Hand written application letter - help with presentation :)

McKneff

I was always taught that Unless an ad says 'please contact Mrs X XXXX or Mr X XXX when you apply for a job you are not writing to an
individual, you are writing to the company so the salutation should always be Dear Sirs and end with Yours faithfully.

Maybe that was just in the olden days lol

LittleVoice

sharonr wrote: »

• paragraphs like you would type them - left indented, line between each one, or old school where you leave a gap to the left

What's the difference?

I think it's "left aligned" that is when the paragraph starts at the left margin and "indented" is where there is a half-inch gap between the margin and the first word.

McKneff

Blocked (or left alighned) is at the start of the line and no indentation.

Left indentation is five spaces to the right of the margin.

LadyMissA

Annisele wrote: »

I'd ring the company's switchboard and ask the receptionist whether Ms X is a Miss X, a Mrs X or a Ms X (or indeed a Dr X or some other title). You don't have to say who you are, just that you're writing to her and you'd like to get her title right.

Don't you just hate Miss, Ms or Mrs! I would never even put one of them at the begining of my name. Oh apart from on here haha

kitschkitty

Dear Sir or Madam,

Not Sir/Madam or Sirs in this current PC age of equality (the first insinuates the person is transgender the second that it is a man - which specifically in this case you're already said it isn't)! But that's only if you don't have a name.

If you have a name you should always use it (indeed you should always try to get the name of the specific person dealing with a job vacancy - if there is one, and not just a HR dept. etc).

So I agree if you can phone and ask for the persons title I would.

DKLS

!!!!!! what a faff, thankfully the company I work for have stopped asking for cover letters. I would only ever read the CVs and wouldnt bother with the cover letter.

I was recently approached by a charity for a role via linkedin, they wanted me to fill in an application form and prepare and present a detailed 5yr plan at interview, after a chat with them it was clear they just wanted some free consultancy and I wasnt prepared to do that.
I also have a rule that I never do application forms.

westv

Does this company use quill pens and ink wells too?

westv

kitschkitty wrote: »

Not Sir/Madam or Sirs in this current PC age of equality (the first insinuates the person is transgender the second that it is a man - which specifically in this case you're already said it isn't)!

How can "Sirs" insinuate that it's a man? If you put "Sirs" you aren't addressing it to any one individual you are addressing it to the company as an entity.

LadyMissA

westv wrote: »

How can "Sirs" insinuate that it's a man? If you put "Sirs" you aren't addressing it to any one individual you are addressing it to the company as an entity.

I put Dear Sirs when I have no name as rightly I am addressing the company. If I was a recruiter I wouldn't be offended at all to get a cover letter with that on it, imo it's better than Dear Sir or Madam.

Dunroamin

GotToChange wrote: »

I am Luddite and proud of it, so here are my tips fwiw:

Unlined good quality paper - A4 - pref. white or cream -

Use black* ink - rollerball or fountain pen, unless your biro is very smooth-flowing - (* I recently re-started using blue-black ink in my fountain pen - takes me back to schooldays - and actually took some finding [from CultPens - great site])

No gap to the left at the start of the first or any paragraph, align everything (except your own address and the date - top right) to the left (my concession to modern layout) -

yes, leave a clear line between paragraphs -

The default title to use is 'Mrs' - although it very unfair to not use this in the ad; using the name at all will depend on how the name was proferred in the ad - it is possible to put
F.A.O. xxx xxxxxxx (thus avoiding title), but then you should technically use "Dear Sirs", so more confusing than ever -

^This also affects your sign-off, but sure you know that.

I understand going blank on something - happens to me all the time.

I agree with what you've posted but the default title for a woman is definitely Ms.