Organisation And Form
SUBTOTAL ____ OF 10
Business letter format
Full marks: matches your resume header exactly. Weak: a missing date or address block.
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All essential parts
Full marks: four paragraphs, a full page. Weak: half a page reads as no effort.
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Paragraph One, The Hook
SUBTOTAL ____ OF 20
Salutation and identity
Full marks: a named reader, then who you are. Weak: To Whom It May Concern.
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The position
Full marks: the role and your reason, in two lines. Weak: a paragraph before naming the job.
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How you heard
Full marks: the posting, referral or conversation. Weak: no origin given at all.
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Grabs attention
Full marks: opens on something only they would recognise. Weak: I am writing to apply.
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Paragraphs Two And Three, The Evidence
SUBTOTAL ____ OF 25
Two body paragraphs
Full marks: one from your studies, one from your experience. Weak: one body paragraph only.
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Strongest qualification
Full marks: the first, with its number and method. Weak: a claim with no evidence.
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Second qualification
Full marks: different in kind from the first. Weak: the same story told twice.
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Relates to the job
Full marks: each ends by naming their own words. Weak: evidence left for the reader to connect.
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How they benefit
Full marks: names what the company gets. Weak: only about your own growth.
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Paragraph Four, The Ask
SUBTOTAL ____ OF 15
Thanks the reader
Full marks: brief, sincere, and no apology. Weak: sorry for any inconvenience.
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Follow up with a date
Full marks: names the day, and who acts next. Weak: I hope to hear from you soon.
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Contact information
Full marks: phone and professional email. Weak: no way to reply without the resume.
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Mechanics
SUBTOTAL ____ OF 15
Accurate grammar
Full marks: clean, and it survives being read aloud. Weak: errors that stop the reader.
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Professional vocabulary
Full marks: precise, with every hedge removed. Weak: I think, just, maybe, I know I do not have.
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Spelling and punctuation
Full marks: no errors, including both names. Weak: the reader’s name spelled wrong.
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Tone And Originality
SUBTOTAL ____ OF 15
Originality and sincerity
Full marks: only you could have written it, for them. Weak: a template with the name dropped in.
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Professional assertiveness
Full marks: confident, and never asking for charity. Weak: ideal candidate, or grateful for any chance.
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Overall effectiveness
Full marks: a reader would want to meet you. Weak: nothing to remember.
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