Being Professional:

Writing for College and

Professional Correspondences
 Learning Objective

• To identify the unique features of

and requirements in composing
college and professional
correspondences
Key Understanding
 Learning how to write effective
college/professional correspondences will
prepare you for future college/job application.

Key Questions
 What are the important things that you should
bear in mind when writing college/professional
correspondences?
 Why do you need to learn how to write effective
college/professional correspondences?
 What Is a Resume?
 A document that contains a brief account of a
person’s education, skills, work experience, and
other qualifications

 Usually sent along with job applications, and

sometimes with school applications

 Allows school admissions officers and hiring

officers to assess the person’s experience and
determine how he/she can contribute to their
organization
 Formatting Your Resume
CHRONOLOGICAL RESUME

 A resume type which describes work experience

role by role, beginning with the most recent job

 The most popular type because education and work

history is immediately revealed
 Formatting Your Resume
CATEGORIES THAT NORMALLY APPEAR IN A
CHRONOLOGICAL RESUME
• Heading. This includes identifying information, such as
full name, address, home phone number, cell phone
number, and e-mail.
• Objective. This informs the reader of the specific
purpose of the resume, such as application for a job or a
degree program. It should be specific, focused on the
audience’s needs, and concise.
• Education. This lists the high schools attended. If
necessary, it may include class rank, average or
honors/advanced courses taken.
 Formatting Your Resume
CATEGORIES THAT NORMALLY APPEAR IN A
CHRONOLOGICAL RESUME
• Honors and awards. This lists any academic and extra-
curricular recognition received. It gives the reader a
short description of the award and tells the reader when
the award was given.
• School activities. This category enumerates
experience in school, including clubs, class projects,
sports, etc. Entries should be descriptive to give the
reader a good grasp of the experience mentioned.
Include the time period of involvement, as well as duties
and specific contributions. Leadership roles and special
recognition should also be highlighted.
 Formatting Your Resume
CATEGORIES THAT NORMALLY APPEAR IN A
CHRONOLOGICAL RESUME
• Work experience. This reveals any relevant work
experience in the past (paid or voluntary). It should
include the job title, the name of the organization, the
employment period, and specific duties and
accomplishments. It should show tasks that reveal
technical, communication, leadership, and interpersonal
skills. It may also include experience outside school,
such as community involvement.
• Enrichment activities. This details any other projects,
skills, programs, relevant hobbies, or experiences that
strengthen the application. It should provide a short
description of each and the month and year that it
occurred.
 Formatting Your Resume
SAMPLE RESUME
 Polishing Your Resume
STEPS IN POLISHING YOUR RESUME
• Revising. This step involves validating all the information
placed in your resume, especially the data concerning your
education and employment. It is necessary to identify areas
where a mistake has been made or details may have been
misrepresented.
• Updating. Your resume should always reflect your current job,
further studies, participation in activities, and upgrade in skill
set.
• Proofreading. Reading your resume several times can help
ensure that there are no errors in content, mechanics,
grammar and spelling, organization, and formatting and
appearance in the resume. Asking your teacher, family
members, or friends to read it and give constructive comments
may also help.
What Is a Job Application Letter?

 A letter that accompanies the resume and

highlights the strengths that the applicant has
listed

 More popularly known as cover letter

 Parts of a Cover Letter

1. Introduction
 This part opens the letter and specifies the position you
are applying for.
 Tips on writing an attention-grabbing introduction:
*Name the source of your information specifically.
*State the job title and explain how your
qualifications match its requirements.
 Parts of a Cover Letter
2. Body
 This part emphasizes your strongest points and shows how
you meet the employer’s needs.
 It is essential to highlight in this portion the benefits that the
organization will get from accepting you by looking for ways to
connect your experience to practical situations required in the
job posting.
 Tips on writing an effective body:
*Look for ways to connect your experience to practical
situations required in the job posting.
*Showcase your personality by choosing the best
instances that reveal your ability to lead, work in a team,
and communicate.
*Do not forget to remind the reader that they can learn
more about you by referring them to your attached
resume.
 Parts of a Cover Letter

3. Conclusion
 This part of the letter is where you request for an
interview.
 Tips on writing a good conclusion:
*Sound enthusiastic and appreciative.
*Don’t forget to include your contact information.
Sample Cover Letter
 What Is a College
Application Essay?

 An essay that is a response to a prompt that

allows a college admissions committee to get to
know the applicant more personally

 A proof that the applicant is competent at

writing and thinking

 An assessment tool for the admissions

committee on how the applicant can contribute
to the school’s community
 The Most Common Types of
College Application Essay
Questions
• The “You” Question. This question asks the applicant
to tell the committee about himself or herself.
Example: This university puts a premium on
diversity among its students. What contributions do
you think you can give to our community, based on
your extra-curricular interests?
Hint: Make sure to focus on a few related things
that show your strengths to maintain coherence in
your essay. Make a story out of a specific event,
person, place, or feeling that will reveal your
personality.
 The Most Common Types of
College Application Essay
Questions
• The “Why Us” Question. This question inquires about
the plans of the applicant and probes deeper into his or
her choice of a course or college.
Example: Why did you choose this university to
pursue your degree?
Hint: Be clear on how that particular college fits into
your plans. Do your research on the school and
share what your future plans will be, and how going
to this school can help you achieve that.
The Most Common Types of
College Application Essay
Questions
• The “Creative” Question. This question seeks to
assess the applicant’s competency at thinking and
writing creatively by expressing his or her views and
showing his or her personality.
Example: Imagine that you are writing your
autobiography. What would you want the last
paragraph to say?
Hint: Make sure to balance the creative side of the
question. Be realistic with your answers and try to
avoid being pretentious or exaggerating.
 General Tips on Writing a
College Application Essay

 Apply the steps in the writing process in making

your essay: pre-writing, writing, and post-writing.

 Research on the university you are applying to.

 Follow the guidelines given to you, which may

include formatting and word count.
 Office Correspondence:
Business Letter
 A formal message written, typed, or printed and is
typically sent from one organization to another party
outside the organization, like customers, clients, or
partners

 Used to express compliments, complaints,

questions, recommendations, requests, among
others
 Deemed important in business because: (1) permanent
records of something are required; (2) formality is
needed; (3) messages are sensitive and must be
organized
 Classification of
Business Letters
• Positive and neutral letters. These letters
communicate goodwill, neutral and straightforward
requests and positive messages. They are used for
everyday business, such as direct requests for
information and action, and responses to these.
• Persuasive letters. These letters try to convince the
reader to perform a particular course of action.
Examples of these letters include sales pitches.
• Negative letters. These letters contain negative
messages like bad news, poor service,
misunderstandings, complaints, and refusals. Special
care should be taken in writing these letters, because
bad news may annoy, infuriate, or disappoint the reader.
 Patterns of Organizing
Business Letters

1. Direct request (neutral letters)

• Introduction: Begin with the most important question
or request.
• Body: Explain the request clearly and politely.
• Conclusion: End with a request for a concrete action,
with a definite time if possible, and express gratitude.
 Patterns of Organizing
Business Letters

2. Persuasive messages
• Introduction: Open with a hook to grab your reader’s
attention, like a question, benefit, unusual fact or
feature, or situation.
• Body: Provide details that increase interest. Use
appeals to both logic and emotion. Anticipate the
reader’s concerns.
• Conclusion: End with an action that motivates the
reader.
 Patterns of Organizing
Business Letters

3. Negative messages
• Introduction: Prepare the reader for the bad news by
providing a neutral statement, such as facts,
agreement, appreciation, apologies, etc.
• Body: Clearly state the reasons for the bad news
before mentioning the news. Afterwards, clearly
express the news in an understated way.
• Conclusion: Provide an alternative, if possible.
Otherwise, include a forward-looking statement that
builds goodwill.
Formatting the Business Letter
SAMPLE BUSINESS LETTER FORMAT
Additional Tips on Formatting
Business Letters
 Start the date 2 inches from the top or 1 blank line
below the letterhead.

 For block style, begin all lines at the left margin.

 Leave side margins of 1 to 1 1/2 inches depending

on the length of the letter.

 Single-space the body and double-space between

paragraphs.

 Bulleted items may appear flush left or indented.

 Office Correspondence:
Memorandum
 The most familiar form of internal communication in
the business setting

 Commonly referred to as memo

 Has various uses and purposes, such as: (1) giving

recommendations; (2) requesting for information;
(3) sending orders to employees; (4) providing
responses to queries; (5) sketching out procedures,
rules and regulations; (6) reporting about finished
actions or new information; and (7) finalizing
business decisions
General Guidelines in Writing
Memoranda
 Know your reasons and goals for writing the memo.

 Do proper research on all your facts.

 Choose the audience for the memo wisely.

 Formally begin the memo by labeling the top of the page

with “Memorandum”, “Memo”, or other similar labels.

 Keep the memo overall as short as one page.

General Guidelines in Writing
Memoranda
 Provide headings for your memo indicating the name of
the recipient, the name of the sender, the date the
memo is written, and the subject for the memo.

 Start by stating your purpose for writing, and then follow

this up with a short abstract of the memo’s body.

 Begin each paragraph or section of the body with a

sentence containing the most important information, so
your reader can quickly find the information he needs.
Then further develop the first sentence of each section
with supporting facts and points.
General Guidelines in Writing
Memorandums
 Try to make your memo as readable and easy to
understand as possible by using columns, bulleted lists,
white space, underlined or bold text and other
techniques that increase ease of reading.

 Your conclusion should briefly highlight again your main

points in the introduction and it should also request an
action from the reader.

 Don’t use salutations at your opening or a matching

close. You do not need to close your memo with your
signature, since you as the sender are already
mentioned in a heading at the top of the memo.
 Formatting the Memorandum
SAMPLE MEMORANDUM
 Additional Tips on Formatting
Memoranda
 Set one tab to align entries evenly after Subject.

 Type the subject line in all caps or capitalize the initial letters
of principal words.

 Leave 1 or 2 blank lines after the subject line.

 Single-space all but the shortest memos. Double-space

between paragraphs.

 For full-page memos on plain paper, leave a 2-inch top

margin.
Additional Tips on Formatting
Memoranda
 For half-page memos, leave a 1-inch top margin.

 Use 1.25-inch side margins.

 For a two-page memo, use a second-page heading with the

addressee’s name, page number, and date.

 Handwrite your initials after your typed name.

 Place bulleted or numbered lists flush left or indent them 0.5

inches.