How to write an application letter
A simple structure for an application letter that's short, polite and specific to the job.
Why it matters
Many employers in Tanzania ask for an application letter with your CV. It's your chance to show you read the advert and to explain why you fit the job. Keep it to one page.
A simple structure
- Top: your name, address, phone and email, the date, and the employer's name and address as the advert gives it.
- Subject line: "Application for the position of [job title]", with the reference number if the advert has one.
- First paragraph: the job you're applying for and where you saw it.
- Middle: two or three reasons you fit, taken from the advert's requirements: your qualification, your experience and a result you're proud of.
- Last paragraph: that you'd welcome an interview, and how to reach you.
- End: "Yours faithfully" or "Yours sincerely", your signature and your name.
Tips
- Write a new letter for each job. A letter that could be sent to any employer is easy to spot.
- Use the job title exactly as the advert writes it.
- Don't repeat your whole CV: pick the points that matter most for this job.
- Check the spelling of the employer's name.
- Write in the language the advert is written in, unless it says otherwise.
More guides
- How to write a CV employers read
- How to prepare for a job interview
- How to apply for a job by email
- How to spot fake job adverts
- Documents to have ready before you apply
- Finding your first job after college
- Applying for government jobs in Tanzania
- What to do after you apply
- Building the skills employers ask for