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Professional Letter Writing Guide, Tips and Examples
Professional letter writing is amongst the most challenging tasks when it comes to following a professional letter format. In this letter, you usually address an organization or a person with whom you have little or no familiarity and the type of content written in the letter including the grammar and spellings are extremely scrutinized. Generally speaking, professional letter is written for the following purposes:
- In order to make a complaint to someone
- Requesting someone about a particular thing
- Making an inquiry about something
[Read More: What is an Authorization Letter? ]
Conventions Need to be Followed While Writing a Professional Letter
There are various conventions that must be followed and it is vital that the entire structure of the professional letter is concise and clear and you should try your best to avoid informal language or use of colloquialisms.
Stating Your Address
In a professional letter writing the address is mention on the top right side of the letter. This is done to enable the recipient of the letter to respond to that address.
Writing the Address of the Recipient
The address of the recipient of the letter should be mentioned below the address of the sender but on the left side. This will also include the name of the person who will receive the letter if the person is known.
Mention the Date
The date on which you are writing the professional letter should be mentioned on the right part of the letter below the address and should be written in the following format:
For example: 1st January 2016
Start with a Greeting or Salutation
The salutation “Dear Sir” is used if the name of the person who will receive the letter is unknown to you. In some cases, it is important to locate the name of the person particularly when you are making a request to someone. This will demonstrate that you already know the person you are writing to and will increase the chances of getting a response back.
If the name of the person is known, then the salutation can be like “Dear Mr James”.
- Mr is used for a male
- Miss is used for an unmarried female
- Mrs is used for a married female
- Ms is used for a female whose status is not known to you or who prefers to keep her status anonymous
- For a doctor, Dr is used
These salutations are followed by the surname of the person and not by the initial name.
Conclusion Details of the Professional Letter
- If the name of the person to whom the letter is being sent is unknown, then the letter concludes with “Yours faithfully”.
- If the name of the recipient of the letter is known, the letter concludes with “Yours sincerely”.
This is followed by your signature along with your printed name under the signature. Next to your name you should write your post or title in brackets.
Tips for Writing a Perfect Professional Letter
Writing the Content
Presently, the trend for writing short words and letters is increasing day by day because of the frequent use of online media and text messages. For example the word “you” is written as “u” and the word “weekend” is written as “wkend”. There are several other examples of this. This causal way of writing style is not advised while following a professional letter format. This is because here a formal style of writing is required.
The Starting Paragraph
The introductory paragraph of the letter must be clear and concise and should state the purpose of writing very clearly: be it an inquiry, complaint or a request for something.
Main Body of the Letter
In a professional letter the main body must mention comprehensively the points which you intend to discuss. Generally, it is a rule to make the letter to the point so that the reader does not lose track of it and remains engaged. A main body which is too long can be accurate while you are making a complaint because here details are required for telling about the importance of whatever you are mentioning about.
The Ending Paragraph
The last paragraph must mention the call to action for the reader which you want him to take i.e. to send particular information or to make a refund etc.
Types of Professional Letters
Letter of Complaint
A professional letter that is written to make a complaint is sent to an organization or person as a result of a lack of service or poor product functioning that is inappropriate for you.
When to Write Letter of Complaint
For example, you can write a letter for making a complain to a tour operator who has not provided you with a good service when you were on a holiday with your family. Here, it is important that your inform them about the details of what was not appropriate during the trip and hence the letter should be comprehensive and detailed.
Letter of Enquiry
Writing a professional letter to make an enquiry again is written to an organization or person for speculation or as a reply for a material of printed public domain where you request to receive certain amount of information.
When to Write Letter of Enquiry
For example, you can sent a letter of enquiry to an organization and request them to send you a copy of their brochure or catalogue. These letters are not detailed but are to the point. This letter must include the contact details so that the particular organization can contact you in response of the enquiry.
Letter of Request
If you want to request someone, a professional letter is written in a similar way as the one written for an enquiry to take an action.
When to Write Letter of Request
For example in this kind of letter you can request some organization or company to sponsor an event that you are organizing. It is vital to emphasize on the event but you must remain concise and clear about whatever you are writing so that the reader remains engaged and gives you a positive feedback.
