A letter of interest, also known as a letter of inquiry or a cover letter, is used by a job applicant to show an employer their interest in the job. It usually accompanies the applicant's resume and application. The letter is written from the applicant directly to the employer with information that the employer may find useful about the applicant. The format of this letter is fairly standard and
. easy to follow. Proper terms of address and professional verbiage are important to use. The letter is addressed to the Human Resources department, or to the person that posted the job application. It should then state why the applicant is interested in the position, for example they may have studied that field in university and they feel they have the right tools to apply to the job. The applicant also needs to list out their qualities that make them stand out from other applicants, such as their experience, drive and ability to get along with others. All of this written material should only take up a page maximum, otherwise the applicant runs the risk of boring the employer and not attracting them to the look at the resume and full application. For those new to writing a letter of interest, there are several format ideas available online that can help give ideas and ensure that the person is writing an interesting letter. Many schools, including Kansas State University at http://www.k-state.edu/hr/employment/emp_ltr_of_inter.html, offer example letters and tips for their students to reference. This can help students fresh out of school learn about applying for a job and gaining their first major employment opportunity. The Pima County Public Library, online at http://www.library.pima.gov/research/guides/grantsletterinquiry.php, also has a letter of interest format that is useful for people to follow. This format varies slightly in that instead of asking for consideration for a job, it is asking for the person to consider donating to a cause. This type of letter is good for organizations to use as a reference when creating fundraising letters to send out to potential donors. More Reference Links: http://www.k-state.edu/hr/employment/emp_ltr_of_inter.html http://www.library.pima.gov/research/guides/grantsletterinquiry.php
