Job Applications and emails ( in other words HELP!!)

[Nightshade]

Basically its job huinting season (not that I havent been hunting since feb but with uni finished its alot more intese shall we say?) anyway I am finding that I am constatly having to write emails to people going can I have more info on this job please. But I am all :confused: as to the tone these emails should take and the grammer. Well dont get me started on the grammer.
so I was wondering thoughts anyone? How formal should an email be? do we follow the old letter rules? or does electronic communication automatically mean a less formal tone?

and if anyone is feeling extra espically nice Im going to post the latest email for proof reading, please :D

[Nightshade]

Dear Victor,

I am writing to enquire about the above post. I have registered with axcis and my CV is attatched. I would like to have more information about the post. I am familiar with Egypt having lived there for 5 years and can speak Arabic, so I would like to know more about the school, such as where it is and which school it is.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
thats all I have so far is the grammer and spelling right? and how do I end it?
and why does this have to be so HARD :bawling:

[Nightshade]

email address only contains his first name.

but thankyou thankyou thankyou oh kitkatty one!

[Scheherazade]

What are you talking about?

:D

Here is my suggestion:



Dear Victor,

I am writing to you to enquire about the above post. I have registered with axcis and my CV is attatched. I would like to have more information about the post. I am familiar with Egypt having lived there for 5 years and can speak Arabic, so I would like to know more about the school, such as where it is and which school it is.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
To begin with, is there a particular reason for not calling this person "Mr X"?

Also, it is grammar! ;)

Dear Victor,

I am writing to you to enquire about the about post.

Having lived in Egypt for five years, I am quite familiar with the country and can speak Arabic fluently.

I have registered with Axcis and a copy of my CV is attached.

I would like to receive more information about the post and the school that is advertising for it.

Looking forward to hearing from you soon.

Yours Faithfully,

Nightshade

[The Comedian]

Nightshade,

I'm in the process of interviewing candidates for a teaching position at my college. (I'm a professor at the school as well). So I hope to offer you some advice from the other side of the CV.

First -- grammar in all correspondence is important, even more important when your content area is language. Always err on the side of proper usage. Why? Because most readers of your CV/emails will assume that you can write correctly, so a failure to do so on your part may suggest that you don't carefully review your professional work, which is often a more damning first impression than the actually loose grammar itself.

Second -- I suspect that it's highly likely that your application will be reviewed by a group of people (I could be wrong, though, as processes are different for different institutions). As such, the entirety of your application materials and correspondence will be printed and distributed to the committee. And in this printed packet, do you know what is often on top of that packet? The latest email that you sent. Talk about a bad first impression! We've discounted job seekers just because their emails were sloppy.

Third -- Use a formal tone, especially on the initial email you send. If a more casual tone is established by the recipient, (he says, "just call me Victor"), then follow his or her lead. But still, even when a more casual tone has been set, you should be more formal than they are.

Fourth -- At risk of contradicting myself, you should try to maintain your personality while establishing a formal tone. Committees who review job applications like to see that a person is qualified, but they also like to see if the candidate is a good "fit" for the institution; they want to like you. So give them something to like while showing your professionalism.

Okay, I'll stop now. Hope the search goes well!

I like Scher's better than the original. I'll touch it up further. My edits in bold.




Here is my suggestion:

To begin with, is there a particular reason for not calling this person "Mr X"?

Also, it is grammar! ;)

Mr. X,

I am writing to you to enquire about the about post for the POSITION NAME that was advertised in HERE. [Here = website, print publication, etc. . .]

Having lived in Egypt for five years, I am quite familiar with the country and can speak Arabic fluently.

Per the instructions on the job posting, I have registered with Axcis and a copy of my CV is attached to this email in MS Word format.(not that it has to be in Word. I just like to indicate the file type).

If it's no trouble, I would like to receive more information about the position and the school that is advertising for it. If there are any supplemental materials that you could send to me or web sites that I should visit, I would greatly appreciate the opportunity to research the position and institution more carefully.

Looking forward to hearing from you soon.

Yours Faithfully,

Nightshade

[Scheherazade]

The Comedian> You are hired! ;)

Night> Is this email to an agency or to the school itself? I assumed that it was the former.

[The Comedian]

The Comedian> You are hired! ;)

Night> Is this email to an agency or to the school itself? I assumed that it was the former.

Yeah, I assumed that it was written to the school, but I think I might have assumed incorrectly. Either way, I think much of my advice is still pertinent.

[Scheherazade]

Yeah, I assumed that it was written to the school, but I think I might have assumed incorrectly. Either way, I think much of my advice is still pertinent.
I was not trying to undermine your advice but wanted to tell Night that if she was writing to the school directly, my version might be a little informal.

Your advice is excellent; something for all of us to read and learn from.

:)

[Nightshade]

well thanks for amazing advice folks, did send it out. It's the agency I am writing to.
Ive got one more month to find a job before I go into panic mode.
So formal formal formal is the way to go?
good to know :nod: :D

[Scheherazade]

Good luck, Night... Though one month may not be enough to find a job, especially considering that summer holiday is around the corner. So, be prepared and don't lose heart. :)

You should thank The Comedian for any positive outcome. And for any unforeseen negative outcomes will be resolutely blamed on [me].

;) :D :p

[Nightshade]

:lol:
will do.
I am basically homless at the end of July if I can't find a job. so trying every kind of library I can think of all over the place. :rolleyes:

[subterranean]

I wanted to post my application letter that I used when applying for my current job. However, reading the advices of from Scher and Comedian, I think you have enough of good tips already! :)

All I can say is, all the best for you. Hope it gets through as I'd hate it to see you be a homeless (even a very cool homeless ;))

[Nightshade]

Oh well post as much as you want subby, Im sure lots of other people can benifit from the advice and you can never have too much advice. :D :nod: