Types of business correspondence

Business letters are written for the fulfillment of several purposes. The purpose may be to enquire about a product to know its price and quality, availability, etc. This purpose is served if you write a letter of enquiry to the supplier. After receiving your letter the supplier may send you details about the product as per your query. If you are satisfied, you may give order for supply of goods as per your requirement. After receiving the items, if you find that the product is defective or damaged, you may lodge a complaint. These are the few instances in which business correspondence takes place. Let us learn the details about some important business letters.

Samples included:

Resume, CV (Curriculum Vitae), Cover Letters, Application Letter, Letter of Inquiry, Letters of Acknowledgment, Thank You Letter, Acceptance Letter, Refusal and Resignation Letters, Quotation Letter, Order Letter, Offer Letter, Complaint Letter, Recovery Letter.

The following samples are meant to be guides for your own letter writing.

Do not copy a letter word for word. Employers have read them all and will recognize the samples taken from other sources.

 

RESUME Resume – a summary, especially of one’s education, employment, etc. submitted in application for a job. When you apply for a job most companies ask you for resume or Curriculum Vitae (CV). A good resume should show your prospective employer that you are the right kind of person for the job. This is the possible plan for your resume: your job objectives your work experience your education personal information references

HOW TO WRITE A RESUME

Summary:

· Contact Details

· Personal Statement

· Career Overview

· Education

· Employment History

· Skills and strengths

· Interests

· References

 

Your resume must let an employer know what you can contribute to their organization. It is also the first chance you get to make an impression on a potential employer. An employer will generally spend around 20-30 seconds initially reviewing each resume, so it critical that you get it right. Present your information in a clear, concise and persuasive way.

Resume formats and layouts vary considerably. A range of options are provided for you. The order of these key elements may vary but your resume should include each of the following:

Contact Details

Name (make it stand out)

Address
Telephone contact numbers

E-mail

Personal Statement

It is good to have a clear bold paragraph that grabs the reader and makes them want to find out more. It should be positive and serious but show you are well prepared and a good fit for the job. It should help you stand out from the crowd and convince an employer you want the role. This may also be titled ‘Personal Profile’, ‘Capability Statement’, ‘Career Objective’, etc. Choose whichever heading is most suitable. It may also be combined under one heading with your Career Overview. It is important that it relates to the job ad.

Career Overview

A career overview or snapshot is a summary of your core skills, experience and competencies, usually for people who have been working in a profession for many years. It outlines in a snapshot, what you have to offer. It might also be titled ‘Profile’, ‘Summary of Skills & Experience’, ‘Career Summary’, etc. It may also be combined under one heading with your Personal Statement.

Education
Provide details of your education with most recent first.

Include your academic and professional qualifications.

The full name of the course you studied.

The full name of the institution you studied with.

What skills you learned from the course.

Your achievement - results in the course if the achievements good.

Employment History

List the most recent employment first and work through your employment history job by job. For each:

List the period of employment.

Name the company that you worked for.

Include the title of your position.

Describe your achievements and responsibilities. Use brief bullet points and use quantifiable measures. This allows the reader to scan and match your experience to the role easily.

If you have a long employment history, just include those jobs in your history that are relevant to the job you apply for.

Skills and strengths

List out your skills in different areas:

Computer literacy. List software that you are proficient in.

Written and communication skills – give brief detail.

Foreign languages and level of fluency.

Key ‘soft’ skills or competencies with some brief examples (e.g. people management, business development, project management etc).

Awards received.

Membership of professional associations or relevant bodies.

Accreditations attained by relevant professional organizations.

Interests
Include things you like to do, particularly if they are employment-related. It is not a ‘must’ in the resume. The resume can give your reader a more rounded picture and something more personal may distinguish you.

References
This section should be placed at the end of the resume. It is not necessary to list referees on your resume. You should state that referees are available on request. A referee is someone you worked for or with who knows the quality of your work. If it is your first job, this might be someone who is a teacher or mentor. Gain permission from the referees before you include them in your resume and be sure to choose people who you are confident will provide positive feedback on you. Make sure they are easy to contact if they are included and provide their contact details.

 

BASIC TYPES OF RESUMES

There are two basic types of resumes — chronological and functional: The chronological (or time order) resume emphasizes time by arranging data in time order and displaying dates prominently. The time order is usually inverted, starting with the latest item and working backwards.

The functional resume emphasizes kinds of work (functions) without maintaining any particular time order. The main advantage of the functional resume is the prominence it gives to actual achievements, particularly those most directly related to the job that you are seeking.

Use a chronological order of presentation if your career advancement has been progressive and the job you seek is the same as your latest jobs. Use a functional order if strict time order places you at a disadvantage or if you want to stress a particular job that was not your most recent.