made you one of Keeton’s top marketers.
b. You are really good at marketing and do great research, so we voted you
as the best marketer at Keeton’s.
4. a. It was obvious to me that your interpersonal skills and knowledge of the
industry would not go overlooked.
b. So somebody recognized your talents, did they?

1.3.3. Referring to the future

Useful language:
- look forward to…
We look forward to your continued success in your new position.
- believe (that)….
We believe you can be even more effective in your new position.
- be sure about…/ be sure that…
We are sure about your continued success in the new position
We are sure that you would be continuously successful in the new position.

Practice 6: Match “I look forward to” or “I believe” with suitable sentence

endings
1. I look forward to a. you will be in line for promotion to Assistant
2. I believe Regional Sales Manager next year.
b. seeing your continued success in dealing with this
important new account.

85
 c. the day when you are in the top job.
d. you will go far ahead in the new business.

1.3.4. Writing the closing of the letter

- In the closing, the congratulations or main idea should be repeated by
using “again”, “once again”
Opening: Congratulations on your promotion to Vice President. All of us
here who have known and worked with you over the years are pleased that
you received the recognition you deserve.
Closing: Again, congratulations from all of us here. Your promotion is
richly deserved.

Practice 7: Read these opening sentences for letters of congratulations.

Then circle the letter of the closing sentence that best restates the main
idea of each letter.
1. Congratulations on your retirement.
a. When you first came to Acme, you worked in the mail room.
b. Thank you for your many years of fine service to Banswell, Inc.
2. Let me congratulate you on the opening of your new offices in Tokyo.
a. Your new branch in Japan shows that your hard work has paid off. (to
pay off = to succeed)
b. The region should provide you with a lot of opportunities.
3. Congratulations on being the region’s top sales rep this year.
a. Your sales were over one million dollars this year.
b. Given your hard work, you deserve this fine honor.
4. We congratulate you on winning the Customer Service Award.
a. We want to thank you ourselves and tell you how pleased we are that
your work has been recognized.
b. We are just one of your new, and fully satisfied, customers.

86
5. All of us here at Winston and Bradley congratulate you on being made
partner.
a. When you were an intern here with us, we knew you would be a great
lawyer.
b. Being made partner is a privilege that you richly deserve.

1.3.5. Notes when writing a letter of congratulations

- Write the congratulations letter as soon as possible after the fortunate event
takes place.
- Congratulations are best given directly, not by someone on your behalf.
- Don't suggest that the fortunate event should benefit the letter-writer.
- Don't exaggerate your congratulatory words. This makes your letter seem
sarcastic or mocking. Be friendly.

Practice 8: Put S at the end of each statement if you think it is suitable to

be included in a congratulations letter. Put U if you think it is unsuitable.
1. Two months ago, I heard that you had been chosen for the Chairman
position of POUCHEN Company. Therefore, now I would like to
congratulate you on this promotion. ______
2. I have been informed of your new promotion as the Chairman position of
POUCHEN Company.______
3. As my Director- Mr. Michael Zhang are too busy these days with our
company’s exhibition so he asks me to write this letter on behalf of him to
congratulate you on your being listed in the VIET NAM TOP
ENTERPRISE 2010. ______
4. Right from the beginning, I know that only you are the only one suitable for
this position. No one can do it better than you. ______
5. Knowing your long experience, I believe you deserve this position. ______.
6. I was very glad to hear about your promotion. I hope to get further support
from you. ________

87
 REVISION QUESTIONS
1. When should a letter of congratulations be written?
2. What should the writer remember when writing a letter of congratulations?
3. List the main contents in a letter of congratulations.

EXERCISES
Exercise 1: Use the notes below to write a letter of congratulations to a business
acquaintance.

Exercise 2: Pressman INC, a company specializing in publishing area, is

celebrating its 50th anniversary next month. Write a congratulation letter to the
Company Director. Mention the timely service and communication with customers
of the company.
REFERENCES
Lougheed, L. (2002). Business Correspondence: A Guide to Everyday Writing.
Longman.
Barnard, R., & Meehan, A. (2005). Writing for the Real World: An Introduction to
Business Writing. Oxford University Press.
Fox S. (2007). Etiquette for Dummies, 2nd ed. Wiley Publishing, Inc
Blaszkiewicz, K. (2013). How to write a letter. Scribendi Inc.

88
 UNIT 9: WRITING A SYMPATHY LETTER

9.1. INTRODUCTION TO A SYMPATHY LETTER

- A sympathy letter is sent to express sympathy for an illness, death, natural
disaster, or other misfortune.
Model letter:
Martin Brown
123 Green Street
London

2 May 2010

Micheal Brandan
567 Gatrick Street
London

Dear Brandan
I was deeply saddened to hear about the death of your mother. I know
how difficult this must be for you and would like to share the loss with you.
.
Your mother was such a kind, gentle soul. She would do anything to help
someone in need. I remember one time I came to your home and she was
very nice to me.

If you would like, I can come over on Tuesday evenings to help you make
your scrapbook. I have some lovely pictures I would love to share.

May God bless you and your family.

Martin Brown

89
9.2. LETTER STRUCTURE
Opening • Tell why you are writing
Middle • Share thoughts
• Suggest or offer an assistance
Closing • Restate the main idea
• Give wish to the receiver

Practice 1: Divide the following letter body into paragraphs

Dear John, We were all shocked to hear about the car accident and Jane’s
death. Everyone here at the office is saddened by her death. We were
remembering how much we appreciated her sending cookies with you for us
when we were going through the difficult months of moving last year. I will call
you in a couple of days to talk about what your thoughts are about coming
back to work and what we can work out. I would like you to think about what
you want me to tell your clients. I have started writing out a little script so we
are all saying the same thing, but I will run it by you and see how much you
want us to say. In the meantime, the team is shuffling things around to handle
your immediate projects. Take care of yourself and know that you are in our
thoughts. Sincerely, Fred

90
9.3. COMPOSING THE LETTER
Expressing sympathy or condolences
Useful language:

I was very sorry to hear of…

We were deeply shocked to know about Mathew’s passing
saddened

Practice 2: Write at least two statements for the situations below

1. Expressing your sympathy with a business acquaintance who has had an
accident.
_____________________________________________________________
2. Expressing your sympathy with the colleagues of business acquaintance
who has died
_____________________________________________________________

Practice 3: Use the sentence endings (a-d) to complete the two following
letter bodies
a. just concentrate on getting better.
b. if there is anything I can do to help
c. my sincerest sympathy at this difficult time.
d. I will help you to handle your work while you are not at work.

Dear Mei, Dear Sengei,

I was very sorry to hear about your I was deeply saddened to hear of the
accident, and ____________________ death of your mother. Please accept
______________________________
Don’t worry about work for a while,
_______________________________ Please let me know _______________

91
 We all look forward to welcoming you Sincerely,
back to the office when you are ready. Elaine Border

With very best wishes,

Tom Nakamura

Practice 4: Use the following suggested word to write complete sentences

of a condolence letter. Addition words and correct verb tenses are
necessary.
1. I/deeply/ saddened/ hear/ sudden death/ Mr. Michael Zhang.
2. I/ have/ honor/ know/ him/ and/ have/ greatest respect/ him.
3. I/ know/ it/ to be/ great/ loss/ you/in particular.
4. I/ spend/ some/ memorable time/ play/ golf/ him/ and/ truly miss/ him.
5. Please/ pass on/ sincere/ condolences/ to/ family members.

REVISION QUESTIONS
1. When should a congratulation letter be written?
2. List the main contents in a congratulation letter.

EXERCISE
Write a sympathy letter using the information below
You have just heard that your Korean client, Kim Soon Yong, is in the hospital.
He has appendicitis. You hope to meet him during your visit to Seoul next
month.

92
 REFERENCES
Lougheed, L. (2003). Business Correspondence: A Guide to Everyday Writing, p.
128. Longman.
Barnard, R., & Meehan, A. (2005). Writing for the Real World: An Introduction to
Business Writing, p. 102. Oxford University Press.
Krizan. A. C, Merrier. P, Logan. J.P, and Williams. K.S. (2008). Business
Communication. Ohio, USA: Thomson Learning Inc.

93
 BIBLIOGRAPHY

Ashley, A. (1998). A Handbook of Commercial Correspondence. Oxford

University Press.
Carey, J.A. (2002). Business Letter For Busy People, 4th ed,. National Press
Publications.
Badger, I. & Pedley, S. (2003). Everyday Business writing. Pearson Education
Limited.
Lougheed, L. (2003). Business Correspondence: A guide to Everyday Writing.
Longman.
McGraw-Hill. (2004). Send me a message: A step by step approach to business
and professional writing. McGraw-Hill.
Barnard, R., & Meehan, A. (2005). Writing for the Real World: An Introduction to
Business Writing. Oxford University Press.
Fox S. (2007). Etiquette for Dummies, 2nd ed. Wiley Publishing, Inc
LearningExpress. (2007). Business Writing Clear and Simple, 1st ed. New York:
LearningExpress, LLC.
Nguyễn, Q.H. (2007). Sổ tay thư tín thương mại quốc tế. Nhà xuất bản văn hóa Sài
Gòn.
Krizan. A. C, Merrier. P, Logan. J.P, and Williams. K.S. (2008). Business
Communication. Ohio, USA: Thomson Learning Inc.
Rizvi, M. Ashraf. (2008). Resumes and Interviews: The art of winning. Tata
McGraw-Hill.
Sethi, A. & Adhiraki, B. (2010). Business Communication. McGraw-Hill.
Blaszkiewicz, K. (2013). How to write a letter. Scribendi Inc.

94