Applying for a job in writing

Some employers require you to complete an application form as the first step in the selection process.

If they don’t, you will have to write an application letter that addresses the job description, and send it to the employer with your resume.

Apply on time

Submit your application two or three working days after the advertisement has appeared, unless it calls for your immediate response. If the employer or agency specifies a closing date, make sure your letter reaches them before then.

Don’t rely on the mail getting your application to the employer overnight; send it with at least one day to spare, or hand-deliver it to the employer yourself.

Address the requirements in the advertisement

If you meet the main qualifications outlined in the advertisement, state this fact during your first conversation with the employer, and in the opening sentences of your application letter. Show that you possess all the specified skills, and how you came to acquire them. For example:

My five years as a qualified mechanic, combined with three years’ experience in the retail industry, have equipped me well for the position of spare parts interpreter.

State the hard skills you have that match those specified in the advertisement by describing how, when and where you developed or refined those skills.

Then state how you have demonstrated the soft qualifications. Don’t just copy the soft qualifications word for word from the application and put them in a sentence; prove or state how you have shown ‘initiative’ or ‘attention to detail’. Give specific examples.

Emphasise what you can do; don’t draw attention to what you can’t.

See Responding to a job advertisement for further assistance.

What to include, what to leave out

Include the number of copies of your application that the advertisement requests.

Also enclose:

Don’t include copies of certificates or references unless the employer has specifically requested them. Take them along with you to the interview instead.

Don’t put your application in a folder or a plastic envelope. Such packaging can be annoying for an employer dealing with large numbers of applications.