Betty Sample Flat 4B, 21/FL, Hills Mansion, 123 Tai Tam Street, Homantin, Hong Kong, [email protected], 9876-5432 (Your address should look like a letterhead. You may refer to letter formats on the Internet to find a style that suits your own taste.) 13th September, 2010 (British style) | September 13, 2010 (U.S. style) (If possible, choose a style to suit company background.) Ms. Janice Ha (Addressee) Human Resource Manager (Addressee position) HSBC (Company name) Headquarters Building (Company address) 1 Queen’s Road Central Hong Kong Dear Ms. Ha, Re: Management Trainee (Centre + Bold + Underline) I write in response to your job posting of Management Trainee on SCMP. This year, I will be graduating from the City University of Hong Kong with a degree in Business Administration majoring in Marketing. Being communicative and knowledgeable, I am confidant that I am a strong candidate for this position. Opening Paragraph  Identify job source  Use specific job title  Present your background  Use the first part of the letter to capture the reader’s ATTENTION. Spend time to make sure that this paragraph carefully and nicely crafted so that the reader will read on.  While you need to introduce yourself in this part of the letter, try not to use too many ‘I’s to begin sentences. In the three years that I have spent at City U, I have learnt a lot about business practices in challenging business environments. Serving as an intern at a local bank in China, I helped supervise a team of bank clerk trainees in a new branch. In this project, I demonstrated the leadership and the effective communication skills required to deliver effective services. Together with my supervisor, we coached the trainee clerks on client-centered work principles and responsibility sharing in teamwork. At university, I was socially active and I took up a number of positions in societies where I assumed various positions of responsibility. Being a good team player, I worked closely with other students to put together events and projects. I was particularly good at playing a facilitator’s role which made easy decision making in meetings. In the many projects in which I was involved, my positive and supportive attitude helped keep up morale amongst coworkers, especially in stressful situations. Last summer, in a student exchange programme in Canada, I spent 3 months studying at the University of Victoria in Vancouver. The trip provided the rare opportunity for me to make presentations in English to native speakers. We also shared views on business ethics with people from very diverse cultural backgrounds. But I think I have learnt most in the role play sessions where I had to explain our products and services to new customers. Paragraph 2 onwards  Use keywords and specific terms  Relate abilities and accomplishment to job description or responsibilities  Use specific examples  Do not write more than what is needed (2 to 4 paragraphs).  Do not brag about your abilities or accomplishments. A succinct description of your abilities and work will serve the purpose.  Arouse the reader’s INTEREST in you by showing how you may fit in to the position and serve those working with you. I am excited about the possibility of joining HSBC as a management trainee. I strongly believe that my training in business at CityU, my varied work experiences, and my superb communication skills will enable me to meet the most challenging work situations. On two days notice, I will be able to come to your office for an interview. To reach me, you can call 1234 5678 anytime during the day. Closing Paragraph  Request meeting or interview.  Provide contact information and time preference (if appropriate).  Addressing the addressee again can sometimes help make closer personal distance  Create DESIRE in the reader by summarizing your strength as a worker and as a person!  Prompt ACTION by showing that you are eager for a meeting or an interview and by saying how it can be done.  Make sure the letter is not longer than 1 page. Sincerely, Betty Sample ----------------------------Betty Sample