You’ve practised different types of academic writing so far, but what if you want to send a letter to your member of Parliament or write an amazing cover letter for a job application? As you’ve probably guessed, the academic essay form doesn’t always work in these situations. Business and professional writing should be clear, concise, and direct.

So, you might be asking, what differentiates business writing from academic writing? First, there’s style. Business documents are written in a formal style, meaning that you should avoid using contractions and colloquialisms (slang and informal writing). And second, there’s form. Most business documents have specific forms that you should follow. These forms apply to everything from headings to what you should include in each paragraph. There are many kinds of business documents (letters, résumés, and memos, to name just a few), and each of these document types has a standardized form you should follow.

In this chapter, we’ll go over the style and forms you should use for standard business letters, cover letters, and résumés. In the next chapter, we’ll discuss how you can present yourself professionally online.

Business Letters

When do I write a business letter?

It is appropriate to send a business letter any time you want to conduct a formal correspondence. Business letters are often sent to companies, politicians, and institutions. For instance, if you wanted to write a letter to your local member of the legislative assembly about funding for your school, you would voice your concerns in a business letter. When you ask a company for a refund for a faulty product, a business letter is likely to get your money back. And when you want to inquire about a job opening, a business letter may help you get a favourable response.

How do I write a business letter?

The main thing to remember about a business letter is that you should follow a specific format. Business letters always include the date, the sender’s address, the recipient’s address, a salutation, a body, and a closing line.

The most common way to format a business letter is called block formatting. In block formatting, everything should be left-aligned. The letter should be single-spaced, with double spacing between each paragraph. Do not indent the beginning of each paragraph. Choose a font with good readability, such as size 12 Times New Roman or Arial.

Date

The first line of your letter should be the date the letter was finished. Use the date format acceptable in the recipient’s country. For instance, if you are writing to someone in Canada or the United States, you would format the date as January 1, 2020. However, if you are writing to someone in Europe, you would write 1 January 2020. Do not abbreviate the month for any date format. Place a blank line after the date.

Sender’s address

The next section of your letter should be the sender’s address. Since you are writing the letter, this will be your address. Write your name on the first line of the address. Write your street address on the second line, and your city, province, and postal code on the third line. Leave a blank line after your address. You can also place the sender’s address after the signature and printed name on the last line of your letter; however, this is stylistic and entirely up to you.

Recipient’s address

Next, you need to include the recipient’s address, also called the inside address, in your letter. No matter what format you are using, this address will always be left-aligned. The first line of the inside address should be the recipient’s name. If you cannot find out their name, you can leave this line out.

When writing a business letter, always address the recipient by their title. For instance, you would write “Premier Horgan” instead of “Mr. Horgan” or “John Horgan.” If you do not know a woman’s marital status, you can address her as “Ms.” If a person has several titles, try to find out which one they prefer being addressed by. If you can’t get this information, use the highest-ranking title they have. For instance, if someone has a PhD and is also a professor, you can address them as either “Dr. Roxane Gay” or “Roxane Gay, PhD.”

If you are writing to someone in a company (for instance, if you were writing to inquire about potential internship opportunities), include the company name on the next line. If you are writing to an individual not associated with a corporation, such as a politician, you do not have to include the company name. The next line should be the recipient’s street address. The line after that should be the city, province, and postal code. If you are writing to someone outside of the country, include the recipient’s country on the following line in capital letters. Leave a blank line after the recipient’s address.

Salutation

The next line of your letter should be the salutation. The salutation will say “Dear” followed by the same name you used in the recipient’s address. If you addressed your letter to “Roxane Gay, PhD,” you can write “Dear Dr. Gay” in your salutation. If you do not know the name of the recipient, you can use the salutation “To Whom It May Concern.” You can also use this salutation if you do not know the recipient’s gender. Use a colon (:) after your salutation and leave one blank line after it.

Body

The first paragraph of a business letter lets the recipient know what the letter is about. You should begin your letter with a polite opening line explaining who you are and why you are writing. Next, state the purpose of your letter, but keep it concise—you will explain all the details in the rest of your letter. Place a blank line between each body paragraph.

The following paragraphs will explain all the relevant details of your letter to the recipient. In this section of the body, explain why the purpose of your letter is important, and provide facts to support your case. However, be sure to keep your language concise. Also, divide your paragraphs logically. If your letter has two main points, you should use two body paragraphs to provide details and your reasoning.

The last body paragraph acts much like the conclusion of a paper. You should restate your purpose and include a brief word on why it is important. You should conclude a business letter by thanking the reader for their time. Place a blank line between your last body paragraph and your closing.

Closing

The closing of your letter should be brief. “Sincerely” is generally accepted as a formal closing, but if you are writing a slightly informal business letter, you can end with “Thank you.” Only capitalize the first word of the closing and follow it with a comma (,). Leave two lines blank and type your name. When you print the letter, place your signature in between the closing and your typed name.

Enclosures

Finally, if you want to include any items with your letter, list them after the word “Enclosures” one line below your typed name. An enclosure can be anything from a résumé to a writing sample. Keep in mind that if you want to include a sample of work you’ve done for a company, you should make sure you have the right to share that work with others.

Sample business letter

Cover Letters and Résumés

Cover letters

A cover letter is the introduction to your résumé. The purpose of your cover letter is simple: it should entice your prospective employer to read your résumé. A cover letter should be a short three- or four-paragraph document. Each paragraph has a specific purpose.

Paragraph 1

Explain to your reader how you heard about the job or internship for which you are applying and why you wish to work there.

Paragraphs 2–3

In these paragraphs, you should explain who you are and why you are a good candidate for this job. Describe the skills and abilities you will bring to the job. You should point out accomplishments from your résumé that indicate your strengths. For example, if you babysit regularly for a neighbour, you might point out that you are punctual, responsible, and organized, which is why your neighbours trust you to take care of their children.

You should highlight something from your résumé. Because a résumé is written in short phrases, you may wish to expand upon an experience or award listed on your résumé in your cover letter. For example, you could write:

I have excellent time management skills. As you will note on my résumé, I have done after-school tutoring for three years, while also playing in the Charles Hays Secondary School Marching Band. As a band member, I am required to practice with the band six hours a week. I practise playing the trombone on my own four to five hours a week. I tutor four hours a week. I have maintained a straight A’s since my first year of high school.

Closing paragraph

What do you expect to happen next? Do you want the company representative to contact you? Will you contact them? In the closing paragraph, you spell out your expectations, and thank your reader for their time and consideration.

Although your cover letter is short, it is not an easy document to write. Consider it a 15-second advertisement for you. You want your letter to capture your reader’s attention and get them excited about reading your résumé.

Parts of a cover letter

• Your return address (Type out your complete return address.)
• Date (Write out the name of the month, followed by the day and the year.)
• Inside address (This should include the name of the person to whom you are writing, their title, the name of the organization or institution, and the address of the organization.)
• Greeting (Use your addressee’s title and last name only, not their first name.)
• Body of your letter (Typed, using a business font such as Times New Roman, size 11–12 font, single-spaced, with a double space between paragraphs.)
• Closing
• Your signature
• Your name, typed out

Sample cover letter

Résumés

A résumé is a concise summary of your personal strengths and accomplishments. There are many reasons why you may need to write a résumé. You may be applying for a job, to a college, or for a scholarship or grant to help pay for your education. Regardless of the organization for which you are writing your résumé, there are rules that you should follow to create a document that effectively and accurately represents you.

In most cases, a résumé should be one page and should be clearly formatted so your reader can easily spot your personal information and your qualifications.

Parts of a résumé include:

• Contact information
• Education
• Experience
• Additional information (if necessary)

Contact information

The first thing your reader should see on your résumé is your name and contact information. Your name should be at the top, with nothing else written on the same line. Under your name should be your address, phone number, and email. Be sure you have an appropriate email address (e.g., “2cute4u” or “1337ninja” are amusing to you as a high school student; however, such a frivolous email address may seem inappropriate to a prospective employer or college admissions officer. Your first and last name, or first initial and last name, followed by your email service provider is a good choice: melissa.duong@gmail.com or m.duong@gmail.com).

Education

List the name and location of the high school you currently attend and your graduation date. If you have good grades (a 3.0 grade point average [GPA] or above), include your GPA under your education.

Experience

The term “experience” does not mean the same thing as “employment.” “Experience” refers to the accomplishments that make you a good candidate. As a high school student, you may feel you don’t have much experience. However, there are things you can list that will indicate your skills and positive characteristics to your reader.

Have you played on a sports team? Have you tutored at an elementary school? Did you participate in a fundraiser? Did you help organize a school event? Do you volunteer for a non-profit organization? These accomplishments indicate that you have leadership skills, work well with others, and are interested in things other than yourself. All of these characteristics would be appealing to a prospective employer.

Next to each item you list, include the date(s) you were involved with that activity.

Additional information

You want your résumé to fill one page. After you have completed the four sections listed above, if you still have space, here are some other items you may wish to include:

• Awards, honours, scholarships
• Affiliations (clubs, professional or student organizations, sports teams, philanthropic organizations). What was your position in this organization? If you were an officer or team leader, indicate your title and the dates you held that position.
• Special accomplishments (projects, publications, certifications)
• Special skills (other language(s), photography, computer expertise, etc.)
• Hobbies

Next to each activity or accomplishment, list the date(s) of any awards received or when you were affiliated with the organization.

Sample résumé A

Sample résumé B