Page 171 - DENG101_Communication Skills-I

Communication Skills

Notes language. In my present position, apart from my usual senior secretarial duties, I am responsible
for organizing all the social and business function’s for the bank, which I also attend. I have
accompanied my employer to conferences and meetings in France, Britain and the Middle East
and subsequently produced confidential reports of these proceedings.

Paragraph 4. After explaining what the present job entails, the applicant must give some
explanation of why he wants to change. Wishing to improve one’s status and career prospects are
perfectly legitimate reasons for wanting to change jobs, especially if the prospects in the present
job have not been what one had hoped for. Any prospective employer will appreciate this point
if it is expressed with tact. One must, however, never criticize one employer or company to
another.
As my employer is shortly retiring and returning to France, I would like to take this opportunity

to find another position where I can broaden and further develop my appreciation of international

finance and investment, and area of commercial activity in which I have been very interested. I

am hoping that the experience I have already gained in this field, together with my knowledge of
four languages, can be employed in responsible and stimulating work.
Paragraph 5. The last paragraph should suggest that there is some interesting information about
the applicant, and also that the applicant himself would want to know more about the job, the
duties expected of him, the prospect it offers, etc.

The vacancy you are seeking to fill sounds very interesting and if you would care to grant me
a personal interview in Bangalore, I shall be pleased to discuss the matter in more detail. Yours
faithfully.
15.3.1 The Point Missed

If you notice, one of the most important things about the job, that is the amount of money that
you are going to get has not been mentioned in this letter. Despite the fact that it appears to you
the most important thing at this point in life, it is advisable not to mention money in a fi rst letter
of application unless it is specially asked for in the advertisement. Some advertisements say ‘say
salary required’ or ‘state present salary’. In such a case it is advisable to state the present salary
or the last salary drawn. Any employer knows that one applies for a job advertised only in the
hope of getting a better salary. An employer can also easily find out the applicant’s salary and

in any case there will always be a prevailing market rate that will govern the salary that will be
paid for a particular position.

It must appear to the employer that the applicant’s main concern is to find an interesting job that

will give him opportunities for learning more about the kind of business involved, developing

his own ability, and offer good prospects for the future. Money, in the first instance, is not the
main concern. Suitability for the job is more important.
15.3.2 Some Stylistic Matters

Mere presentation of facts is not enough. The applicant must carefully choose words that present
the qualifications most favourably. It is, for example better to say that you “supervised a sales force

of 15” than “held a position as a sales manager,” or “earned a degree in business management”
than “spent two/three years in college”, or “learned cost accounting” than to say that you “took
a course in Cost Accounting”.
As in a sales letter, the ‘you attitude’ is also very important in a job application. It is always

advisable to present your qualifications from the point of view of the utility of the employer. That
helps the employer understand immediately how you would be of relevance to his organization.
The facts should be presented in such a way that the reader/employer gets a favourable view of
the applicant and is convinced of his suitability for the job. Only then will he place the applicant
on his ‘short list’.

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