Traditional Letter Writing Format
Business letter writing format can vary. I like to use the traditional letter writing format which can have some or all of the following features.
In this post I have created a sample letter and underneath I have explained what each element is and how it is supposed to be used. Learn about using the right tone in business writing in Write Now: Business Writing That Gets Results.
Example letter writing format
BE Solutions (a)
200 Seventh Avenue, Suite 1502
New York, NY 10002
September 10, 2012 (b)
Miller Consulting (c)
Attention: Mr. Miller
300 East Evergreen, Suite 203
Chicago, Illinois 60462
United States
Dear Mr. Miller: (d)
Re: New York interview report (e)
(f) Thank you for …. As I mentioned in my last letter to you . . . I am enclosing a copy of the final report….
Sincerely, (g)
Bernard Shapiro (h)
President, BE Solutions
BS/jf (i)
Encl.: Final report.doc (j)
cc: Roger Harris, BE Solutions (k)
P.S. I look forward to having lunch with you the next time I am in Chicago. (l)
[/note]
|
a |
letterhead |
Information about the company, the address |
|
b |
date |
day on which the letter is written. You can also use 10 September 2012. |
|
c |
inside address |
address of the recipient, two lines below the date. Use the “Attention” line if you wish to send the letter to a specific person in a company. |
|
d |
salutation |
Greeting the person. The name is followed by a colon (:). You can use Ms. for a woman, which does not specify the marital status. |
|
e |
subject line |
Topic of the letter. This is optional. You can also use Subj.: |
|
f |
body of the letter |
Message of the letter with paragraph breaks. You can indent the paragraphs. It appears two lines below the subject line. |
|
g |
closing |
Two lines below the message. You can also use “Sincerely yours,” “Yours truly,” or “Best regards,” |
|
h |
signature |
Include the typed name and title of the person writing the letter. |
|
i |
reference initials |
Two lines below the signature, you can include the typist initials in lower case. The writer’s initials appear in capitals. |
|
j |
enclosure |
Use if you are including another document with the letter. |
|
k |
carbon copy line |
Other people receiving the letter. |
|
l |
postscript |
Two spaces below you can include extra information in one sentence. |
Letter 1:
Fast Fitness, 80 Front St.
New York NY 10003-1324
March 25th, 2014
Fast Fitness
Attention: Ms. Silvia Cominelli
300 East Evergreen, Suite 203
Chicago, Illinois 60462
United States
Dear Ms. Cominelli
Re: General Manager interview report
It is my pleasure to inform you that you have been selected as the most qualified candidate for the job of general manager of the Fast Fitness health and leisure clubs, chain. Your experience as a trainer for the national football team and your leadership have shown us that you are ready to lead our gym to it’s full potential. Your assertive attitude and ambition are exactly what our team needs to stay motivated and at the top of their game.
Sincerely,
Emilie Mercier-Menard and Pierre-Luc Giroux
Presidents, Fast Fitness.
P.S. We look forward to receiving your feedback and having you as a part of this team.
Dear ms. Marta.
Thank you for your submission for the General Manager job. We read your CV and we both think that you are a great candidate for the job! We saw that you had some experience in this job!
The first time we saw you during the interview, we imediatly felt you good energy and your determination! We really loved the way you interacted with us! At fastfitness, we respect our employees and it is very important for us to enable you to use qualities and strenghts!
It is for those reasons that we think that you are the most qualified person to be our new General Manager!
You are a WARRIOR,
the fastfitness team
Jesse Pinkman and Walter White
Presidents.
Fast Fitness
80 Front St,
New York, NY 10003-1324
March 25, 2014
Martha Gomez
1000 Juventus St.
São Paulo, São Paulo
Brazil
Dear Ms. Gomez:
Re: São Paulo interview report
Thank you for applying for our company, we are happy to announce you that you are now part of Fast Fitness Corporation! We were impressed by your enthusiastic and dynamic personality and your leadership you showed during your interview. We think you are a good fit for the job position and we offer you a good opportunity.
Sincerely,
Presidents, Fast Fitness Corporation
MR, TH
Encl.: MarthaGomez C.V.doc.
P.S. We look forward to having you on our team.