Professional letters

Writing Smart, 3rd edition - Princeton Review 2018

Professional letters

Writing for professional situations

There will be a time in your life when you must write some sort of professional letter or email. This may be in connection with a job or a request for a recommendation, but the time will come. This chapter prepares you for writing in business situations using a few simple steps.

Steps for writing a professional letter

The basic template for a professional letter is much like any other letter: it needs an introduction (in this case, a salutation, in which you greet the recipient and introduce yourself), a body, and a closing and sign-off. A letter you will be proud of, like any other piece of writing, requires multiple drafts as well as a few steps. Here’s our approach to professional letter writing.

Step 1: Know your purpose

The first thing you want to get straight is deciding exactly what you want to say.

Duncan is applying for a job and needs to include a cover letter along with his resume. He has met the person in charge of hiring, and wants both to remind her of their meeting, and sound warm, witty, and competent. He writes down on his notepad:

I know you from the Texas conference on UFOs, please give me this job—I’m good at it, I have experience, I am eager to work for you. I’m not desperate either.

Step 2: Write a first draft

Clarify your intent, and put your notes in letter form. Write freely and easily; there will be an opportunity to edit later. Try to keep your tone restrained and professional, and bear your audience in mind.

Step 3: Edit

Take a look at the original version of Duncan’s letter on the next page. When editing the letter, the goal is to make sure the main ideas are clearly expressed. Also, since this is a letter for a prospective employer, it should be no more than one page in length.

After reviewing the original, take a look at our edited version that follows.

Original version

Dear Ms. Hankshaw,

Maybe you remember me from last year’s conference on aliens. I am Duncan Bock and I ran the booth on the Martian, friend or foe? I am enclosing my resume to be considered for the position of assistant commander in charge of alien visitors in your alien welcoming army.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Love, Duncan

Edited Version

Step 4: Write the final draft

The last step is to put the letter in its final form. If at all possible, try to find someone else to read the letter to point out any errors. Pay close attention to matters of form because the look of a business letter is just as important as its content. Check carefully for mistakes, whether in grammar, format, or tone. Notice on this final draft the changes that were made to accommodate edits for tone and style on the previous drafts.

The strongly worded letter

Let’s say you’re in a situation in which you need to write a letter addressing a concern or voicing a complaint. Maybe you purchased a malfunctioning product, or your cable company overcharged you, or you need to voice your discontent to your landlord. While many situations may call for a phone call or in-person conversation, sometimes a letter or email is more appropriate. In such cases, here’s a basic format you can use to get your point across and your concerns heard while maintaining a calm, levelheaded tone.

Strongly worded letter format

Here’s the general template:

Salutation and opening

Identify yourself and to whose attention you wish to address your concerns.

Body

Describe the unfortunate event the letter refers to in the most specific terms possible.

Closing

Indicate how you want the company or person to redress your grievances.

Writing the strongly worded letter

Step 1: Identify yourself and your reason for writing

To begin, you must clearly state your concern or issue. You should be firm but polite. No matter what your personal feelings are, you should never resort to obscenities or name calling. Remember that the person who ends up reading your email is unlikely to be the person who directly caused the issue you are complaining about (in the case of an extra charge on your cable bill, for example).

Step 2: Write a rough draft

Compile your notes into a rough first draft. You should follow the format given earlier in this chapter. Then, use an appropriate amount of detail to describe your complaint or issue and any necessary background the recipient might need. Be sure to describe the situation in a clear chronological order to avoid any confusion.

Step 3: Edit

Edit the following rough draft a strongly worded letter with the goal of making it more restrained, polite, and clear. Compare the original with our edited version that follows.

Mr. Smith:

Two months ago I sent you a letter detailing the problems I was experiencing with my rotating turkey in my doll house oven on my doll house model #25143. I informed you that I had received in return a letter from your company noting that I would not be compensated for my troubles. When I discussed that letter with you on the phone you said, “It’s a mistake. The department made a mistake and about 6 million customers got one of those letters. Just send it to me and I’ll take care of it. I will get you registered as a customer with a complaint and you will be reimbursed for your turkey, as well as your pain and suffering.” I sent it to you and assumed that there would be no problem.

Two weeks ago, January 24, I received another notice that I would not be receiving reimbursement for my pain and suffering, and that I owed for the repair to the turkey as well as interest on the repair bill. I then called your office on Monday, January 24. No response. I called Tuesday, Wednesday, etc. On Friday at 5 P.M. I got a message from you, but of course I was unable to reach you as your office had closed. I called every day of the next week. I got one more call from you saying you would be reachable on Wednesday February 2, in the morning. I called at 8:55 A.M. and 9:30 A.M. Either no one answered or I was told you were not in. I called again every day, sometimes twice a day, and was told you were out in “the field.”

That may in fact be the case, but there are phones in other places. I was given to understand that you were dealing with important clients. I am an important client too. While I was not pleased that my rotating turkey did not function, I am even more offended by the way you have responded to my attempts to address the situation. I paid you $200 for the doll house and a lifetime of servicing and you did it poorly. You rude idiot, I will not be treated this way!! You can forget any other business from me you idiotic dolt. I expect you to pay the $22.69 in interest I was assessed, and I expect you to return my initial payment of $200 which, I think you will agree, you did not earn.

Edited first draft

Step 4: Write the final draft

The final draft of a letter must be as perfect as you can make it. Be sure to fix any typos, spelling errors, or grammatical mistakes—remember that such mistakes can be distracting and even discredit you to the recipient. The final version should be firm but polite and respectful. You should absolutely refrain from using profanity or insulting anyone, as this is unethical and will ultimately do you a disservice. Even when you feel you have been wronged, it’s important to be remain civil and calm. The final draft is written in the form of a business letter; if this is an email, you would not include the mailing addresses as shown.

Final Draft

Connie Smith

123 Main Street

New York, NY 11111

February 7, 2018

Otto Smith

Babyface Cute Doll Houses, Inc.

456 Main Avenue

New York, NY 22222

Dear Mr. Smith,

Two months ago I sent you a letter detailing the problems I was experiencing with the rotating turkey in my doll house oven on doll house model #25143. I informed you that I had received a letter from your company noting that I would not be compensated for my troubles. When I discussed that letter with you on the phone you said, “It’s a mistake. The department made a mistake and about 6 million customers got one of those letters. Just send it to me and I’ll take care of it. I will get you registered as a customer with a complaint and you will be reimbursed for your turkey, as well as your pain and suffering.” I sent it to you and assumed you would take care of the problem.

Two weeks ago, January 24, I received another notice that I would not receive reimbursement for my pain and suffering, and that I owed for the repair to the turkey as well as interest on the repair bill. I then called your office on Monday, January 24. I received no response. I called Tuesday, Wednesday, etc. Once again, I received no response. On Friday at 5 P.M. I got a message from you, but I was unable to reach you as your office had closed. I called every day of the next week. I got one more call from you saying you would be reachable on Wednesday, February 2, in the morning. I called at 8:55 A.M. and 9:30 A.M. First, no one answered, then I was told you were not in. I called again every day, sometimes twice a day, and was told you were out in “the field.”

That may in fact be the case, but there are phones in other places. It was my understanding that you were dealing with important clients, but I feel I am an important client too. While I was not pleased that my rotating turkey did not function, I am even more dissatisfied with the way you have responded to my attempts to address the situation. I paid you $200 for a functioning doll house and a lifetime of servicing, and received neither. Kindly return my $200 payment and further reimburse me for the $22.89 in interest that I was mistakenly charged. I thank you in advance for your prompt attention to this matter.

Regards,

Connie Smith

Notice that in the final version of the letter Connie expresses her concerns while maintaining a professional tone. She also informs Mr. Smith of the ways he can fix the problems. These are the goals of any outraged letter.

Common pitfalls in letter writing

Using “Gentlemen”

Beginning a letter with “Gentlemen,” which assumes that the recipient is a man, is inappropriate and will make you appear very out of touch and perhaps insensitive. If you do not know whether your recipient is a man or woman, it is best to use an opening that is non-gender-specific, such as “To whom it may concern.”

Signing off with “Love”

This seems obvious, but the word “love” does not have any place in a professional letter. Unless you’re writing to a family member or close friend, leave “love” out of it and stick with a neutral closing, such as “Sincerely,” or “Regards.”

You should not be overly familiar or make personal comments. This will only alienate your reader and make them uncomfortable. Maintain a reserved tone.

Rambling

In general, professional letters of any kind should be concise and to the point. This especially goes for letters in which you are applying for a job or other position. Believe us when we tell you that your recipient will appreciate brevity.

Using profanity or strong language

Under no circumstances should you use profanity, name-calling, or insults in a letter, no matter how angry you may be. If your letter is intended to voice a complaint, you should calmly and matter-of-factly explain your issue; this will allow your concerns to be taken more seriously. When you resort to expletives and an angry tone, your recipient will be turned off right away and will be less inclined to address your concerns and give you the outcome you want.

Formatting and style for professional letters

· Include both your name and address and the recipient’s name and address. Your name should be at the top of the page, flush with the right margin, along with the date. The recipient’s information should be below your name, flush with the left margin.

· After the recipient’s information, insert a double space (hit ENTER or RETURN twice) and then begin your salutation: Dear Ms./Mr. [Name], followed by a comma or colon (either is fine).

· You can either indent paragraphs or include double spaces between paragraphs. Professional letters generally use the double space.

· Your sign-off should be on the lower left of the letter, followed by a comma, then two double spaces are left empty. This is so you can sign your name with an appropriate flourish. After the signature space, also on the lower left, you should type out your name, in full.

· If necessary, extra markings can alert the recipient of the letter to any enclosures (Enc.) or other copies sent that may be of interest to them (cc: Mr. Ed). The “cc” stands for the long-ago carbon copy, and should be marked if you want the recipient to know you have sent the same letter to his boss, or someone else within the same company.

A few words about email

As society becomes increasingly fast-paced, it is often standard practice for business and professional correspondence to take place via email. Regardless of how a professional letter gets from the writer to the reader, however, the rules and procedures outlined in this chapter apply. Don’t be lulled into a false sense of informality by the ease with which you can send a message through cyberspace! Below are a few guidelines that apply specifically to email correspondence:

1. Distinguish between informal and formal exchanges.

Typing up one of the elegant-looking letters we’ve dealt with in this chapter and snail mailing it has a ceremonious air. Consequently, we’re less likely to make the mistake of writing in an inappropriately familiar way. This is, unfortunately, not the case with email. One moment we might email our best friend with a hilariously edgy joke, and the next moment email a prospective business client about an important meeting. Just because the individual you’re emailing is friendly and cordial does not mean that anything goes! If you stop and think before hitting the “send” button, chances are you’ll make the right call. Informal emails among family and friends can be whatever you want them to be. The remaining rules will therefore refer to emails sent in a business or professional context.

2. Include a subject line that is accurate and helpful.

The person to whom you’re sending the email may have hundreds of messages to sift through while searching for your project proposal, memorandum, etc. Including a subject line that clearly identifies the topic will help both you and the recipient tremendously. Don’t simply reply to the last email you received from someone without editing the subject if you’re addressing a different topic. Moreover, whenever possible try to send a separate email for each topic you cover. Your boss is unlikely to remember that your email entitled “Agenda for Staff Meeting” also included a request for time off.

3. Organize email content just as you would in any other letter.

While most people organize traditional business letters according to a standard format, they often feel welcome to ramble on in their emails. Just like any other piece of writing, an email should be divided logically into discrete paragraphs. The fact that you’re communicating electronically doesn’t excuse laziness. The easier you make it for the reader to follow your train of thought, the more receptive he will be to your ideas.

4. Avoid using emojis, emoticons, unusual fonts, colored backgrounds, and the like.

This sort of falls under the first guideline of “keep formal correspondence formal,” but it’s worth mentioning nonetheless. Some business settings and contexts require stricter decorum than others. When in doubt, however, err on the side of keeping professional exchanges strictly professional.

5. Double-check (or even triple-check) emails before you send them.

When corresponding by regular mail, you’re much less likely to send a letter to the wrong person, enclose an incorrect document, or inadvertently omit half the text (unless you’re particularly absentminded)! With email, however, it’s alarmingly easy to mistakenly send your vacation photos to a prospective employer instead of your resume, or to send that memo complaining about your obnoxious new client to the client! Never hit “send” until you’re certain everything is in order.

6. Never assume that your emails are private.

Many employees have learned this the hard way. Once you send an email, where it goes and who sees it are no longer within your control. Be wary!

7. Don’t reply too quickly.

Before immediately responding to an email, make sure that you’ve thought the matter through. The ability to reply instantaneously can cause you to look foolish if your email is ill-conceived or incoherent. Moreover, emailing impulsively or when highly emotional rarely ends well.

8. Don’t be blunt.

All good writing is succinct. However, that does not mean that the rules of common courtesy do not apply. Few people would send a traditional letter consisting of one line such as “where is my money, Mr. Babyface?” Yet sometimes we neglect the niceties when communicating over the Internet. Unless you’ve been exchanging multiple emails with someone over a short period, your email should include a greeting, a pleasant remark or two, and a word of closure. Simply approach others as you would like to be approached, and you won’t go wrong here.

9. Never rely on spellcheck!

This last one cannot be emphasized enough. While computers are becoming more sophisticated, they still lack the ability to proofread as a human being would. Only you know what you meant to write, and errors in word usage often go undetected by machines. Computer functions designed to check grammar and spelling should be used only after you’ve double-checked your writing yourself.

In conclusion…

Though many believe letters have gone the way of the horse and carriage, a well-written letter can have more impact than a million phone messages. Your letter will allow you to present yourself clearly and cogently, and if you take the time to craft and check it, can display your eloquence far better than a conversation. So practice; this skill will serve you well your entire life.

Recommended reading

Some of these books contain letters and some contain instructions on how to write letters. All promote the letter as a powerful tool. See what you can learn from them.

Alfred Stuart Nuyers, Letters for All Occasions, Harper Perennial.

Rainer Maria Rilke, Letters to a Young Poet, Vintage Press.

John Stiker and Andrew Shapiro, Superthreats: How to Sound Like a Lawyer and Get Your Rights on Your Own, Rawson Associates.

William Strunk and E. B. White, The Elements of Style, Macmillan.