© 2003 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers. 1 Chapter 19 Letters and Employment Correspondence Technical Communication, 9/e John M. Lannon PowerPoint prepared by Jimidene Murphy

© 2003 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers. 2 When a Letter is Better than a Memo or Use a letter when you need to  Personalize your message  Convey a dignified, professional impression  Act as a representative of your company  Present a carefully constructed case  Respond to clients, customers, or anyone outside your organization  Provide an official notice or record of an announcement or legal action

© 2003 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers. 3 Parts of a Letter Heading / company name Date and inside address Salutation Body of letter Closing and signature Any notations

© 2003 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers. 4 Special Parts of a Letter  Attention line  Subject line  Typist’s initials  Enclosure notation  Distribution notation  Postscript

© 2003 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers. 5 Design Factors  Quality stationary  Uniform margins and spacing  Appropriate headings for multiple pages  Appropriate envelopes

© 2003 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers. 6 Interpersonal Considerations  Focus on the reader’s perspective  Use plain English  Focus on the human connection  Anticipate the reader’s react  Decide on the direct or the indirect plan

© 2003 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers. 7 Types of Letters  Inquiry letters  Letters requesting an informative interview  Answers to telephone and inquiries  Claim letters  Routine  Arguable

© 2003 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers. 8 Preparing a Résumé  Gather contact information  Statement of objective  Education  Work experience  Personal data  Interests, achievements, awards, and skills  References

© 2003 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers. 9 Organizing a Résumé Give some advantages and disadvantages of each of the following ways to organize a résumé. When would you want to use each? Reverse chronological order Functional Combination

© 2003 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers. 10 Job Application Letter Image Target audience Two types  Solicited  Unsolicited

© 2003 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers. 11 Electronic Job Hunting Online employment resources Electronic scanning of résumés  Preparing content for a scannable résumé  Designing a scannable résumé Hyperlinking a résumé Protecting your privacy

© 2003 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers. 12 Support for the Application  Dossier  Portfolio  Interviews  Follow-up letters  Letters of acceptance  Letters of refusal

© 2003 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers. 13 Any Questions? For additional help reviewing this chapter, please visit the Companion Website for your text at