to the courtesy of a reply. Give the amount of his indebtedness and ask for a remittance at once. 21. Let your third letter to Mr. Levy, ten days later, be a demand for the immediate settlement of his account. Refer to the two former letters which he has ignored, and inform him that unless you receive his remittance by the (fix this date about five days from the date of your letter), you will be obliged to place the account in the hands of your attorney for collection. 22. You have just received notice from a Notary Public that a sixty-day note, dated April 19, 1905, made by E. R. Conkling in your favor for $345.00, and indorsed by you to the Traders & Importers Bank of your city, has been protested for non-payment. You know Mr. Conkling to be a man of ample means and excellent standing in the community. Write him such a letter as the circumstances require. 23. Write for Mr. Conkling a reply to the letter in Exercise 22, assigning some reason for neglecting to meet the note at maturity. Make full provision for taking up the note and paying the protest fees at once. VIII. LETTERS OF APPLICATION A LETTER of application should be written with all possible attention to the minor mechanical details of form and appearance. Neatness of arrangement, correct spelling, and a proper use of capitals, grammatical construction, and punctuation are absolutely essential; for a letter in which these fundamentals have been neglected obviously frustrates the primary purpose of an application, which is, before all else, the immediate creation of a favorable impression in the mind of the person to whom it is written. But a letter of application should be something more than a correct form neatly written. It should be a concise, and yet personal and adequate, expression of the writer's specific qualifications, desires, and individuality. Therefore, notwithstanding the fact that it should conform rigidly to all the requirements of good usage, it should not be hackneyed or stilted. Plainness, straightforwardness, manliness, freedom alike from any show of assurance or the least trace of timidity, are the most desirable attributes of such letters, while prolixity in the statement of previous business undertakings is perhaps one of the worst faults. When speaking of yourself or your own achievements be as brief as the circumstances will allow. A letter of application may be divided into three parts: first, an introduction containing some statement of why the application is made, whether it is in reply to an advertisement, or from the unsolicited desire of the writer to enter the service of the person addressed; second, a statement of the writer's age and qualifications, mentioning names for reference, and credentials, if any have been inclosed; third, a statement of the writer's personal desires in view of which the application is made. The student should study carefully the following examples. The first is intended to show what would be, in form and wording, an acceptable letter of application for a position of minor importance. The second is such a letter as might be written in making application for a position in which a comparatively unusual kind of experience and ability is required. 1168 Wabash Ave. The Edelson Paper Mfg. Company. Gentlemen: 3,1905. Replying to your advertisement in todays Tribune. I wish to apply for the position of stenographer in your office. Since graduating from the Lake, View High School last June, at the age of eighteen. I have had a desire to enter the paper manufacturing business. My study of shorthand covered a period of three years and I believe I am qualified to do the work of an amanuensis. If you think favorbly of my application! hindly communicate with Dr. Lewis M. Noles, Principal of the Lake View High School, concerning my record and qualifications. I am permitted to refer also to Mr. Albert T. Ferris, Cashier of the Corn Exchange Bank. Herewith inclosed I send you a letter from the local manager of the Union News Company, who has spoken, of my work as a newsboy in his service for three Iyears. I have had no other business experience "Respectfully your schermert Gustav Mr. Charles C. Briscoe, 68 West 84th St., New York. President of the International Rubber Co., Dear Sir: Mr. Henry M. Griswold. Manager of the Foreign Department of the Providence Rubber Co. has recently told me that you intend to create a department of foreign correspondence in connection with your European business. Mr. Griswold also informs me that you wish to place in charge of this new department some one who has had experience with the French, German, and Italian rubber trade. lubbe I was for a period of four years in charge of the office of the Goodyear Rubber Co, at Paris, and later I was sent by them to investigate and open as far as possible their yet undeveloped Russian market. My acquaintance, therefore, with the actual conditions which prevail in the European rubber trade has been broad and personal لمر With reference to the other requirements that are important in connection with such, I position! I might add that I speak and write French, German, and Italian fluently. I am thirty-four years of age. By permission. I refer you for further par ticulars concerning my work and experience to my present employers. The Goodyear Rubber Co. 1682 Broadway, New York. Yours very respectfully. Tranklin L. Remington. EXERCISES 1-6. The following advertisements were taken from the metropolitan dailies. Note carefully the conditions stated and write letters of application for the positions: (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) Wanted. A man to start at bottom with publishing house and advance when proficient; experience unnecessary; good references required; congenial work paying at first $15.00 weekly. Address Coryell, 150 Fifth Ave., Room 714. A young man of neat appearance wanted as assistant manager and treasurer for specialty office business; salary to start $18.00 per week; $500.00 cash security required. Address, stating age and prior occupation, Permanent, 244 Herald. OFFICE assistant in factory; intelligent young man; must be good penman and accurate at figures; one with stenography and typewriting experience preferred; salary moderate. Address, stating age, experience, references, and salary expected, Permanent, 221 World. Wanted. Boy stenographer, understanding Underwood machine; beginner preferred. Answer by letter only, stating salary expected. The Gotham Rubber Co., 45 South St., City. CORRESPONDENT. Intelligent correspondent to handle mail-order department in mercantile establishment; must be resourceful, original, creative, practical; permanency with advancement; state age, experience, references, and salary desired. Address Correspondent, 329 Herald. BOY for office work; must know how to file letters and write a good hand; state salary and references. H. E. 313 Journal. 7. The First National Bank of your city has asked an acquaintance of yours to recommend a young man to take charge of their Depositors' Ledger and assist in general bookkeeping. Apply for this position, giving age, educational advantages, and experience, if any. Inclose two letters of recommendation and give references. Make it appear in your letter that present salary is not so much an object as the prospect of advancement. 8. Mr. Walter H. Eddy, a classmate of yours in high school, and a lifelong acquaintance, has just been appointed Consul at Venice. He will be allowed seven hundred dollars yearly for the services of a secretary. You desire to spend a few years in Italy. Make application to Mr. Eddy for this position. 9. Write a letter applying for some position you would like to obtain. |