Writing Skills “Important Instruction for the Students:” · PDF fileWriting Skills...

Chapter 5

Writing Skills

“Important Instruction for the Students:”

From this chapter only application-based questions will be asked. For example “Write a letter to ….” “Prepare a report on ……” “Write a paragraph on ……” “Complete the following story” “Prepare a job application for the post of chief engineer” etc. So students are instructed to prepare this chapter only from application point of view. Here in this pamphlet theory is given which can be helpful while writing or preparing Letter, Job Application, Paragraph, Report etc. so students are again instructed that application based questions will be asked from this chapter.

CS/ Business Letter Writing/ 1

Letter Writing What is Business communication? What is the role of Letter

writing in Business or in Technical Communication? In modern time, the concept of Business has changed. With the advancement in the field of science and in the means of transports and communication there is a great change in the development of trade and commerce. The goods produced in local area are sold in the foreign markets and vice versa. To run the business successfully the concept of Business Communication becomes necessary part of Business. It is the fact that no organization is independent in business field. In business every organization has to depend on other organizations for the raw materials and in order to sustain the relationship with other organizations there must be effective communication among organizations. The word Communication means “the imparting, conveying or exchange of ideas, knowledge, etc. whether by speech, writing or sign”

Internal Communication:

Internal Communication means exchange of information internally by phone, e-mail, fax, inter-office memo within the organization related to the work. It helps employees do their work systematically and have a clear vision of the goals of the company they work for.

External Communication

External Communication carries information out of the organization related to the work.

In business field messages are exchanged with customers, traders, distributors, competitors, investors and representatives. It requires good and effective communication to build a favorable image of an organization and to promote its performance.


In business communication, letter writing has played a significant role in the progress and development of trade and industry. Today most of the business of the world is carried on by means of a letter. Goods are bought and sold, complaints are registered and solved and misunderstandings are cleared up by means of letters. There are other means of communication for Business activities such as oral medium or audio-visual medium but only letter serves the right purpose. Written correspondence or Letter creates permanent records; it contributes to legal defenses when litigation arises. In modern times, Business Letters act as an Ambassador. As Ambassador maintains relationship among nations, Business Letters in the same way establish relationship between two companies or traders or their relationship with customers

In letter writing, the information is organized, presented and communicated in a specific format. In letter the writing should be concise, clear and accurate. The writing takes into account the audience’s needs, biases and prior understanding. The writing presents information to help readers solve a problem or gain a better understanding of a situation. The writing conveys technical, complex, or specialized information in a way that is easy for non-technical readers to understand. In short, in business communication, letters create an impression of the business party and the communication done with the use of letter makes business dealing or negotiation comprehensive.


Structure/Parts of Business Letter:

Structure of business letter includes two types of elements: Standard Elements and Additional Elements.

Standard Elements:

Heading: Heading includes the name and the address of the writer of the letter. This element is also known as letterhead. It appears in the beginning of the letter aligning either left margin or right margin depending upon the layout.

Date:

This element refers to the date the letter was written. It includes the date, month and year. Date appears below the heading. There are two methods of writing the date:

Method I: The date is written in ordinal numbers. e.g. 5th July 2009. The figures of the date are written as 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 15th, 25th and so on. The name of the month is followed by the date and the year is written last.

Method II: The date is written in Cardinal numbers, e.g. July 5, 2009. According to this method, the name of the month is written first. The date is followed by the month and the year is written last.

Inside address:

Inside address includes the Name, Post and the full address of the person who is going to receive the letter. It is the same as it will appear on the envelope.

Salutation:


In salutation we address the person who is going to receive the letter in the following way. Salutation is placed leaving one space below inside address. For example:

Sir,

Madam,

This form of salutation is used in government correspondence or while writing letters to such offices.

Dear Sir,

Dear Madam,

This form of salutation is commonly used in business correspondence

Dear Sirs, This form of salutation is used when the letter is written to business firms or companies

Gentlemen, This form is used in America while writing letters to Board of Directors, Committees, Public Bodies and Big companies.

Mesdames, This form of salutation is used when to letter is addressed to a firm of ladies

Dear Mr. Trivedi,

Dear Mrs. Trivedi,

Dear Prof. Joshi,

In modern time, this form is used by business man when he has business relation with the person to whom he is writing a letter. The name of person is written followed by “Dear” This is an informal use.

Dear Kuldeep,

Dear Roma,

This form of salutation is used when the writer has personal relation with the recipient of the letter


Message:

This part occupies the greatest amount of space. Here we include our purpose of the letter and some important information about the letter in detail.

Complimentary Close:

This element is a single word or phase separated from the message by a blank line. For complimentary close we can use phrases like:

Complimentary Close Details

Yours faithfully, This form is used in business correspondence. This form is in harmony with Dear Sir, Dear Madam, as the salutation

Yours truly,

Yours very truly,

Very truly yours,

This form is used in America and it is in the harmony with Dear Sir: Dear Madam: as the salutation

Yours truly, This form indicates some personal relationship and is in harmony with the salutation such as Dear Mr. Joseph, Dear Mr. Joshi. It is more used in America

Your sincerely,

Sincerely yours,

This form shows personal relationship between the writer and the recipient. In Business letter this form is less used.

Dear Customer,

Dear Member,

Dear Subscribers

This form of salutation is used in circular letters


Signature Block:

In signature block we have to mention our short name and put our signature at the end of the letter.

Example:

Hindustan Chemical Limited

Jay Dixit

ADDITIONAL ELEMENTS: Additional elements include:

Addressee notation

Attention line

Subject line

Enclosure notation

Copy notation

Mailing notation

Addressee Notation:

This notation generally appears a double space above the inside address in capital letters. For example:

PERSONAL

CONFIDENTIAL

TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN

Subject Line:

This line directly says the main purpose of the letter in short.

For example:

Subject: Information regarding last week’s inspection.

Enclosure Notation:


This notation appears at the bottom of the letter where we mention all the names of documents that we attach with the letter. For example:

Enclosure:

1. Draft of proposal

2. Invoice photocopy

3. Report

4. Proposal

Copy Notation:

Copy notation mentions the names of persons who are going to receive a copy of the letter. Here the recipients of the letter are listed in the following manner:

Cc: Charles Mathew

Copy to Ben Adams

Mailing Notation:

This notation is placed either at the bottom of the letter or in the very beginning of the letter above the inside address. It refers to the name of the medium through which the letter is sent. Mailing notations such as:

By registered post

By courier

By speed post etc.


TYPES OF LETTER :

There are mainly five types of letter which are as under:

Inquiry letter or letter of inquiry:

Letters of inquiry are written by persons or organizations to get specific information about particular product or services. In this type of letter the main aim is to ask (inquire) information.

Complaint letter:

This letter is written to draw the attention of a specific persons or organization to their mismanagements or mistakes. Here, we send complain through letter this is why it is called complaint letter. We generally write complaint letter

Billing errors

Damaged goods

Wrong quantity

Late delivery

Non delivery

Poor service etc.

Regret letter:

This type of letter is written to show the sympathy with the person who has got a trouble, difficulties or a big loss.

Adjustment letter:

Adjustment letters are written in reply to claim letters. In this we have to apologize for our mismanagement and mistakes. We also have to assure to correct the mistakes through this letter. We can write the adjustment letter with the help of the following guidelines.

Thank the customer for bringing the mistake to your notice

Whether you agree or disagree completely or partially, tell him how you will remedy the problem.

Explain how the mistake has occurred.

Admit your fault.


Assure him to correct the mistakes as soon as possible.

Clarify any action that your customer must take.

Apologize for the problem occurred.

LAYOUTS OF BUSINESS LETTERS:

There are mainly four lay outs in which business letters are drafted:

Block layout.

Modified block layout.

Semi- block layout.

Simplified layout.

Block layout:

Now-a-days block layout has become popular in business field. In this layout all the elements are aligned to the left margin and punctuation marks are omitted in each element except message, salutation and complimentary close.

Modified block layout:

Modified block layout is traditional in its appearance. In this layout heading, complimentary close, and signature block are aligned to the right margin. And rest of the elements are aligned to the left margin.

Semi-block layout:

This layout resembles modified block layout style but here little bit difference is there. Here the message starts a few spaces away from the left margin. While rest of the elements follow modified block layout style.

Simplified layout:

Though this format resembles block layout it differs from block layout in following manners:

Simplified layout omits salutation

Omits complimentary close.

Here are sample of above mentioned layouts of business letters:


These are the layout patterns. They show how layouts differ from one another. Observe them closely and learn the difference among them.


In order to understand the layouts of business letter, see the following examples of letters:

BLOCK LAY OUT

Mr. XYZ

18, Meghdut Society

Mahavirnagar

Ahmedabad

Ph: 00067800

Date: 18th July 2011

The Managing Director

H C L Company

Bangalore

South India

Respected Sir,

I am writing this letter to inform you that before three months ago I purchased a computer from your branch at Ahmedabad. Now the computer is not working properly. It remains on for several minutes and then turns off itself. Regarding this case I request you to replace my computer as soon as possible. Information about the purchase of the computer is following.

Invoice No. 4578/c

Consignment No. 08967503/c

Order No. 3452

Warranty Card No. 4563709/c

I hope that you will consider my case and replace my computer as early as possible.

Yours truly,

Mr. X Y Z


MODIFIED BLOCK LAY OUT

The Principal

H N Engineering College

Mahesana A`bad road

Mahesana

Date: July 18, 2011


H C L Company

Bangalore

South India

Respected Sir,

This letter is for your information that we require 60 computers for our H N Engineering College therefore we hereby demand a quotation for 60 pc from your company. Regarding this case we request you to send your quotation as early as possible to our address or you may send it through e mail. Our email address is mentioned in the letter.

Email: [email protected]

Yours truly,

X Y Z


SEMI BLOCK LAYOUT

Mr. X Y Z

18, Meghdut Societ

Mahavirnagar

Ahmedabad

Date: 18th August 2010


H C L Company

Bangalore

South India

Respected Sir,


Invoice No. 4578/c

Consignment No. 08967503/c

I hope that you will consider my case and replace my computer as early as possible.

Yours truly,

xyz


SIMPLIFIED BLOCK LAY OUT

The Principal

H N Engineering College

Mahesana A`bad road

Mahesana

Ph: 00067800

[email protected]

Date: 18th September 2011


H C L Company

Bangalore

South India

This letter is for your information that we require 60 computers for our H N engineering college therefore we hereby demand a quotation for 60 pc from your company. Regarding this case we request you to send your quotation as early as possible to our address or you may send it through e mail. Our email address is mentioned in the letter.

X Y Z


“KEEP THESE THINGS IN YOUR MIND”

STANDARD ELEMENTS IN LETTER

Mr. X Y Z

18, Meghdut society

Mahavirnagar HEADING

Ahmedabad

Ph: 00067800

Date: 18th August 2009 DATE


H C L Company INSIDE ADDRESS

Bangalore

South India

Respected Sir, SALUTATION

MESSAGE/ BODY


Yours truly, COMPLIMENTARY CLOSE

Mr. X Y Z SIGNATURE BLOCK


Message: you may use the following lines as the initial lines

(1) This letter is to inform you that……

(2) This is for your information that…..

(3) I am / we are writing this letter for your in formation that….

(4) I am /we are writing this in order to inform you that…

Following lines are very important for complain letter

(1) Two months ago we/ I purchased _____________from your company but now _____________is not working/ recently I have come across a defect in ____________.

(2) When I opened the consignment I found that all ________ were broken/ were defected.

(3) Regarding this case I hereby claim for the compensation/ replacement.

(4) I hope you will consider my case and replace/ compensate as soon as possible.

(5) My invoice no. consignment No. and order No. are as under:

REPORT WRITING

What Is REPORT? Nowadays reports have become an important part of our lives. We prepare reports in schools, hospitals, companies, organizations, news channels, institutions etc. The main aim of preparing reports is to gather important information about a specific event or incident. For example various committees in government department prepare monthly or annual progress reports. In reports person gathers important information from various sources and analyzes that information. Report discusses the topic, issue or events in depth and contains conclusion and recommendations if require. The main aim of report is to gather in formation in a systematic way so that this information can be passed easily to a person who requires it. Report is generally formal in nature and is written for a specific purpose and audience. Through report we can preserve information, evaluation and data analysis for a long time which we can use in future. For example world’s famous organization WWF prepares number of reports on wild life. These reports are used to understand the life of wild animals and also help in solving critical problems like sudden extinction of species. In short we can say that a report is usually a piece of factual writing which is based on evidence. Thus, today to handle technological organization we largely depend on technical reports.

How to Write a Report

The structure of report is mainly made up of three parts: (1) prefatory part, (2) main text, (3) supplementary part. These three parts include various sub-elements. But one needs not to use all the sub elements. A person can use them according to their requirements.

Prefatory part:

Cover Title page Certificate Acknowledgement Table of content List of illustration Summary

Main text: Introduction Discussion Conclusion Recommendations

Supplementary part:

Appendices References/bibliography Glossary

PREFATORY PART: This part is first section of the report where basic information about the report is mentioned. It begins from cover page in which the subject of the report and person’s name who has prepared the report is mentioned. Cover page: Cover page is the very first page that a reader faces. It provides valuable information about the report such as title of the report, name of the organization or institute where it is made, name of the person who prepares and the name of the person to whom it is submitted etc. Title page: The title page is a copy cover page which appears inside the report as a first page. Certificate: When the report is going to produce authentic information, it requires a certificate. The certificate mentions that the report is an original work of the report writer. It also mentions the subject of the topic, date, place and signature of the project supervisor or guide. Letter of transmittal: The letter of transmittal includes some important information about the report. It includes aims (objectives) scope, limitations, methods, that we use, result, importance of the study, suggestions etc. this letter is addressed to a person to whom we are going to submit the report.

Acknowledgement: In acknowledgement the names of the persons are mentioned who have contributed in preparing a report. A person can use few opening line like:

I thank to………………… I am extremely grateful to …………….

I am thankful to ……………… Thanks are due to ………………….

Table of contents: This part helps the reader to find a specific point of the topic easily and quickly. In table of content points are mentioned in sequence with the page numbers.

List of illustrations: Here illustrations like graphs, pictures, drawings, charts, tables etc are mentioned with their page numbers. So the reader can easily find out illustrations in the report.

Summary: In this section the whole report is summarized so that the reader who does not have enough time to read the whole report may read the summary. Summary also provides the hypothesis of the report so that reader gets interested and prepared to read it. MAIN TEXT: Introduction: Introduction part introduces the central point of the report. The introduction part includes information like background of the report, purpose, scope, authorization, basic principles, theories, methods of gathering data, structure of the report etc. It provides a brief outline of the report. Discussion: Discussion is the most important part of any report. Here information and data are presented, analyzed and interpreted. In discussion the report writer uses various techniques to describe the central issue. He or she simplifies the topic with the help of illustrations. The language used in report should be simple and unambiguous. In this section problems, needs, background, objectives, scope, limitations are discussed in detailed. And this is how result and recommendations are extracted. Conclusion: In conclusion section a report writer concludes the report mentioning important things once again. It should be keep in mind that conclusion should not be a repetition of what is mentioned earlier. This section should be short and still should include all the important points. Recommendations: This section is very important because here a result of the report is presented. Through the result the report writer presents some advices, suggestions,

solutions etc for the readers. Recommendations suggests the reader some points to improve situations or to solve the problems. SUPPLEMENTARY PARTS: Supplementary part includes appendices and bibliography or references. An appendix includes the additional information which has not been mentioned in the report. Generally appendices contains materials such as sample documents, detailed calculations, experimental result, data tables, graphs, specimen, sample of form etc. References is an alphabetical list of books, magazines, news papers, websites, personal interviews that has helped in preparing a report. To prepare bibliography or references we require:

Author’s name Title of the book Place, year of publication Publisher Page number etc.

Glossary: Glossary is a list of technical words used in the report with their explanation. If a reader comes across a difficult word while reading the report, he or she may refer to glossary. Index: Index helps us to guide and locate the topic, sub topic in the report quickly. In this section topic and sub topic is mentioned with their page number so the reader can locate them easily in the report. _____________________________________________________________ # Students will be asked to write a report on the a particular subject in the

examination so Students are instructed to study various samples of Report from Internet and books)

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UNIT-XIII (13)

JOB APPLICATION

What are the essential parts of job application? There are mainly two essential parts of job application: Cover Letter and Résumé. The purpose of job application is to persuade a person to read the attached résumé while the purpose of résumé is to provide personal information. Hence each of them plays an important role in the job search. Cover Letter: In cover letter candidate sends his/her request in written form to submit our application. This letter is prepared either in block layout or in modified block layout. Cover letter includes all the standard elements. The purposes of the cover letter are:

1. To gain attention and develop an interest in the person about qualification.

2. To carry the request with the help of past performance. 3. To sate why you are applying and which job you are applying for.

Cover letter is made up of three parts: Introduction, Main body and Conclusion.

Introduction: Introduction part includes heading, inside address, date, salutary and subject. This part provides valuable information about the sender and the receiver of the letter.

Main body: Main body of the cover letter reveals the main purpose of the letter. Here candidate submit his/her name for the post of a particular job.

Conclusion: The concluding paragraph of the letter has two important functions: to ask the reader for a specific action and to make the positive reply. In conclusion we can express our willingness to come and meet the personnel at his office at a convenient time.

RÉSUMÉ OR CURRICULUM VITAE:

Résumé or curriculum vitae is prepared with the help of several elements. It is prepared as a part of job application so it cannot be presented individually. It should always be presented with the cover letter.

Elements of résumé:

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Personal information: Personal information includes name, address, phone numbers, email address and web site. Under this heading candidate can also add some additional information like birth, date, category etc if this information is required.

Career /professional objectives: This element is optional it includes strong statements that relate our objectives.

Educational qualification: Here candidate mentions his/her education qualification so that the company employer can know about his/her our education.

Work experience: In this element applicant’s work experience is mentioned. Each entry in work experience includes the name and location of the organization where he/she has worked or done his/her assignment, job designation, duration and the brief summary of the work.

Achievements: Most employers want to know about special abilities that will make a person more valuable employee. Here candidate can include achievements that he/she has gained in co curricular activities.

Reference: This section should always be the last one in a résumé. In this part candidate mentions names of several persons to whom an employer may contact to derive information about the candidate.

Types of Résumé:

There are four types of résumé: Chronological, Functional, Hybrid and Electronic.

Each has its own advantages.

Chronological Résumé: Chronological résumé emphasizes on education and work experience. This type of resume is more effective when our experience clearly relates to the job we are seeking. Here we include information under each position like personal information, career objectives, educational qualification, work experience and references. The chronological résumé is the most common way of organizing the information in a résumé.

Functional Résumé: The functional résumé shows the skills that we bring to the job. This type of résumé emphasizes individual fields of competence and this is why it is used by applicants who are just entering the job market. In short this type of résumé demonstrates the applicant’s abilities, performances, skill to handle the position they are applying for.

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Hybrid/ combination Résumé: This type of résumé uses the best features of both Chronological and Functional résumé. However this type of résumé is not popular and is not commonly used.

Electronic résumé: Nowadays this type of résumé is becoming popular. It can be chronological or functional. This résumé is prepared in computer in a ‘soft’ (digital format) format. We can send this type of résumé through email to various company and organizations.

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SAMPLE OF JOB APPLICTION

Sample of Cover Letter:

Mr. X.Y.Z 12, Shantiniketan Gurukul society Gandhi road Ahmedabad 21st, December 2011 To T.C.S Company Ltd. A-45 Industrial Area B- Mumbai 1600 Subject: An application for the post of an Assistant Computer Engineer. Respected Sir, In response to your advertisement in the Hindustan Times dated 18th December 2011 for the above mentioned post I hereby submit my application for the same. My educational qualification and personal information is mentioned in my résumé with this letter. I am confident that my skills and past experience could make great contributions to your organization. Therefore I would appreciate the opportunity to discuss my qualifications for this position in greater detail with you in person at your earliest convenience. I am eager to prove my competence at personal interview. Yours Sincerely, X.Y.Z

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Sample of Résumé

Mr.XYZ.

101, Shantighar Society

Satellite Road

Ahmedabad

PERSONAL INFORMATION:

o Name: Mr. XYZ

o Father’s name: Mr. XYZ

Address: 16, Viharkunj Society 101, Shantighar Society Satellite Road Ahmedabad

o Date of birth: 07/ 12/ 1985

o Languages known: Hindi, English, Gujarati

o Email- [email protected]

o Mo. 990024242320

CAREER OBJECTIVES:

To associate myself with an organization that provides a challenging job and an opportunity to prove my competence, innovative skills and diligent work. To be involved in providing software solutions to enhance network security.

EDUCATIONAL QUALIFICATIONS:

DEGREE BOARD/ UNI. PASSING YEAR CLASS

M.E.(computer eng.)

G.T.U 2002-2004 First -65%

B.E.(computer eng.)

G.T.U 1998-2002 First- 67%

H.S.C GSEB,gandhinagar 1997-1998 First- 82%

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WORK EXPERIENCE:

One year experience in F.C.C as a junior computer assistant.

SOFTWARE SKILLS:

Programming languages: C, C+ +, Java PERL and Assembly/Machine Language.

Technologies : HTML, Java Security, JDBC, SWING, XML, SQL PL

Operating system: Linux, UNIX, windows 95/98/NT, DOS

Security experience: have helped to uncover multiple serious security holes in the LAN network and to build Firewalls

SELECTED ACCOMPLISHMENTS

• Extensive experience in engineering and management, research and development, leadership and mentoring, test and problem-solving.

• Expert at analyzing and solving the most complex of problems. • Strong analytical, detail-oriented and interpersonal skills along with my

exceptional common sense to improve services and products, reduce costs and lead times, delight customers and help and mentor others.

• Ability to carry out installation, repair, and troubleshooting system, board and custom level electrical devices

• Self motivated professional, capable of working independently or as part of a team

Reference:

DR. Sunil Shah

System Analyst,

Satyam Computer Service Ltd.

Hyderabad

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