The main characteristics of an effective business letter are as follows:
There is a lot of dissention when it comes to formatting letters. Some of us have learned certain techniques which have changed over time regarding format. You can also find there are numerous different business letter templates for the type of business letter you are writing.
The content however will be unchanged when it comes to the important or effective characteristics your business letter should have. Keywords are highly important and some of the hardest words to put in the letter. Keywords are words that the reader is looking for. For some reason there are just some keywords that tend to make a person think better about the writer.
In a business letter for a job application often a reader is looking for certain tag words like time management. Just because the keywords are in there though, does not mean that you can stop there.
The letter has to be extremely unique even when using the keywords. If it sounds like a form letter or template letter then you will be passed over for anything. The reader has to be entertained. It does not have to be funny. That is not what is meant by entertainment. Instead, it has to be eye catching, different and something that will make an impression no matter what the business is that you are discussing in the letter.
It is also imperative that you know who the letter is going to. If you write "to whom it may concern" then you are not catching the attention of the reader. Instead, it looks like you have not done enough research. Have a good opening line that clearly states the purpose of the letter. Think of it as a thesis statement for a letter.
- Keywords
- Knowing who the letter goes to
- Entertainment
- Clearly stated purpose
There is a lot of dissention when it comes to formatting letters. Some of us have learned certain techniques which have changed over time regarding format. You can also find there are numerous different business letter templates for the type of business letter you are writing.
The content however will be unchanged when it comes to the important or effective characteristics your business letter should have. Keywords are highly important and some of the hardest words to put in the letter. Keywords are words that the reader is looking for. For some reason there are just some keywords that tend to make a person think better about the writer.
In a business letter for a job application often a reader is looking for certain tag words like time management. Just because the keywords are in there though, does not mean that you can stop there.
The letter has to be extremely unique even when using the keywords. If it sounds like a form letter or template letter then you will be passed over for anything. The reader has to be entertained. It does not have to be funny. That is not what is meant by entertainment. Instead, it has to be eye catching, different and something that will make an impression no matter what the business is that you are discussing in the letter.
It is also imperative that you know who the letter is going to. If you write "to whom it may concern" then you are not catching the attention of the reader. Instead, it looks like you have not done enough research. Have a good opening line that clearly states the purpose of the letter. Think of it as a thesis statement for a letter.
