In addition to standard letter-writing dos and don’ts, there are a number of basic guidelines that apply specifically to most situations related to the writing of letters of recommendation. These are usually more “situational” than “how-to” in nature.

These recommendation letter guidelines are important to both note and apply, since writing letters of recommendation is always a somewhat tricky and delicate matter. That’s because they almost always affect the reputation and future of the writer or that of another person.

The following tips and strategies apply primarily to the writing of letters of recommendation in their various forms (i.e. recommendation letters, commendation letters, recognition letters, performance evaluation letters).

Write It Only If You Want To

If you are asked by someone to write a recommendation letter about them, you don’t have to say “yes” automatically. If it’s someone you respect for their work, and you have mostly positive things to say, by all means write the letter.

There is no point saying “yes” and then writing a letter that says nothing good about the person, or worse still, concocting a misleading positive assessment of someone.

So, whatever you do, don’t get sucked into writing a recommendation inappropriately out of feelings of guilt or obligation.

If You Must Refuse, Do It Right Up Front

On the other hand, if someone asks you to write a recommendation letter for them, and you know you’ll be hard-pressed to keep it positive, say “no” right away.

There is no point in hesitating and leading the person on to believe that the answer might eventually be “yes”.

A gentle but firm “no” will usually get the message across to the person. Explain that you don’t think that you are the best (or most qualified) person to do it.

Suggest Someone Else

If you feel you should refuse, for whatever reason, it may be helpful for you to suggest someone else who you think might have a more positive and/or accurate assessment of the person.

That other person may be in a better position to do the assessment. Usually there are a number of possible candidates, and you may not actually be the best one.

In fact, I have seen a number of cases over the years in which people requesting recommendation letters have not requested the letter from the obvious or logical choice. This usually happens when the requestor doesn’t like the person who is the obvious choice, and/or they are worried about what that person will say about them.

Write It As You See It

Writing a less than honest letter of recommendation does no one a favor in the end. It is likely to backfire on you, the person being recommended, and the new employer.

Also, many employers and head-hunting agencies check references these days.

How would you like to be called up and have to mislead people due to questionable things you may have written in a reference letter?

Be Honest, Fair, and Balanced

Honesty is always the best policy when it comes to writing recommendation letters. At the same time, try to be fair and balanced in your approach.

If in your estimation, a person has five strengths and one glaring weakness, but that weakness really bothers you, make sure you don’t over-emphasize the weak point in the letter based on your personal bias. Just mention it in passing as a weakness and then move on.

Balanced Is Best

An overall balanced approach is the best one for a letter of recommendation. Even if your letter generally raves about how excellent the person is, some balance on the other side of the ledger will make it more credible. After all, nobody’s perfect.

There must be some area where the person being recommended needs to improve. A bit of constructive criticism never hurts and it will make your letter more objective in nature.

Bottom Line:

The most important point to take away from the above tips and strategies is that it is your choice as to whether, and how, you will write a letter of recommendation.

It’s an important type of letter that will have a definite impact on the future of the person about whom it is being written, so don’t agree to write one unless you are willing to give it your utmost attention and effort.

Copyright Shaun R. Fawcett. All rights reserved.

Author: Shaun Fawcett
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Beading Necklace

At some point in our lives, every one of us has written a letter. Whether it was to catch-up with a distant friend, thank a family member for a gift, or present Santa with a long list of Christmas wishes, we had no problem writing our letter and sending it in the mail. Yet, for some reason, when it comes to the business world, many of us are hesitant to write a letter. We may doubt its importance or feel intimidated by its formality. Most of the time, we’re just unsure of how to put our thoughts into organized words.

Writing a letter is a great method for contacting someone and presenting your ideas without being intrusive. Although it is just as important and effective as speaking with others face-to-face, it is one of the most underdeveloped and unused tools in the business world. When you know how to write a well-developed letter, you open up opportunities and possibilities for effective communication.

No matter the purpose of your letter, chances are you can find a template online or in a book that will help you structure its components. However, there is more to a letter than knowing where to put the date and salutation. An effective letter is an invitation. It is an introduction that encourages and elicits a response from the recipient. Therefore, every word you use is influential in determining how you and your message will be received and if it is strong enough to generate the desired response.

There are three keys to remember when writing an effective letter: 1. Be relevant, 2. Be concise 3. Elicit action. Understanding these concepts will help you create a letter that is well-written and purposeful.

1. Be Relevant

Unlike an unexpected phone call or visit, letters are wonderful because the recipient can read them at their convenience. However, it’s important to remember that you are still interrupting what could be a very busy day for them. Make sure that your letter captures and keeps their attention by making every word relevant.

Being relevant means that your letter focuses on what is important and interesting to the recipient, not to you. If you are trying to persuade them to consider a product or idea, explain to them how that product or idea would help them. If you are writing a cover letter for a job interview, describe how having you on their team would benefit their company. It’s okay to talk about yourself, but do so in a way that puts the focus on them instead of you.

2. Be concise

Remember, a letter is an invitation, and invitations are never long. No matter how relevant the material may be, too many words will dilute your message. Writing too much is as bad as learning everything there is to know about a person the very moment they ask you out on a date. Being too wordy or lengthy will only confuse the reader and distract them from the letter’s purpose. Make your letter a simple but powerful introduction that arouses curiosity and interest. Trust in your message and let it speak for itself.

3. Elicit Action

Without purpose, your letter is meaningless; it produces nothing and is easily forgotten. The strength of your letter is in your ability to encourage action. Whether you are trying to get someone to buy a product or you are trying to get an interviewer to give you a call, recognize the purpose of your letter and shape your message around it. You must take their hand at the salutation and direct them through your message, leaving them at the end of the letter only after you have shown them the next place to go. If you make the journey easy on the reader, they will be more likely to do what it is you are asking of them.

The impression you make in a letter is just as important as the impressions you make in person. It can affect a person’s decision to call you, interview you, or do business with you. Use the brief time you have to make a real impression on the reader; one that promote communication and encourage them to accept the invitation you have offered.

Author: Gina Sares
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Smart cooker

“Let these words not only touch your eyes,but let them travel through your soul and rest them in your heart.”

“You cannot see its intangible waves as they flow towards you, darling, but in these lines you will hear, as it were, the distant beating of the surf.”

So we know love is truly an eternal feeling with these romantic love letters. Now write your own love letter and shower the spring of love on your sweetheart. Read through these great love letter tips and express your innermost feelings to your beloved this Valentine’s Day.

Learning how to write a love letter isn’t difficult. Once you gather your thoughts and follow these simple steps to express the way you feel in a love letter you’ll know how to do it.

Here’s How:

1. Clear your desk and your mind of distractions. If you love someone enough to craft this letter, he or she deserves your full attention.

2. Place a picture of the one you love in front of you.

3. Put on your favorite music.

4. Take out your best letter writing stationery and pen.

5. On another sheet of letter paper, make two lists: a) the unique qualities you love about him/her; b) your hopes for the future together.

6. Personalize the love letter salutation. “Dear ___ ,” or “To my darling _____,” are both fine.

7. In the body of the love letter, begin by telling him/her what you think makes him/her so special. List at least three different qualities of the one you love in the letter, ideally emotional, physical, and spiritual ones.

8. In the following paragraph of your love letter, share your hopes and dreams for the future you can have together.

9. Personalize the closing of the letter. “I will love you always,” “Loving you forever,” “My heart is yours,” are all good possibilities.

10. Don’t forget to sign your love letter!

11. Spray the love letter with a light fragrance.

12. Drop the love letter in the mail, and look forward to the response.

Keep in Mind:

1. Keep Your Letter Simple

When writing your letter keep it simple and of moderate length. If you go on and on for pages your sweetheart will definitely get lost in the midst of words and thoughts. Express your feelings while making your beloved feel loved and special.

2. Scented Love Letters

We generally relate to a particular scent associated with the person. So sprinkle some of your favorite perfume or the perfume your sweetheart loves best on you on your love letter. It will create its own magic altogether.

3. Colorful Stationary

Well it’s a love letter so don’t take out the boring notepad and a blue pen to express your feelings. It will clearly show that you didn’t give it much thought. So pick up a nice color pen and a romantic letter pad and say it on this Valentine.

4. Love Letter Proposal

Two things you should never do in a love letter is to propose or to make up for a fight. Go in person and say it. Your beloved deserves this much. Proposal is a beautiful and romantic gesture, so use your love letter to initiate it. Like send your sweetheart a letter saying where to meet and then in person with flowers and all propose to her.

5. Use Similes

There is no comparison for true feelings and yet we need to express them. So use similes to show your deepest feelings. Like you can say “the stars loose their shine when I look at you”.

6. The Magical Words

Finally saying those three magical words, “I Love You” will be the best way to close your letter.

“Out of the depths of my happy heart wells a great tide of love and prayer for this priceless treasure that is confided to my life-long keeping.”

Author: Sanjiv Maharjan
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Digital Camera News

When I first began submitting my short stories for publication, I had no idea that cover letters existed until I’d chosen to submit my story to a publisher whose submission guidelines required that a cover letter accompany every manuscript. Once aware of cover letters, however, I found myself confused. So I conducted a bit of research in an attempt to discover what type of information should be included in such a letter. If you are just embarking on the writers journey and seeking to submit your first short story manuscript, hopefully this article will assist you as some guides on cover letters have helped me in the past.

Despite any advice I offer, however, please be sure to read a publication’s current submission guidelines and only send what the editor(s) request. Disobeying submission guidelines can sometimes lead to an automatic rejection of your short story. Some editors do not require you to send cover letters with your short story manuscripts, but when a cover letter is required try to think of your letter as a courteous, professional introduction to you.

Before we go any further, though, I would like to stress once more that this article was written with mostly a certain type of short story writer in mind–the one who, like myself, is predominately interested in submitting short stories to small press publications that publish genre fiction. Particularly publications like those listed at Ralan.Com whose editors rarely request query letters and are willing to publish unsolicited short story manuscripts. If you are not this sort of writer but still interested in this article, then please grab your magnifying glass and come along with me to take a closer look at cover letters for short stories.

In regards to short story submissions, cover letters are usually brief letters containing one to three short paragraphs, and is most often paper-clipped in front of your manuscripts first page when you snail mail your submission. If you are submitting your manuscript through email, then your cover letter comes before your story as the main body of your email, and still serves as your introduction. Whether you are submitting through postal mail or email, your cover letter should be single-spaced, written in standard block or semi-block format, and double-spaced between paragraphs. If you are mailing your manuscript, then you should consider typing your cover letter on plain white 8 by 11 paper, using a font such as 12 point Times New Roman in black. A hardcopy of a cover letter should only be one page in length with your typeface taking up about half of the page.

As stated, the number of paragraphs in a cover letter can vary. But, regardless of how many paragraphs there are, some information that is usually listed in cover letters includes your storys title and your storys word count. If you are submitting your manuscript through mail, as opposed to email, you might also want to state that a self-addressed, stamped envelope (SASE) is enclosed, and that there is no need to return the manuscript.

Here are a few other tips you might want to keep in mind when preparing your letter:

1. Remember to keep your letter short. Avoid including any irrelevant personal information that does not pertain to your story submission. There is no need to include your life history or anything else that does not relate to your story. Avoid giving a detailed description of your short story, as well.

2. Make sure to address your cover letter to a specific person whenever possible. Editors’ names are usually listed with a publication’s submission guidelines. When this is not the case, try to research market listings or find the masthead of the publication to locate the editor’s name. If unsure of an editor’s gender, then consider using the editor’s full name; for example, “Dear Pat Lewis,” or “Dear Editor Lewis.” In case of initials, “Dear J. T. Marshall,” or “Dear Editor Marshall,” should be appropriate. Avoid addressing an editor by his or her first name unless the editor has used your first name, or signed his or her first name in subsequent correspondence.

3. Remain positive. Never write about how your story has been rejected in the past, if that is the case. There is no need to mention that you are unpublished, either, unless the editor requests such information. Most editors are not concerned about whether or not you have been previously published. When they are interested in knowing of your publishing status, it will likely benefit writers. For example, mentioning that you have not been professionally published in your cover letter to the editor at Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine would be appropriate because the editor is especially interested in seeking short stories from such writers. EQMM, as the publication is also called, even has a “Department of First Stories” set up to receive submissions from writers who have not been published professionally. Otherwise, don’t worry about mentioning you are unpublished.

4. Be professional in crafting your letter. Resist making witty comments or statements that hype your story. It’s highly unlikely that an editor won’t appreciate your attempts, and might form a less than favorable view of your submission package. Avoid making self-deprecating remarks about yourself and your writing. It is understandable that you might be nervous about submitting and are grappling with self-doubt about your writing skills, but there is no need to express those feelings in your letter. And lastly, remember to double-check your spelling and grammar–it matters just as much as it does with your short story manuscript. A cover letter containing misspellings and poor grammar will probably lead an editor to expect the same lack of professionalism in your manuscript.

Below are two samples. Sample A represents a cover letter that would accompany a snail mail submission. Sample B represents one that would accompany an email submission.

Sample A:

Your Name

Your Address

Your Telephone Number

Your Email Address

Date

Editors Name

Publication’s Title

Publication’s Address

Dear [Editors Name]:

Please consider my 2,500-word, previously unpublished manuscript, Your Storys Title, for publication at Any Title Magazine. A self-addressed, stamped envelope is enclosed for your reply. There is no need to return the manuscript should my story not interest you.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,

Your Name

Sample B:

Your Name

Your Address

Your Telephone Number

Your Email Address

Date

Editors Name

Publication’s Title

Publication’s Address

Dear [Editors Name]:

Please consider my 2,500-word, previously unpublished manuscript, Your Storys Title, for publication at Any Title Magazine. I have sent my story as an .rtf attachment, as the submission guidelines suggested.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,

Your Name

Best wishes on making a good impression with your cover letter, and on achieving your goal of becoming a published author.

Author: C. M. Clifton
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: PCB Prototype & Manufacturing

People have been writing letters since time immemorial. Originally, letters where meant for exchanging personal notes to and from people of various distance. As time evolved, the letter has accumulated different interesting functions, and perhaps the most interesting function of all is its value in business. The prime example of letters used in business is the sales letter a viable tool that opens your business to great expanses in ways that are different from other marketing channels.

Because sales letters have been observed to be quite effective in a lot of businesses, many entrepreneurs have joined the letter-writing bandwagon and created their own sales letters. However, not all sales letters became as effective as their authors had hoped. These letters were often written haphazardly, without proper thought in place. There are certain things needed so that a sales letter could be effective.

Here are some tips to make your sales letter effective:

1. Maintain a Trustworthy Tone the first thing you want from your sales letter readers is their trust, because once you win their confidence they will be more willing to transact business with you. A classic way of gaining your readers trust is by including testimonials that show that you products or services really work. You may also look for other techniques that would allow your prospects to put confidence in you.

2. Establish Your Credibility your readers should not only trust you, they should also believe that what you are saying is very much grounded and has a firm basis. You need to till them how sure you are that your offerings do deliver what they promise. Perhaps you can include case studies or success stories regarding the performance of your products and services. You need to show evidence that you are indeed as good as you say so.

3. Make the Letter Unforgettable people do not really respond to sales letters immediately, it may take days, months, or even years before a prospect actually makes the move in response to your sales letter. People might not need your product or they might not be interested during the time they received your letter. But you have to make sure that they would remember your letter when the times comes that they would need your offerings. Include interesting tidbits that would make people easily recall your letter when the time comes.

4. Make it Catchy while the old adage says that one should not judge a book by its cover, people do judge things by their appearances and not so much by their contents. A plain and boring letter would not catch the attention of your readers. You want to make your sales letter pleasing to the eye as it is to the mind. Colors, pictures and other interesting things are indispensable in sales letters. Just do not go overboard and make a chaotic abstract painting out of your letter, otherwise people might find it too distracting to read.

5. Make it Easy for Your Readers you might gain your readers trust, make them believe you, catch their attention or ingrain your letter on their minds. But you also have to tell your readers what to do next. You should make it easy for your readers to respond to your sales letter. Give clear instructions on how to contact you using all popular channels whether via email, snail mail, fax, or telephone. Just be sure that all these channels are working well so that you would not lose any prospect and you can easily get back to them.

6. Add Bonuses people are suckers for freebies and rewards and thus it is usually wise for you to include incentives for responses to your sales letter. Provide special discounts, gifts, or other offers for acting to your sales letter. Better yet, give rewards to the early birds so that people would respond immediately.

7. Personalize people are very vain and they usually respond well when they are addressed personally. But by all means avoid using automatic mail merging. People are smarter these days.

A good sales letter can bring your business a long, long way. It may not be long until responses from your prospects begin to pour, allowing your business to boom in no time.

Author: Mario D. Churchill
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Canada duty rate

There are several ways to jump start sales for a new work of fiction, but one of the most effective selling points is your sales letter. With the proper format and layout, your marketing letter can do a majority of the selling for you, just leaving you with the task of getting eyes on your letter. Most traditional publishers rely on submitting your book title and description to all the major bookstores, but if you self-publish your fiction, this will give you a leading edge to start racking in some great sales.

Writing a sales letter is a simple eight-step process that involves a little bit of marketing and writing skills. With the proper format, this can not only attract your readers, but can also interest them so much that they simply have to buy whatever it is you are ultimately selling.

In order to market your fiction in the best possible fashion, you must first determine the angle of your marketing piece. By angle, I mean the unique approach you will use to gather your reader’s undivided attention. An angle is a component that captures your reader’s attention with an astonishing twist that keeps them reading your sales letter once they start. It can be a true story related to your book such as how you came up with the story idea, or something else to that nature. It can most certainly be an actual exciting excerpt from your book that makes readers beg for more by the time they finish reading the first paragraph.

The next crucial component, and probably the most important, is your headline! You’ve been to the store and seen those outlandish tabloids lining the book racks, haven’t you? Each of them contains fantastic headlines so outrageous that you just have to pick them up and read the far fetched stories they are trying to sell. Amazingly, they work and tabloids rake in millions of dollars each month selling those fiction stories.

It’s amazing how a single headline can be so intriguing that you have to open up the paper just to see what it’s all about. The same goes with your fiction sales letter headline. Your headline needs to reach out and grab your reader’s attention. This will usually be the first thing your reader sees that starts them reading the rest of your marketing letter.

Your intriguing headline can be a short excerpt from your story such as follows: “John felt a soft scrape across the top of his left shoulder. The air in the room escaped as he slowly turned to see…” This particular headline makes the reader curious as to what John saw once he turned around. Make your headline so strong that your reader wants to continue reading to find out more!

The next component of your sales letter is an opening that adds drama and completes your angle all in two to three paragraphs following your headline. Your opening is important because it makes your visitor feel as though you are talking directly to them. Use the word “you” a lot throughout your opening. Also, start your opening with a salutation such as “Dear fiction reader” or “Dear mystery enthusiast” to call attention to your audience. Remember, you are talking to the person reading your letter. Don’t think of it as a bunch of people reading it; think of it as one person reading it. Your sales letter opening should introduce your story and give a brief description of what your story is about; however, don’t give away too much information. Keep your readers in suspense.

Your next step is to explain to your readers how they will benefit from reading your story. You should tell the reader the entertainment value of your book. Think about how you would benefit by reading your book, then think about how they can benefit. Everyone wants something of value if they are expected to pay money for something. Add value to your book during this stage of your sales letter.

Since you are the author of the fiction work, you are consequentially assumed partial of your own work. A simple solution to set your readers at ease is to add a testimonial or two that raves about your book. A simple way to get testimonials is to give a copy of your work to a few people for free on the condition that they let you know what they thought about it. Quote them word for word about how they felt about your masterpiece and add this to your sales letter as your next step in the process.

If you notice, most best selling novels have a page or two dedicated to brief testimonials from various media sources saying how good their book is. Prospective buyers want to hear from others about what they thought. Don’t use negative remarks, as this will kill any attempt you may have at selling your book. Use these negative remarks as constructive feedback to potentially make your work better.

A properly written sales letter should be similar to a query letter you submit to a literary agent. With all letters, you lead to a conclusion. The next step, therefore, is to conclude your marketing letter with a closing statement. You should try to tie the closing statement in with your opening to make your letter flow. This is also where you add an action element into your marketing piece. A typical desired action can be to subscribe to your newsletter, visit your book’s website, or download a sample of your book; the list of potential actions is limitless. Remember, the key focus of your entire sales letter is to make your readers want to read your book, so send them where they can view a sample of your book, or ultimately buy your book. You can also send them to a mailing list sign up where they will consequently receive a link to your book’s purchase page. Complete your closing statement with your name and book title directly underneath it as your signature.

You’re not done yet. Next you should re-establish your sales pitch before completely ending your sales letter. Add a P.S. to the bottom of your marketing letter to capture your reader’s attention one last time. Touch back upon your angle and benefits your readers will get from your story. The way people read your letter is starting with your headline, reading your opening, skipping to the bottom to see who wrote the letter, and naturally the P.S. at the bottom. This is an expected tendency of someone reading your advertisement, so ensure you emphasize what actions you want them to take somewhere within these areas.

Finally, put your sales letter to work by placing it on your home page of your web site word for word where your work is ultimately sold. This is what is going to captivate your potential buyers when they visit your web site and make them want to purchase your book. In addition, you can use this letter as an email advertisement or newsletter broadcast. Don’t mention “buy my book” or “you must purchase your copy of my book today” anywhere in this marketing letter. This is selling and may turn people off. It is already implied that you want to sell your book. Just tell people why they should buy it, not that they should buy it, and they will buy it.

Think of your sales letter as walking onto a car lot to buy a new car: A good salesman won’t tell you that you have to buy the car you are looking at. They romance you into buying the car by telling you all the great benefits of the particular car you are interested in. Romance your potential readers the same way and you will sell more books than if you simply tell them to buy your book.

Author: Jason Moser
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Netbook, Tablets and Mobile Computing

When I first started tracking the information preferences of people visiting my Writing Help Central Web site I was surprised to find how many folks were seeking information on how to write thank you letters. In fact, “thank you letter” information and sample templates are the fifth ranked destinations at that Web site.

In reality, thank you letters are among the most important letters we will ever write. Whether business or personal, an effective thank you letter needs to be written with sincerity, tact and sensitivity.

Following are a few tips that will help you whenever you encounter thank you letter situations in your business or personal life.

1. Make Sure It’s Appropriate

One of the main issues with respect to thank you letters is to know when to send one. As a general rule, I would say “better to be safe than sorry”. However, make sure there is something noteworthy about the situation. A thank you letter for a routine situation doesn’t make sense and dilutes their meaning.

2. Write It Promptly

It is always best to send a thank you letter as soon as possible after the event for which you are doing the thanking. It will help with the level of sincerity in your letter if the event is still fresh in your mind. In any case, a delayed thank you letter will seem like an obligatory afterthought to the recipient.

3. Remind The Recipient

In your introductory sentence, make it very clear that it is indeed a thank you letter and that it pertains to a specific event, situation and/or person. This will eliminate any confusion on the part of the recipient as to the purpose of the letter.

4. Make It Short and Direct

Get straight to the point and never exceed one page. Thank you letters should be short, direct, sincere, and to the point. In business situations they will always type-written but personal thank you letters can be hand-written or typed, as appropriate to the situation.

5. Make It Personal

By definition, a thank you letter is a sincere personal gesture from one individual to another. It should be expressed as a heartfelt personal sentiment, even when written in a business situation. At the same time, strive to be balanced in approach and don’t be overly effusive.

6. Always Write it To One Person

Always write your thank you letter to an individual, not an organization or group. Even if it’s a situation where a group is involved, write your letter to the senior person in the group and/or the group spokesperson. Ask that person to please pass on your sincere appreciation to the other people in the group, and name them in your letter if possible. (Contrary to advice given by certain so-called experts online, in my experience, writing a group letter is NEVER appropriate and achieves little or nothing).

7. Check Spelling and Grammar

As when writing all letters make sure you carefully check your spelling and grammar. This is even more important for thank you letters, since they are almost always a sincere statement of appreciation from one person to another. Be sure to double check the spelling of all names used in the letter. There’s no quicker way to blow your credibility and sincerity than to misspell someone’s name.

The bottom line on thank you letters is “make it appropriate and sincere”, or there really is no point in sending one.

Author: Shaun Fawcett
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Import duty tariff

It turns out that “tips and templates on how to write
resignation letters” is the third most sought-after
information at my Writing Help Central Web site.

So, when I looked into the subject more closely, I was
surprised to find that there is not a lot of guidance
available in guide book form on how to write a proper and
appropriate resignation letter. In fact, a recent visit to
the world’s largest bookstore http://www.amazon.com revealed that
there are no “how to” books available there that deal with
the art of writing resignation letters.

Surprising, but true.

This is interesting, because when you really look into it,
you realize that whether you leave a job gracefully and
appropriately will almost certainly have career and personal
implications, and can be almost as important as writing
a resume/cv or a cover letter.

THE EMOTIONS BEHIND RESIGNATION LETTERS

A resignation letter will be one of the most emotionally-
charged business letters that you will ever write. The
sentiments behind it are invariably volatile because of
what it represents. In fact, studies have found that
leaving a job can be almost as stressful as the breakup of
a marriage.

Nevertheless, it is highly advisable that not too many of
those emotions, especially any negative feelings, get
transferred to the written page. As much as possible, a
resignation letter should be treated as a business letter,
just like any other business letter.

There are a number of reasons why resignation letters have
more emotional implications than most other personal or
business letters. Here are the obvious ones:

- They are highly personal because they normally mark the

severance of both professional and personal relationships,

sometimes of a long-term nature.

- They typically signify the end of a period in a person’s

professional and/or personal life.

- They represent the beginning of a new period or phase in

someone’s personal and professional life, conjuring up

the fears that often arise with an uncertain future.

KEY CHARACTERISTICS OF RESIGNATION LETTERS

Following are a number of primary characteristics that
are unique to resignation letters.

Not Just Job-Related

Mention “resignation letter” and 99 of 100 people will think
exclusively about job-related situations. In reality, there
are a number of areas and circumstances for which
recommendation letters can be required. For example, in
addition to leaving jobs, resignation letters can be
required for such situations as: stepping down from a
committee, opting out of a course at school, leaving a club
or fellowship, and others.

Sensitive and Delicate

When you submit your resignation letter it will have
implications for you, the organization you are leaving,
and the colleagues and friends you are leaving behind. You
must realize that regardless of the real reasons behind your
departure, the message received by many will be that you’re
leaving because the organization and/or people just don’t
measure up any more. This is a natural human reaction for
many people and can’t be entirely avoided. Just be
sensitive to it and don’t say, do, or write anything that
unnecessarily aggravates such feelings of abandonment.

Simple Formality or Big Surprise

A resignation letter can simply be the formalization of a
conversation that already took place with your boss, or an
announcement you made in a meeting. On the other hand, a
resignation letter can be tendered completely unannounced,
as a total surprise. In fact, this is often the case in the
real world. If this latter case applies in your situation,
you will have to be prepared to deal with any one of a
number of possible reactions from the organization and
your colleagues, ranging from total acceptance, to anger,
bargaining, and resentment.

Positive Beats Negative

The way in which you resign from an organization can have
significant implications, both career-wise, and personally.
Regardless of the circumstances and/or atmosphere
surrounding your departure, you will be well-advised to
take whatever measures you can to neutralize any negative
factors that may be in play. The approach and wording used
in the resignation letter can go a long way towards
achieving this aim.

Always A Balancing Act

Writing a letter of resignation can be a bit of a balancing
act. You want to be honest, clear, and firm regarding your
intentions to leave, while at the same time you don’t want
to alienate the employer you are leaving. It would be nice
for that door to remain open, or at least ajar, just in
case you want to enter it in the future. After all, you
never know what may happen down the road. For all you know,
your current employer could end up buying the company you
are moving to. So be careful about limiting your future
options.

Backlash Can Be Swift

Negative impacts from a poorly written or inappropriately
worded resignation letter can be almost immediate. For

example, if you are hoping to get a good recommendation
or reference from the employer you’re leaving, a negative
resignation letter can only hurt your letter of
recommendation/reference. Also, even if you don’t request
a recommendation letter there is nothing to stop future
potential employers from checking back with organizations
you have worked for.

So here’s a word to to the wise. Before you blindly jump
into writing a resignation letter, you might want to spend
some time thinking about it and finding out how to write
one that is proper and appropriate, so that it won’t come
back to haunt you.

To see a fully-formatted “real-life template” of a simple
letter of resignation, check out the following link:

http://instantresignationletterkit.com/sampreslet.html

2005 by Shaun Fawcett

Author: Shaun Fawcett
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Canada duty tariff

When you read a letter from someone, we are immediately transferred into their world, experience, and physical reality. You can capture the same feeling by writing letters to yourself or about other people in your journal. Letter writing is the easiest form to use in journaling. On occasion, you might have already dabbled in writing letters in your journal.

There are three major benefits to journaling with letters. First, the experience helps organize the event more clearly in our mind. Second, letter writing makes it easier to see cause and affect sequences of our actions. Third, because of its intimacy, it loosens up our writing style.

Whether you have or haven’t experienced letter writing previously, here are a few ways you can expand the experience.

Step 1: Compile a list of people who you want to write a letter to. You can do this as a journal entry and mark the page with a post-it note.

Step 2: Select a letter style, purpose, before you begin writing. Since there are various types of letter writing styles, let me present four types that I have found most helpful and have received the most positive feedback in my workshops.

Style 1: Milestone letters. Writing about milestones is about picking an event that changed your life. Whether the milestone was minor one or one that turned you around 360 degrees does not matter. Even the smallest ones have truth to be released. The milestone will have either altered your way of thinking, change your relationship with yourself or others, or even shaken your physical or spiritual being-ness.

By writing about a milestone, you weed through and determine what is important in your life. Additionally, the exercise helps you understand what formed the person you are today and explains what shifted that path.

Style 2: Release letters. Release letters allow you to vent and express your deepest emotions. This style frees buried energy, in turn, allowing you to think and feel through things, rather than keeping it corked. Please note that your experience may not always lead to a resolution, however, it does lead to change. You can’t help but clean house of those leftovers.

Here are a few examples on how you can use release letters.

Example: Have you ever finished a conversation with someone that ruffled your feathers or left you still hearing their words like sounds of chalk going backwards across a blackboard? The conversation tumbles repeatedly in your mind for hours, even days. This is a perfect time to write a release letter. Set a timer for 10 minutes and let it rip across the page.

What you do with the release letter afterwards isn’t important. If you feel comfortable leaving it in your journal, do so. If you prefer to use separate paper and burn it, do so. If you prefer to tear it out of your journal later, do so.

Example: You can use this same exercise to curb over spending. This process came to me years ago when I was an accountant giving advice on how to curb over spending.

Have you ever been in the position of feeling you just "got to buy" something. Let’s say you are watching television and you see something you "got to have." Alternatively, maybe a friend recommends a book and you still have 10 others to read but the recommendation is haunting you. How about seeing something, someone else has that you just "got to have." The urge, just doesn’t want to relinquish its grip even with conscious "fighting it" thoughts. By writing a release letter, you can release this urge at least the majority of the time.

You can also use release letters to move you past the urge to eat something that isn’t on your food plan.

After several release letters you can even see what need is expressing itself and triggering these reactions. Once you identify the trigger, the process need usually subsides. There is no guarantee that this will work all the time; however, you will probably find it provides the release the majority of the time.

Style 3: Wisdom letters. A wisdom letter is writing to your wisdom self. A wisdom letter works well after a release letter because it enables the process of moving on. The experience allows the wisdom transition into learning and usually into a more positive light.

Adding dialogue, either in part or as the whole letter, is an excellent way to enhance the experience. Initials will help you transition between wisdom self to other self.

Style 4: Thank you letters. Since my parents passed, I’m always coming across things I want to thank them for. Even the small things seemed important to share. Now, in hindsight and wisdom, I can see how even the small things rippled through my life. These letters are also a special way for keeping their memory alive.

We both know that an attitude of gratitude is a peaceful place to be and thank you letters is one avenue you can use to be on that path. Our gratitude feelings fuel our spiritual connections with the universe and with all living things. Peacefulness is attractive to others and what we want to manifest in life.

You can also use one of these letter styles to let go of the "wish I had said that instead" thoughts and feelings or to share unfulfilled wishes and dreams that no longer fit but can’t seem to move on.

Letter writing is an excellent way to find closure or complete unfinished business in order to heal or learn. Whether you have or haven’t already been using letter writing in your journal, dedicate a whole week or two to the exercise. You might think that when you finish one letter, there isn’t another reason to write another. Be patient, another will probably appear because you have uncovered what was on top. When you get tired of the exercise, stop, and switch to another technique.

Author: Catherine Franz
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Import duty tariff

Business etiquette is fundamentally concerned with building relationships founded upon courtesy and politeness between business personnel. Etiquette, and especially business etiquette, is a means of maximising your potential by presenting yourself positively.

Writing a business letter is not simply a matter of expressing your ideas clearly. The way you write a letter and the etiquette you employ may have a significant impact on your success or failure in business.

Failure to observe correct business letter etiquette can result in you adopting an inappropriate tone, causing offense or misunderstandings, lack of clarity or purpose and hostility or soured relations.

The foundation of good business letter etiquette is Think before you write. You should be considering who the letter is addressed to, how and why? This will then influence style, content and structure.

Here we cover some of the main issues relating to good business letter etiquette:

Addressing the Letter

Always make sure you have spelt the recipients name correctly. It may sound simple, but you would be surprised at how many people fail to do so. The recipients name should include titles, honours or qualifications if deemed necessary.

Many people use the Dear Sir/Yours Faithfully formula when addressing the receiver. Although this is acceptable for routine matters it is impersonal and should not be used when dealing with those you know, queries or complaints. With these the Dear Mr./Yours Sincerely formula should be adopted.

Once a certain level of familiarity is reached it is not considered bad etiquette to use phrases such as Kind Regards or All the best at the end of the letter.

Confidentiality

If the content of the letter is sensitive, personal or confidential it must be marked appropriately. Marking the letter confidential will suffice in highlighting this fact. If you only want the letter read by the receiver without the interception of a secretary or PA, mark it as Private, Personal or Strictly Confidential. If you have received such a business letter it is good etiquette to reciprocate and ensure that all future correspondence is kept at that level of confidentiality.

Style

Proper business letter etiquette requires that a consistent and clear approach, combined with courtesy, be employed. As a rule of thumb, aim to keep all business letters formal in style. Even when the receiver is familiar to you, it is advisable maintain a certain level of business etiquette as the letter may be seen by others or referred to by a third party in the future.

However, this does not mean you should use long or uncommon words to express yourself. This merely looks odd and makes the letter unreadable. It is best to read a letter first and consider whether you would speak to that person face to face in the same way. If not, then re-write it.

Letters should be signed personally. It looks unprofessional, cold and somewhat lazy if a letter is left unsigned. However, having a secretary or PA sign on your behalf is not considered a breach of business etiquette.

Humour

Humour can be used in business letters but only when the writer is completely positive the recipient will understand the joke or pun. From a business etiquette perspective it may be wise to avoid humour. This is because firstly, the letter may be read during a crisis, after receiving bad news or on a sombre occasion. Any other time the humour may have been appreciated but under these circumstances it may dramatically backfire. Secondly, the written word is open to misinterpretation. Your sarcastic or ironic remark may be taken the wrong way. Thirdly, it is possible that the letter may be read by a third party who may deem the humour inappropriate and pursue a complaint of some sort.

Responding

Good business letter etiquette calls for letters to be responded to promptly or within certain guidelines. This may normally be considered as 5 working days. If this is not possible then some sort of acknowledgement should be sent either by letter, fax, phone or e-mail.

Always use reference numbers or clearly state the purpose of the letter at the top, for example, Re: Business Letter Etiquette Enquiry. This allows the receiver to trace correspondence and immediately set your letter within a context.

When replying to points or questions the proper etiquette is to respond in the same order as they were asked.

Managing Conflict

Letters are often an arena for conflicts or disputes. Even in these circumstances there are rules of business letter etiquette that should be adhered to.

If you initiate the dispute then, 1) Explain and set out your case simply and clearly to the most appropriate person, 2) Offer information that may be required by the other party to help answer questions, 3) Indicate a time scale by which you expect a reply or the matter to be resolved.

If you are receiving the dispute then 1) inform senior colleagues who may be affected or who may be able to offer assistance, 2) Submit all replies in draft form for a senior colleague to check, 3) Stick to the facts and the merits of the case and do not allow emotions to become involved, 4) Be polite, patient and courteous.

Using business etiquette in all matters and especially in business letters will ensure you communicate effectively, avoid misunderstandings and maximise your business potential.

Author: Neil Payne
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Programmable Pressure Cooker