If you have ever held a job in your life or applied for a job or post-secondary school education, you are familiar with writing a formal letter. You should be somewhat comfortable with the official letter format for a business letter or other formal letter.
For those who need help composing formal business letters, we will provide tips on composing a formal letter, focusing on the format. This will help you in your job search, whether It’s for maintenance tech jobs, jobs in the educational field, corporate level jobs, etc.
Official Letter Format
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Address of Sender
When using formal letter format, you will start with the sender’s address in the right-hand corner at the top of the letter. You should include the sender’s full name, address, phone number, and email address.
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Date
After the sender’s address, you should skip a line and include the date on which the official letter is composed. This serves to help avoid confusion during the course of communication as well as express a feeling of continuity. The date is also imperative should the letter be used for current or future legal purposes. Include the month, date, and year in the official letter format.
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Address of Recipient
The recipient’s address should go under the date but on the left-hand side. Take care to include their official title (i.e., Doctor/Ms/Mr/Mrs and so forth) followed by their job title. Next, you should include their address, city/providence and country. If you are unsure of the recipient’s name, use the business title (i.e., Hiring Manager, etc.)
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Greeting/Salutation
The greeting or salutation is how you officially “greet” or address the recipient. Always use a formal greeting such as “Dear Mr/Sir/Madam, etc.” or the full name of the recipient. It is not a good idea to use an informal greeting, even if you know the person for an off
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Subject Line
The subject line gives the receipt a glance as to what is addressed in the formal letter. Say if you were applying for a job, you would indicate the job for which you are applying and the reference number if any.
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Body
This is the part of the letter that would convey the pertinent information. Typically, the body in an official letter format should be no longer than three paragraphs. The first paragraph will contain your intent for the letter, the second will highlight any critical points, and the final paragraph will contain a summary of the business letter.
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Closing
You should use a formal closing to conclude your letter, such as “Sincerely,” “Cordially,” or “Best Regards.” You would then skip 2 lines and type out your name, followed on the next line by your title and contact number (or email).
Always proofread your formal business letter for any spelling or grammatical errors. Sign the letter with ink in the space between the closing and your name if mailing the letter, but this is not necessary for formal email correspondence.
Need help composing with official letter format or updating your resume? Call Team Global / MSM to begin your job search! We have helped hundreds of people find the job of their dreams and can’t wait to help you get started on your career path!