How to Write a Letter of Interest

You’ve probably heard of an Expression of Interest or EOI (Expression of Interest) in most commercial correspondence. This is a way for you to express your aspirations to the employer as well as show your outstanding points to suit the job position. If you are interested in a visa open letter, check out other articles in the same category.

Table of Contents

Make an outline for your letter of interest

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Look closely at your skills and experience. Before creating an outline, take a moment to write down the work experience you have gained in the relevant field as well as the skills that meet the employer’s requirements. Don’t waste time on skills or experience that don’t match the position you’re applying for because you’re proving yourself to be a good candidate for this job and not any other.

Let’s say you are applying for an information technology position for a government agency. If you have previous experience in computer/technology related positions, you should specify this. You should not bring up irrelevant factors such as valuable experience while working on a fishing barge in the summer. Also, add personal skills that support the job, such as knowledge of basic programming languages.

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Select a main “topic” for the EOI. A letter of interest should be as clear and concise as possible. ^{[1] X Research Sources} To keep the EOI short, you can summarize the topic of the EOI in a single sentence (similar to how you would write an essay in school). It may sound a bit insensitive to write: “I want this letter to help me get a job”, focus on what this job means to you personally and professionally, and point out what stands out more. your other person in this position.

For example, in the information technology position example, you might truncate the purpose of the EOI as follows: “The purpose of this letter is to demonstrate that I can use my skills and personal experience. to meet the strict requirements of information technology work”. You should avoid informal statements like “The purpose of the letter is to prove that I am the best and that I should get the job.”

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Determine exactly why you want the job. Theoretically, a number of candidates could have multiple choices. Similarly in EOI, you should express to the employer why you are suitable for the job as well as why this job is right for you, what appeals to you about this job? Is this job compatible with your personal and professional goals? Employers often want to hear why their job appeals to you more than others because it’s an opportunity to show your loyalty in the first place.

Don’t be too direct, but don’t be completely dishonest either. For example, if you’re looking for a job primarily for the money, avoid saying this outright because most employers would be hesitant to hire someone who isn’t loyal to anything other than salary. Instead, try to focus on the interesting things in the job, even if they are secondary such as flexible hours, valuable experience or opportunities you will have in this position, etc.
For example, if you are applying for the information technology position of a government agency mentioned above, you could talk about the opportunity to use your skills to serve the public good while working. work with the government. Don’t say “I want this job because of the good salary and benefits.”

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Explain why you should be selected over other candidates. Prove to the potential employer that you are the best fit out of all the people applying for this position. You should spend some time thinking about what makes you superior to an experienced candidate like you. Think about the good things you would bring to this position. Some of the things that can be mentioned are:

Your personality. Some people qualify for a certain position but don’t get the job simply because they don’t “fit” in the workplace. For example, open communication is a must in the retail industry.
Ready. Different jobs will require different time commitments, some set by office hours, others by shifts or working evenings or weekends.
Career path. Employers often choose reasonable people to change jobs, in other words, employers will remove candidates who frequently switch jobs because they are not sure how long these people will stick with the job.

Write a letter expressing your wish

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Open with a formal greeting. A letter of interest is a formal form of writing, so it’s a good idea to use a dignified tone from the start. For example, even the salutation (“Dear” at the beginning of the letter) needs careful consideration. First impressions matter, so make sure it’s formal. In this case, it’s best to send a letter to the person in charge of evaluating the candidate, usually the department head or human resources manager, with a preface “Dear Mr/Ms. (Full Name), “. If you don’t know who this person is, call the company/organization to ask or write “Dear Recruitment,”.

You can also start with a title and leave out the entire salutation. ^{[2] X Research Source}
Note that most current business correspondence recommends against using “To Whom It May Concern”, as this could be interpreted as being anonymous or disrespectful. . ^{[3] X Research Sources}

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Briefly introduce yourself. Don’t waste time after the introductory salutation, immediately introduce information about you, your background and the reason for writing your letter. The introductory paragraph is usually no more than a few sentences in length. Remember, the hiring team may have to read dozens of EOIs, so if they get to know who you are quickly, they’ll understand important information like: your work history, skills, personality , et cetera.

For example, if you are applying for the government information technology position mentioned above, the following introduction will tell you who you are and why you are writing in just three sentences:

“My name is Minh Quang. I am writing to apply for the position of IT specialist” posted on your company’s website. As a veteran IT professional with more than ten years of experience and passion for the job, I believe I would be a good fit for this position.”

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Explain work history and job responsiveness. Then move on to a professional level at work. Let’s start with your impressive work history. You don’t need to write details like in a resume; say something like, “Five years at Company X as a manager,” instead of listing the sequence from start to finish date and specific duties like a resume. calendar. Usually you should try to summarize everything in a short paragraph.

If you don’t have a relevant work history (like when you applied for an entry-level position), don’t worry. Instead, focus on the skills, character, work ethic, and activities you’ve been involved in that could give you an edge. For example, if you’re applying for your first job as a department chef at a local restaurant, you might describe your culinary background (including cooking classes or school). cooking) as well as non-cooking work you have done in the restaurant (like serving, reception, etc.).

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List relevant skills. Your work experience is not everything, sometimes highly valuable skills make you a much better candidate than your time in related positions. . You should mention your expertise or forte to highlight your role. You can list many things, below are just a few examples for your reference:

Language skills. It will be a big plus for you when applying to international organizations if you can be fluent or communicate in another language.
Technology skills. Do you have basic programming knowledge? Are you an Excel master? Do you know web design? Tech companies and startups often require these skills.
Professional certification. Are you licensed to operate a forklift? Weld? Truck driver? Food management? Certifications are essential for skilled labor jobs.

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Explain why you are a great choice. Near the end of your letter, you should spend a few sentences talking about why you are the right person for the job. Unless you already know the culture at the company or organization you’re applying to, you shouldn’t claim to be the perfect cultural puzzle piece or instantly everyone’s best friend. Instead, focus on the traits that make you a valuable employee. You can use the following features:

Character. Are you a friendly and honest person? Do you have a good relationship with your former colleagues? Employers often hire people with good teamwork skills because they will keep a positive attitude and always maintain their morale at work.
Communication skill. Are you a lively, outgoing person? Or are you a moderate, introverted person? Habits of interacting with people can greatly affect job performance, because depending on the nature of a job, it may or may not require a candidate to be tactful.
Goals and passions. Do you like this job? Can this job help you achieve the achievements of your dreams? Employers often choose highly motivated individuals to take on the job.

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End the letter politely but briefly. After you’ve covered all that’s needed to prove you’re a qualified candidate, close your letter as succinctly as possible while remaining formal. Don’t waste time writing lengthy or emotional endings; because potential employers may be annoyed with your overly long endings or your flowery words.

For example, in the information technology position example mentioned above, we could conclude the following:

“Please contact me by phone or email at (contact information). Looking forward to hearing from you! Thank you for taking the time to review this letter.

Best regards,

Minh Quang”

Completing the Expression of Interest

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Re-read and remove unnecessary content. A letter of interest should be concise and succinct. You need to be very assertive in the editing process to get a complete EOI. After completing your first draft, read it again at least once to find any redundancies. Shorten a sentence if you find it longer than necessary. Replace complicated words with easier to understand words. EOIs are functional writing, and this is not your chance to show off your writing skills, so keep it simple.

If you have a lot of time, after completing your EOI, you should take a break and then start proofreading. You should do this because it allows you to take a breather between sets after writing, as well as making it easier to spot mistakes. ^{[4] X Research Sources}

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Maintain a formal tone. EOIs should always be written in the formal, formal tone required by business correspondence. Avoid using slang, colloquial or humorous words. Remember that the reader of your EOI has never met you before, so they will have no basis to assume that you are writing this with good intentions, rather it will be disrespectful. Write as if you were giving an important speech instead of speaking to a friend or family member. ^{[5] X Research Sources}

For example, if you’re talking about work history, the sentence “From 2002 to 2006, I was a freelance consultant for some personal relationships” sounds much more formal than “From from 2002 to 2006, I freelanced for a few people I knew”, even though the two sentences are similar in meaning.

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Make sure to use proper formatting. Once the body of the letter is complete, take a moment to make sure the EOI’s format follows formal business lettering conventions and becomes easier to read. Usually, this is quite similar to a cover letter or similar document. Here are a few confusing formatting issues: ^{[6] X Research Sources}

Subject: in the top left corner of the message, provide your name, address, phone number, and email address (each on a separate line). You should create a space between the title and the salutation.
Spacing: Each word in a paragraph should be separated by a space. There should be a space between the new paragraphs.
Indent: the first line of each paragraph should be indented, or you can left-align the paragraph. Many argue that you should not indent if a line breaks between paragraphs. ^{[7] X Research Sources}
Closing: leave three spaces between the closing paragraph (e.g. “Sincerely,”) and your name.

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Check spelling and grammar before sending. Once your EOI is ready to be submitted, do a final run-through for minor errors that you might have missed. Watch out for spelling mistakes, incorrect word usage, grammatical errors, and unnecessary content. Here are a few tips for you to double-check: ^{[8] X Research Sources}

Conduct the test on the printout, not on the computer screen. You can view your letter in hard copy and avoid the “dazzle” of looking at your computer screen for hours on end.
Read aloud. In addition to eye detection, you can use your ears to listen and detect mistakes in the passage. This will help you to spot long sentences that have been omitted.
Thanks to the support from friends. A person who has never been in contact with your expression of interest before can spot an error in it. Usually, spending a lot of time writing a letter leaves you “blind” to the basic mistakes that you often make.

Advice

Try to avoid opening sentences with the pronoun “I” (e.g., “I think…”, “I believe…”, etc.). Continuous use of first person can make your EOI tedious and repetitive.

Warning

Avoid using overly complicated language or jargon to impress the recipient. Hiring professionals often don’t want to spend a lot of time on a long, confusing EOI just to see your skills and qualifications. Some may not even understand your wording.
Don’t call the recipient “you” (e.g., “You should hire me because …”, “I’m a great fit for your company because …”). This sounds informal and, in some cases, can be seen as rude or presumptuous. ^{[9] X Research Source}

Steps

Make an outline for your letter of interest

Write a letter expressing your wish

Completing the Expression of Interest

Advice

Warning

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