8.1. Business Documents http://www.ck12.org
and relevant facts and details to support your purpose in the following paragraphs. Make sure your closing
paragraph restates your purpose and reinforces why it is important.- Compose a formal business letter to a local politician advocating a change to your school or community. For
instance, you could write to your state representative to voice concerns about your school’s library funding.
You could also write to your mayor to propose a community clean-up projects. Write about a cause that you
are interested in!
Vocabulary
Block formatting
A business-letter format in which all text is left-justified and paragraphs are not indentedCover Letter and Resumé
Cover Letter
A cover letter is the introduction to your résumé. The purpose of your cover letter is simple: it should entice your
prospective employer or the admissions officer to the school of your choice to read your résumé. A cover letter
should be a short three or four paragraph document. Each paragraph has a specific purpose.
Paragraph 1
Explain to your reader how you heard about the job or internship for which you are applying and why you wish to
work there. If your letter is to a school, you should provide specific details about why you want to attend that school.
Paragraphs 2-3
In these paragraphs you should explain who you are and why you are a good candidate for this job. Describe the
skills and abilities you will bring to the job or school. You should point out accomplishments from your résumé
which indicate your strengths. For example, if you baby-sit regularly for a neighbor, you might point out that you
are punctual, responsible, and organized, which is why your neighbors trust you to take care of their children.
You should highlight something from your résumé. Because a résumé is written in short phrases, you may wish
to expand upon an experience or award listed on your résumé in your cover letter. (For example: I have excellent
time management skills. As you will note on my résumé, I have done after school tutoring for three years, while
also playing in the Scranton High School Marching Band. As a band member, I am required to practice with the
band 10 hours a week; I practice playing the trombone on my own 4-5 hours a week. I tutor 4 hours a week. I have
maintained a GPA of 3.75 since my sophomore year.)
Closing Paragraph
What do you expect to happen next? Do you want the admissions officer to contact you? Will you contact them? In
the closing paragraph, you spell out your expectations, and thank your reader for his or her time and consideration.
Although your cover letter is short, it is not an easy document to write. Consider it a 15-second advertisement for
you. You want your letter to capture your reader’s attention and get him or her excited about reading your résumé.
Tip: Your letter must be error-free. After you have finished it, spell check it, and then read it very carefully
to be sure that you have no errors. When you feel you have a perfect document, share it with your teacher,
counselor, parents, or someone else who will read it carefully and provide helpful feedback.