Business Letter Format - Types of Business Letters

The Business Letter is a writing message for a specific purpose: to sell, buy, thank claim, charge, etc. One comes across various types of business letters written for specific purposes. It is very important to know how to write such business letters as the business letter formats for each of them vary and most professional business letters can be categorized broadly into three main types based on their usage. These categories of business letters are as follows.

The Client to Business Letter Format

This form of business letter is written by clients, employees, job seekers or simply a junior authority within or outside the organisation and is addressed to a superior requesting action on any matter of personal or company interest. The tone of a client to business type letter is formal and assertive at the same time. Many a time’s job seekers have only this one opportunity to present themselves and impress their potential employer or on the other hand announce their intention to move on. Examples of this type of Business Letter include Application Letters, Statement of Purpose, Resumes, Cover Letters, Curriculum Vitae, Letter of Reference, etc. These types of business letters also include resignation letter and last day thank you mails. The format of Business Letters of this type can be found here.

The Business to Business Letter Format

Business to business type of letters are written for company to company communication and are more formally drafted than others and sometimes may be drafted ay an attorney on behalf of the company. These letters are written to make a sale, invite bidders, ask for critical information, to express interest in some of the companies work, request quotation, or simply terminate an agreement. Such letters are often written by Managers of senior executives of companies and require considerable deliberation and preparation for writing a business letter. The formats for such business letters can be found here.

The Business to Client Letter Format

An Example of Business to Client letter would be anything from an appointment letter confirming the appointment of the client or the new recruit, a recommendation letter from your university, Letter of Appreciation from the benevolent boss, a thank you letter written to a business team member or an associate, acknowledgment letter or letter of recognition for one’s contribution to the team. Such business letters are somewhat less formal and intended to please the client. However a really harsh termination letter or a critically drafted scrutiny letter or memo can also come under this type. Get more Business letter templates of this type here.

This site has made a sincere effort at providing you with all the information needed for you to write your business letters with style. Read more about the most commonly used Block format of writing business letters and check out the ready-made Business LetterTemplates on this site.

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University Application Letter Format

An Admission to that Ivy League University can change your entire life for good and every year thousands of students give a shot at securing admission into the institute of their dreams. Whether you get your letter of admission or not depends largely on your University Application Letter. An Application Letter for admission to an University must contain your academic qualifications, your background, work experience if you have any and most importantly your passion that drives you and what impact would you have on the society after passing out of the institution.

These days universities looks very keenly at the ethical and moral stands you are likely to take and affiliation to any social cause helps make that impact. Take a look at the below application letter written to the Indian School of Business, Hyderabad.   

Uday Chopra

Gurudwara Rd

South Extension I

New Delhi, Delhi 110003

To,

Program Director
Masters in Business Administration
ISB Hyderabad, India

02 April, 2015

Subject: Application Letter for admission in university

Dear Sir,

I am applying for the “Master of Business Administration” program at ISB Hyderabad starting in September 2015. My career ambition is to become a successful operations manager.

In High School, I studied Math, Physics, chemistry and Computer Science as major subjects. I completed my B.Tech in Electrical and Electronics Engineering in Amity University in April 2011 with an average score of 92 percent. I scored the highest average score in our department. Then I joined DLF as Project Engineer, where I work currently.

As my first exposure to Management studies, I took the course "Principles of Management" (P.O.M.) in my studies. I was especially surprised that despite having mastered technology, technology-wizards faltered at business and ran into bankruptcy. After attending your Open Day, I became acquainted with the fascinating study of Management. I want to study at your university and focus on Management studies since it gives me an opportunity to combine my technical knowledge and skills with the guidelines of management to become a superior leader.

Complementing my strong academic performance are my advanced skills in communication. In several of the projects during my job, I was responsible for building and leading our project team. As the team leader, I was responsible for not only my performance, but also the output of the workmen and supervisors under me.

I want to study at ISB because of your outstanding educational system, focus on gathering relevant work experience, and your excellent facilities. From speaking with students and professors from your university and other universities, I am confident of my decision. With many distinguished Industry Managers as professors, I know that I will gain expert knowledge at the forefront of Management.

Given my past history of commitment to excellence, I am confident that I will bring a high level of energy and enthusiasm to your program. I am sure to exceed your expectations, because of both my academic and interpersonal skills as well as the experience gained from my internship. I will enrich the program by enabling fellow students and professors to benefit from my ambitious and open nature. 

Thank you for considering my application, and I look forward to your acceptance. 

Sincerely yours,

Uday Chopra

You will have to attach a letter of recommendation from a professor or your employer to support your application and keep your transcripts and certificates ready, you will need them soon. A lot of students these days avail the services of an admission councilor to pick and chose their universities and prepare for interviews. If you have availed such services, tell us about them using the comments section below.

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How to Write a Cover Letter - 6 Tips for Writing a Strong Cover Letter

A cover letter is a short, conversational document the purpose of which is- narrating your resume in your own words, highlighting relevant skill set and contextualizing it for a specific job. It is that piece of information that can make you stand out from the crowd while applying for a job.
So how do you make sure that your cover letter makes an impression and that you are able to write something meaningful in few well-worded sentences?

Here are a few pointers on how to write a good cover letter:

1.    Have a strong opening: Don’t go for a generic opening statement- ‘I am applying for a certain job I saw in certain place.’ Start with something more impactful, something that showcases what excites you about this job and why you are the right candidate and best fit for this particular job. Chances are the hiring manager or recruiter is reading a stack of such, so you want to catch their attention.

2.    Do your research first: Before you start writing find out more about the job you want or the one you are applying for and the company as well. Things you could look for are what the company does, who are the competitors, its position in market, challenges the company is facing. This not only demonstrates your interest in company and the role but also gives you knowledge to tailor your cover letter.

3. Addressing your cover letter: Always address your letter to someone directly. If you're unsure of the right contact, search for the right person on social media/internet and don't be afraid to call the company to ask for a name.

4.  Letter format and presentation: Don’t exceed one page of text. Keep the format that of a standard business letter irrespective of whether you’re sending it as an attachment or in the body of the mail. Use a standard font like Arial or Times New Roman. Go through the letter multiple times and check for spelling mistakes or grammatical errors before hitting the send button.

5.  Emphasize your personal value: Recruiting managers are looking for people who can help them solve problems. Include why you would be an asset to the company, the unique things you have to offer and how they would benefit from having you on their team You can talk about how your how your experience or worldview will help you at the job, perhaps explain how you solved a similar problem in the past or share a relevant accomplishment.

6.  Show enthusiasm: Enthusiasm is essential as it conveys personality. Make it clear why you want the position as a lot of people today possess required skills. Hence the employers want someone who truly is interested in the job.

Your cover letter's often the very first impression a hiring manager, recruiter or HR professional has of you -- make sure it's the best it can possibly be.

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