Top Ten Tips - Typing A Business Letter
By Tip Diva | Jun 21, 2008
Categories: Activities, Adult, Behavior, Computer, Conversation, Digital, Editing, Etiquette, Files, Grammar, Manners, Relationships, Spelling, Tips, Word Processors, Writing
Writing a business letter is not like writing to your parents from summer camp. There are rules you must follow, especially when typing out your letter:
- Type Your Address, Followed By The Date, To The Right - Right justify your address, then hit the “Enter” or “Return” key twice.
- Type The Business Name And Address To The Left - Left justify the business address. If you know the name of the person whom you’re addressing, put it under the business’ name as Attn: John Doe. Hit the “Enter” or “Return” key twice.
- Start Your Salutation With Dear And End With A Colon - If you know the name of the addressee or the his position, start your salutation off with “Dear” and end in a colon, such as: Dear Mr. Doe: or Dear Hiring Manager:. If you don’t know the person’s name or position, To Whom It May Concern: is appropriate.
- Try To Find The Specific Person’s Name - Do your best to find out the addressee’s name by searching the business’ website or even calling to find out whom you should direct your letter to.
- Double-Space Your Paragraphs - Double space your paragraphs so the addressee can read your letter easier. Do so by hitting the “Enter” or “Return” key twice between each paragraph.
- Succinctly State Your Purpose - Try to keep your letter constrained to one page. Say what you have to say, and try not to go off on any tangents.
- Let Person Know How You Would Like To Be Contacted - Usually, a business letter means you’re expecting some sort of correspondence back. Let the person know how you’d like to be contacted, whether by letter, e-mail or phone.
- Avoid Slang, Shorthand And Abbreviations - Leave all slang, shorthand (especially internet shorthand like LOL, OMG and C U there) and abbreviations out of the letter. You want to be proper.
- Check For Spelling And Grammar - Don’t just rely on your word processor’s spelling- and grammar-checking tools. Read it over carefully and check for any spelling and grammar mistakes. You may want to have someone else read it over, as well, to check for anything you’ve missed.
- End With Sincerely, Your Signature And Your Name Towards The Right - After your last paragraph, hit the “Enter” or “Return” key twice and right-justify your text. Type Sincerely, followed by enough space for your signature, then type your full name.
Other Tips To Check Out:
I came but to tell you that I published this article on the most recent Get International Clients Sunday Blog Carnival.
This post is interesting because the basics of good business letter writing does not change a lot country by country. Internationally I would say don’t use “Dear” but simply “Mr. Doe” because some cultures would consider the “Dear” as your trying to be too personal.
Add in ‘don’t use a long word when a short one will do.’
Cindy King’s Last Blog Post: Get International Clients Sunday Blog Carnival #9
nice blog cheers