Letters of interest are written to express your interest in
working for a particular company in a specific field. Your letter may be
written either in response to a job opening or just to investigate possible
employment.
Human
resource departments receive dozens of letters of interest each week. However,
make your letter stand out from the crowd using the following tips:
1.
Before
you write, do your homework. Research the background of the company and
familiarize yourself with their products and/or services.
2.
Be
sure to find out the name of the individual who does the hiring. Address your
letter to his/her attention and use her/his name in the salutation. Simply
writing “To Whom It May Concern” and “Dear Sir or Madam” could be considered be
lazy or rude.
3.
Start
your introductory paragraph with the reason you are interested in pursuing
employment with this company. Try not to start the first sentence with “I”.
(See sample letter of interest.) Also, explain what prompted your inquiry, such
as a classified advertisement, a media article or interview, or a referral from
an employee.
4.
In
the next paragraph(s), give specific examples of your qualifications. Don’t
hesitate to indicate the reasons why you would be an asset to the company.
Illustrate your skills, strengths, and achievements in a professional, yet
personable way. Stay away from strings of abbreviated credentials. These, if
you have them, should be on the resume you’ll enclose with the letter. Direct
the reader to your resume and any other enclosures.
5.
In
your final paragraph, thank the individual for his/her time in considering you
as a new employee. Indicate a precise time when you will contact him/her by
phone to follow up on your letter. Also, be sure to let the individual know how
to contact you.
A
hard-copy interest letter should be written in the business letter format, while an email should be sent in the same format but
without the heading (your return address, their address, and the date).
