Cover letter | How to write

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Cover Letter
Cover letter is also called as “cold contact” letter or the job application letter. Its purpose
is to attract the interest of your prospective employer to give you a job interview. Try to
write one page application letter, for you have only about 30 seconds to capture the attention
of your reader in the cover letter.
Cover letter, like business letter, has the same standard and optional parts.
There are seven standard parts:
1. Heading
A heading shows where the letter comes from. It is usually at the top center of the letter
or written at the left margin. It consists of letterhead and date. Letterhead is sender’s
address without his/her name. There is a space of two to six lines between letterhead and
date. Date is usually written in American format just to avoid confusion, e.g. March 5,
2009 instead of 3/5/09.
2. Inside Address
It is always written at the left margin of the page. Inside address should begin with the
addressee’s name preceded by a courtesy (Mr. Mrs. Ms.) or professional (Dr. Prof.
Capt.) title. Miss is preferred over Mrs. in case you are not sure about the marital status
of a female addressee. Moreover, if you do not know that the addressee is male or
female, omit the courtesy title altogether. There is two lines space between date and
inside address.
3. Salutation
It is one line below the inside address and two lines above the body of the letter. It is
placed at the left margin. The most common salutation is “Dear” with the addressee’s
first name.
4. Body
Generally, the body of the letter should be typed single-spaced with double spacing
between paragraphs. In case the body is very short then we should type it double-spaced.
5. Complimentary Close
Between the body and complimentary close we have two lines space. The most popular
complimentary closes in American letters are:
Sincerely, Sincerely yours, Yours sincerely, Yours very truly, Very truly yours,
Cordially (informal).
6. Signature Area
Three to five lines space is there between complimentary close and signature area.
Signature area is your typewritten name, designation and your signature above your
name.
7. Reference Section
It appears at the left margin of the page. The reference section includes information
about the message composer and typist. There is no universally recommended way how

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to write initials. By the way, the composer and the typist write the first letters of their
names, and they are separated by either a slash or a colon, e.g. BA/MS or ba:ms etc.
Optional Parts
There are seven optional parts:
1. Attention Line
An attention line is useful when you want your message to go to a certain department or
when someone other than the addressee will take care of your message. It is placed
between inside address and salutation having only one line space. In the attention line it
is usually written “Please direct my letter to the employee concerned.”Attention line is
used in the following contexts:
a) When the writer does not know an individual’s name.
b) When the writer knows only the person’s surname and therefore does not want to
use this name in the salutation.
c) When the writer expects that the addressee travels often and wants the letter to be
attended to promptly by whoever takes care of the addressee’s business.
2. Subject Line
The subject line helps to tell your reader what the letter is about. It also helps in filing. It
is usually placed on the second line below the salutation either centered or may be flush
with left margin.
3. Enclosure Notation
An enclosure or attachment notation is included to remind your reader to check for
additional pages of information. It is placed just below the reference section. It is written
as Enc:
4. Copy Notation
When persons other than the addressee will receive a copy of your message, you note by
writing “c”, ‘pc”, or “cc” followed by the names of these persons just below the
reference initials or enclosure notation.
5. File or Account Number
Some firms require file of account numbers to type above the body of the letter. It is
only used in business letter. Cover letter does not require any file or account number.
6. Mailing Notation
Mailing notation words such as Special Delivery, Registered, Urgent Service,
Confidential etc. are typed between the date and inside address. The best place for
mailing notation is just below the copy notation and above the postscript.

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7. Postscript
The writer uses postscript to emphasize a point already in your letter or to include a brief
personal message unrelated to the letter. It may be handwritten or typed. Postscript is
represented with PS or PS: or P.S. In today’s rapid word processers, the postscript is
falling into disuse.
If you have occasion to use several notations after the signature area, the initials RECMP
may help you remember the proper order for arranging them vertically at the left margin.
The body of cover letter consists of five parts.
a) The Lead
b) The record of your education and experience
c) The references
d) The request for further communication
e) The CV (Resume’)
a) The lead means the opening of the cover letter. The opening is the first paragraph of
your cover letter. There are four possible opening style:
I. Summary Opening: It is just to mention in brief what kind of qualities you
are possessed with, and what you will do for your prospective employer. For
example,
Honesty Efficiency Resourcefulness Adaptability Leadership Courage
Responsibility Initiative Intelligence
Would you employ a person if he/she possessed the above qualities? You would,
no doubt. The perfect is seldom obtained, yet I can offer you the services of a
person who, though far from being perfect, is far above average in all of the
above fields and excels in many.
II. Name Opening: It means to mention the person who told you or
recommended you to apply for this job. For example,
Your name comes to me via a friend, Mr. Richard. He recommended that I
should send you my CV for your open position of Product Manager.
III. Question Opening:In this kind of opening you put a question on your
prospective employer. After the question, you immediately mention your
most related thing either your education or experience for the position. For
example,
Are you in need of a Pashto Translator? If yes, then I am a person who has some
precious experience in this field; for I have worked as a Pashto interpreter in
USAID for two years in Afghanistan……….
IV. News Item Opening: This opening means to cite the source where you saw
the advertisement for the said position. For example,

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I came to know through your advertisement published in The News that a
position of IT administrator is lying vacant under your auspices. This affords me
a chance to apply for the mentioned post at your prestigious organization. I am
confident that I have education and experience to make me worth the place.
b) The record of your education and experience is mentioned in the middle paragraphs.
Usually they are two paragraphs; in one paragraph the record of education is stated
while in the other paragraph related experience is talked about. After the opening,
write down which one of them is the most related to the job you are applying for.
c) In the beginning of the last paragraph of a cover letter, the applicant gives reference
to his/her referees or accompanying documents in case the employer desires to get
further details about the applicant. Because the applicant cannot include everything
in a cover letter, and he/she has to omit some information to be concise.
d) At the end of the last paragraph, you make a request for further communication. You
are to give your fax, telephone number (morning & evening), email address and
timings during which you will be able to get a fax message or can attend a telephone
call. Suppose you are going abroad somewhere then give your telephone number,
which you will be using in that country along with GMT and timings.
e) The CV or Resume’ is also a part of your cover letter tough it is created on a separate
page.
CV or Resume’
A Resume’ is a summary of your qualifications and intended career path. Phrases or
incomplete sentences are acceptable in a resume’. Contents and layout of resume’ vary;
there is no best type. Present your information under headings in phrases instead of full
sentences. Focus on your job related achievements, but be honest. The following are the
contents (Parts) of CV:
1. Heading
Information in the heading tells the reader where you can be contacted. It includes your
name, full address along with fax, email and telephone number. This heading is different
from heading of a business or cover letter because we do not write date in CV.
2. Job or Career Objective
Based on your self-assessment and an analysis of the job market, you should try for a
single-sentence statement of your goal. This statement may be general or specific. Some
CVs at this point include a brief statement of your basic qualifications. People tend to
remember ‘first’ things; therefore, after the heading select your most important selling
point.
3. Education

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Degrees are listed in reverse chronological order. In this portion include your school
names, locations, dates attended, and degree of certificates earned. High schools are
usually not included. Insert abbreviations for your degrees, and also decide whether to
include your grade-point average (GPA). Moreover, determine whether to include
specific courses completed; and include honors and scholarships if you have gotten any.
4. Work Experience/Work History
List your jobs in reverse chronological order; put the present or the most recent one first.
Give the name of organization, locations, your designation, and dates of employment.
5. Achievements, Awards
Try to limit your CV to one page. Receiving awards deserve mention in a CV; for
example, athletic accomplishments, published materials, fluency in foreign languages,
scholarships and community services have positive impression on the reader’s mind.
6. Personal Data (Optional)
Including personal information is entirely optional. Civil rights laws clearly prohibit
discrimination in hiring on the basis of race, age, religion, sex, marital status and
national origin. But still there are some jobs, such as playing professional football, may
reasonably require certain physical attributes. If you consider it proper to mention your
personal data, write it in your resume’.
7. References
Potential employers need to contact your referees before calling you for an interview.
Limit your list to three individuals and give their complete address, phone, fax or email.
Avoid including your relatives as your references. Choose individuals such as former
work supervisors, professors, teachers, or colleagues. Be sure that you have the
permission of the individual whose name you use as a reference.
Please refer to the following samples for cover letter and resume’.

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April 20, 2009
Department of Social Sciences
Air University, Islamabad
Dear Sir:
Subject: Applying for the Post of Lecturer in English Language
I came to know through a reliable source that a faculty position in English Language is lying vacant under your
auspices. This offers me an opportunity to apply for a teaching position at your Institution. I am confident that
I have education and experience to make me worth the place.
I did my Masters in English language and literature from the University of Peshawar in 2005. Before the
declaration of final result, I joined Jamal English Academy as lecturer in English to start my teaching career.
Later on, I was appointed as English Teacher at Federal Directorate of Education Islamabad. This new
appointment afforded me a chance to study English language at NUML (National University of Modern
Languages) Islamabad. The course I pursued at NUML was a six-month English language diploma, which
proved highly fruitful—for the course comprised of elaborate discussions and practical exercises for enhancing
the four major aspects of English language—Reading, Writing, Listening, and Speaking. My performance was
remarkably outstanding, and I was offered a position as lecturer in English at NUML, Peshawar Campus where
I taught for a year.
I left NUML as soon as I was awarded Fulbright Scholarship in 2007. As a Fulbright Grant Recipient, I
worked as an FLTA (Foreign Language Teaching Assistant) for Pashto language at Indiana University
Bloomington, IN, USA. My duties included gathering classroom material, conversation classes with the
novice and intermediate Pashto learners, creating sound files and Word files for Pas hto textbooks, and working
as cultural ambassador to represent my culture in the USA. Moreover, I attended different teaching workshops
at CeLCAR (Center for Languages of the Central Asian Region)—the place where I worked as an FLTA—
under the auspices of my supervisor, Dr Paul M Foster. The purpose of these workshops was to effectively
bring into play US pedagogy in classrooms. Teaching in that dynamic environment groomed my potentials a
step further. I also tutored Pashto to the American undergraduate students, designed curriculum, authored a
textbook and worked as a senior instructor for PRT (Provincial Reconstruction Team) students at Indiana
University, USA.
In the USA, at the same time, I got registered for four courses on credit basis at graduate level—Paragraph
Writing, Pronunciation & Listening, Critical Practices, and Creative Writing Nonfiction, which enhanced my
listening, speaking and writing capabilities. I studied sound and spelling patterns, syllables, endings, stress,
rhythm, intonation, and presentation skills for academic purposes. Moreover, I studied moving fromgeneral to
particular in writing, writing thesis statement, supporting details, referring to authority, citing examples,
coherence, clarity and insertion of discourse markers in a paragraph. Besides, I studied modern literary theories
& criticism, and practiced how to write personalessays.
I came back to Pakistan in August 2008. Currently I work as a lecturer in English at the Institute of Business &
Management Sciences, Agricultural University Peshawar. I also teach Functional English on visiting basis to
the students at degree level at the Department of Computer Science, University of Peshawar.
Please refer to the accompanying documents for further details on my background. In the wake of this
educational and professional background, I hope I shall be given a chance to serve under your aegis. If you
desire to contact me, I will available at 0300-1234567, or email me at sadiqk7@gmail.com.
Sincerely
_______________
Muhammad Sadiq

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CV/RESUME:
Muhammad Sadiq
Room 13, Staff Hostel
Islamia College University, Peshawar
NWFP, Pakistan
Zip # 25120
Cell: +92(300) 1234567
Email: sadiqk7@gmail.com , sadiqk7@yahoo.com
Work History:
 Lecturer in English, IBMS, Agricultural University Peshawar( August 2008 to-date)
 Lecturer in English,(Visiting)Department of Computer Science, University of Peshawar (Oct 2008 to-date)
 Lecturer in English, NUML(National University of Modern Languages), Peshawar Campus (Aug 2006 to Oct 02, 2007)
 Fulbright FLTA,(Foreign Language Teaching Assistant) at CeLCAR (Center for Languages of the Central Asian Region),
Indiana University Bloomington, IN, USA. (Oct 2007 to July 31, 2008)
 Senior Instructor,Afghanistan PRT (Provincial Reconstruction Team) Training at Indiana University Bloomington, IN,
USA (July 2008)
 Pashto Language Tutor, ROTC cadetsSLCP (Strategic Languages & Cultures Program) Indiana University Bloomington,
IN, USA (June 2008 to July 31, 2008)
 English Teacher, Federal Directorate of Education Islamabad, Pakistan. (Aug 2005-Aug 2006)
 Lecturer in English, Jamal English Academy, Nowshera, Pakistan (November 2004 to April 2005)
Education:
o Graduate Indiana University, USA. English Literature & Creative Writing Nonfiction) (3.85GPA)
o M. A. English ----------(English Literature) University of Peshawar, Pakistan.---- (2nd
Div)
o B.A. ------------------(English literature and Sociology) ----(2nd
Div)
o F.Sc. -------------------(Pre-medical) ----(1st
Div)
o SSC ----------------(Science group)---- (1st
Div)
Personal Information:
 Father’s Name------------- Shah Alam Khan
 Nationality------------------Pakistani
 National ID Card No. ----17102-9142185-7
 Passport No.----------------BE5461851
Additional Information:
 Attended 4th
Fulbright Alumni Conference in Islamabad (April2007)
 Attended Fulbright Language Teaching Workshop in Washington DC (December 2007)
 Designed curriculum, gathered material, and authored a Pashto textbook at Indiana University, USA
 Delivered lectures on Pashtoon Culture in SWSEEL (The Summer Workshop in Slavic, East European & Central Asian
Languages) Indiana University Bloomington, IN, USA
Awards/ Shields:
 Fulbright Grant Recipient, 2007-08
 Certificate of Appreciation from U.S Department of State and USAID at Indiana University Bloomington, USA
 Certificate of Appreciation for outstanding Pashto language training at Indiana University Bloomington, IN, USA
Languages:
 Special Diploma in English language, NUML- Islamabad. (Additional Courses in theUSA)

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 Urdu
 Pashto (Native Speaker)
References:
 Prof. Dr. Paul M Foster. Jr, Director, Center for Languages of the Central Asian Region, Indiana University Bloomington,
IN, USA pamfoste@indiana.edu +1(812) 856-1234
 Blake Puckett, Director, ROTC Strategic Languages and Cultures Program, Indiana University Bloomington, IN
bkpucket@indiana.edu +1(812) 856-1234
Memorandums or Memo
In contrast to the letter, which is directed outside organization, the memorandum goes within
your organization. It is the most common form of written communication between people or
departments. The stationary, parts, layout, and envelopes are somewhat different from those
of business letter.
Parts of Memorandum
Standard parts of memo are Heading with TO, FROM, SUBJECT, DATE, and MESSAGE.
Heading is the company name, which is written on the top of the page. Optional parts are
such items as reference initials, enclosures, file number, the sender’s department and
telephone number. Unlike the letter, the memo requires no inside address, salutation,
complimentary close or full signature. These optional parts are used according to the need.
But it is not unusual to sign memorandum at the end. In British style even a complimentary
close is added. Some companies use message-and-reply memorandum form, which is a good
time and expense saver for both sender and receiver. This form is divided into two sections,
MESSAGE and REPLY. These sections may be side by side or one above the other.
What you write after the TO, FROM, and DATE will vary with the situation and your
organization’s practices. A courtesy title such as MR., Mrs., Miss, Ms. before your reader’s
name may be used, depending on your relationship with the reader (Superior or subordinate)
and the degree of formality within your organization. You omit the title before your own
name. Also, if the message is a temporary message, no to be filed, and if you and the reader
work together regularly, you may merely use initials, first name, or nickname after TO and
FROM. You may sign or have your initial on the memo which is put at the bottom of the
memo. If the memo will be filed, the names of the sender and receiver should be completely
spelled out.
A subject line gives immediate idea to the reader. It should be written in such a way that
must make the contents of the memorandum instantly clear. Your subject line should be well
worded; use minimum number of closed-class items in your subject.
Body of the memo is its most important part because it contains your message. In general,
you can use the same guidelines, principles, and organizational plan for memo as for the
letter. Unlike that of a letter, the memo body is not centered on the page; it is lined up evenly
on the left margin.

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Reference initials are typed a double space below the body at the left margin. Copy
notations may be placed after the reference initials or near the top of the memo between the
TO and FROM. A sample of message-and-reply memorandum form is a under:
ABC Company INTEROFFICE COMMUNICATION
_________________________________________________________________________________________
___
TO-----------------------
FROM-------------------
SUBJECT---------------
DATE--------------------
MESSAGE------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SIGNED-----------
_________________________________________________________________________________________
____
REPLY----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
DATE------------------
SIGNED---------------
Report Writing
Short reports are both a nuisance and a blessing. Busy executives dislike the number of short
reports, yet they like them because they are short. Even President Lincoln asked member of
his cabinet to give him short written reports; then he could review their remarks, and weigh
the options. A short report is concise, accurate and unbiased. Long reports have detailed
introduction, abundant visuals, elaborate headings, and so many other things.
Standard Parts of Report
Usually a short report consists of only standard parts. It includes three section—
INTRODUCTION, BODY (text, discussion), and TERMINAL SECTION (summary,
conclusions, recommendations). The procedure for developing these sections is as under:
Introduction
It includes
a) The purpose or aim of the report
b) Definitions
c) Background
d) List of topics
Body (discussion, text)

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a) Present all relevant facts impartially
b) Organize your report by the inductive (particular to general) plan or deductive
(general to particular) plan. Western businesspeople prefer deductive method.
c) Emphasize important ideas by using capitalization, italics, underlines etc.
d) Include visual aids like graphs, tables, pictures and clips.
e) Use topic sentences for most paragraphs.
f) Apply the rules of seven-Cs.
Terminal Section (summary, conclusions, recommendations)
a) Summary is the condensed form of the text.
b) Conclusions mean to evaluate and infer from the text.
c) Recommendations mean to give a line of action, or what should be done to deal with
the problem.
d) Do not include any new point in the terminal section of the report, and usually list
the point in the same order as they are discussed in the text.
Types of Headings in Report.
Four types of headings are used in report. They are:
1. Topic Heading: Normally it contains nouns or a short phrase. For example,
History
Background
History of the Problem
Background Issues
2. Complete Sentence Heading: It includes a subject and a verb. For example,
Preparation is Essential when Outlining
Writer should Take Time when Preparing for Outlining
3. Imperative Sentence Heading: It begins with a verb; the ‘You’ is implied. For
example,
Take Time to Outline
Prepare Ideas before Writing
4. Variant Heading: It could begin with a participle (base form of verb+ing). For
example,
Taking Time to Outline
Preparing before Outlining

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Formats of Outlines
Report’s format can be divided into two categories.
1. Degrees of Headings
2. Systems of Degree of Headings.
Let’s discuss them individually.
1. DegreesofHeadings:
After you determine the wording for your heading, next choose a way to show the degrees of
importance for your ideas. It should be noted that you are to be consistent in heading format
throughout the report. Headings and subheadings are written in the following way.
a) First-Degree Headings: They are placed at the left margin of the page. We write
them in capital letters, and they are in bold style.
b) Second-Degree Headings: They are written in small letters. They are in bold style,
and placed at the left margin of the page. Prose is written beneath at the left margin.
c) Third-Degree Headings: They are written in small letters, and they are indented.
Prose is written beneath the headings beginning at the left margin of the page.
d) Fourth-Degree Headings: They are in small letters, indented and underlined. Prose
is written on the same line as fourth-degree heading.
e) Fifth-Degree Headings: They are in small letters and indented. Prose begins on the
same line as that of fifth-degree heading.
2. Systems of DegreesofHeadings
There are three common ways to number heading degrees. Numeral-Letter System and
Letter-Numeral System are popular in businesses and schools. Decimal System is less
popular in the United States.
Degrees of Heading Numeral-letter System Decimal System Letter-Numeralsystem
1st
I. 1.0 A.
2nd
A. 1.1 1.
3rd
B. 1.2 2.
1st
II. 2.0 B.
2nd
A. 2.1 1

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3rd
1. 2.11 a.
3rd
2. 2.12 b.
2nd
B. 2.2 2.
3rd
1. 2.21 a.
3rd
2. 2.22 b.
4th
a. 2.221 (1)
4th
b. 2.222 (2)
5th
(1) 2.2221 (a)
5th
(2) 2.2222 (b)
Optional Parts of Report:
Optional parts are usually used in long reports. The following parts are mostly used.
Subject Line
Subject line is important because it gives immediate idea to the reader that what the report is
about. On the other hand it is not that much necessary because the idea is restated in the
introductory. Subject line is placed before the introductory of the report. The subject of a
report should be well-worded, and use minimum number of closed-class items.
Prefatory Section
In prefatory section, general introduction of the report is written. Certain characteristics are
introduced. Preface is attached at the beginning of the report. Your report should look
complete without prefatory section so that the reader may not depend much on it.
Visual Aids
Visual aids are scattered in the body of the report. They are graphs, tables, charts, pictures
and clips. They are used in long reports, and in short reports we use them sparingly.
Bibliography
Bibliography is a list of sources you cited as documentation for relevant content in your
report. Actually it is not a part of a business report. It is attached at the end of the report. In
bibliography, we provide writer’s name, date of publication, book’s name, publisher’s name,

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editor’s name, and page number. It is written in different styles. For example, APA
(American Psychological Association) writes in the following way.
Shakespeare, William. (1950). Romeo and Juliet. Penguin Classic: Peter Smith. pp 117.
(Original work published in 1615)
Footnotes or Endnotes
Footnotes appear at the bottom of each page. Endnotes are attached at the end of the report.
They provide extra explanation in case some difficult words or terms are used in the report.
Footnotes and endnotes are also used to identify sources.
Kinds of Reports
Informational Report
The central purpose of informational reports is to inform and to summarize information. We
provide data and evidences in it. Usually, in the terminal section there is summary rather
than recommendations. There are three kinds of informational report.
a) Conference Report
b) Progress Report
c) Periodic Report
a. Conference Report
Its purpose is to record all decisions and discussions happened in a conference or meeting. It
ranges from your personal meeting with a client to a conference attended by hundreds of
people from different part of the world. The text of this kind of report is organized in a
chronological order.
b. Progress Report
This kind of report is used to report your progress, accomplishments or activities over a
given stage of a major assignment/project. Progress report moves inductively. It is written in
the following format.
 Introduction (purpose, nature of project)
 Description of accomplishments during the reporting period
 Problem if any
 Plan for the next reporting period
 Summary of your progress
c. Periodic Report
Some periodic reports are written to correspond to the company’s fiscal year. Others may be
written daily, weekly, monthly, or quarterly, or in other regular recurring period. In this

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report, introductory and terminal sections are usually omitted. Many business firms use
printed forms for periodic reports. The report could be done in half a page if the news is
favorable; if unfavorable, one page. Periodic reports are numerous, and they are
exceptionally short. For example, submitting students’ attendance on weekly or monthly
basis is a form of periodic report.
Analytical Report
Analytical report is used to analyze a situation or issue. It has one central purpose. It usually
has recommendations in the terminal section. In case the receiver does not like
recommendations, write only summary or conclusions.
Example: suppose you have an open position of lecturer in English in your department. You
are head of the department, and the director tells you to appoint the best candidate against
this post. Once you advertise it officially, you receive fifteen applications for the post. After
cursory analysis you drop ten candidates and you are left with five best applicants. Now you
write to their references for recommendations. After receiving the replies, you choose the
three best qualified candidates. Your task now is to evaluate, and compare and contrast each
of the three candidates. Now you begin to analyze their education (GPA), experience,
chances of permanency, English aptitude, and communication skills. Your next step is to
call the candidates for an interview. Finally, you write a report on that to the director.
Suppose he likes recommendations, include them; if not, do not write recommendations.
Letter Report
Letter report is used when sending information to a reader outside your own organization. Its
format is similar to traditional business letter. It includes:
I. Date
II. Inside Address
III. Salutation
IV. Body
V. Complimentary close
VI. Signature
VII. Reference Section
Optional parts are used according to the need. Body is the heart of the report which consists
of introductory, text and terminal section.

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