Art Of Writing

There comes a time in the life of almost every educated person when he or she has to write an application for a job. The number of their own business.  Moreover, with our ever increasing population, the army of the unemployed persons is also constantly swelling. The Employment Exchanges are bursting at the seams with the names of the unemployed persons registered with them. Hence, writing applications for jobs has become an important part of an educated man’s life.

“Well begun is half done” , is a well-known proverb. This principle is very important in the matter of writing applications for jobs as well. The applications and any piece of writing for that matter is a kind of psychological link between the writer and the reader. It mirrors the psychological frame work of the person writing it. An application reflects the job seeker’s mind and enables the potential employer to form an impression about him.

Like other forms of composition, applications are also written with a specific aim in a view. There is some similarity between a salesman and an applicant. A good salesman is able to sell his goods if he is able to impress his potential buyer. The quality of goods being sold by them is the primary thing. Yet his ability to convince the buyer of that quality is equally important. In the same way, although what ultimately enables the applicant to get a job is his own ability, yet, the first impression that he makes on his potential employer is conveyed by the way he writes his application.

Like any other piece of writing, application writing, which includes writing application for jobs, is also an art. The foremost thing which an applicant should keep in mind is the simplicity and force of the application. A good application is utilitarian in style that is, it keeps the utility in mind. In other words it must directly aim at what it wants to convey. Beating about the bush or using more words than necessary is to be strictly avoided in writing an application.

Here the analogy of a salesman deserves repetition. A goods salesman will not thing of approaching a buyer who has no use for his product. It would be foolish of a salesman if he tried to sell after-shave lotion to a lady. In the same way, the applicant must approach the right kind of employer for his offer of job. This is all the more important where you send an unsolicited application, requesting someone to consider you for employment. If you seek a job as a stenographer, it would be futile to approach a firm which is primarily concerned with engineering goods. They may need a stenographer or two but there is very little likelihood of finding such a post vacant unless you have definite information about it.

Even in case of solicited applications, one must not thinking of sending in an application unless one is completely sure that he has the right qualifications. A salesman who tries to cheat a customer by promising the features which his goods not possess will sooner or later be shunned by his buyers,

So you must be sure whether you are well qualified and have the aptitude for the post you are applying for. Your qualifications and experience must match the requirements of the job mentioned in the advertisement.

However, sometimes you may feel that if you got a particular job, you would be able to satisfy your employers even if you don not possess the exact qualifications required for it. For example, suppose an employer has stipulated that he wants a M.Sc. with first class as a requirement and you have a high second class, or you have only four years, experience whereas the employer wants a minimum of five years’ experience. In that case you can send in your application. But it would be proper to make it clear to the employer that you would be able to satisfy them with your intelligence and hard work. It is possible that the employer is convinced and you might get a chance. But if the qualifications of a candidate are widely different from what are required, he should not think of sending in an application.

If you possess such extra qualifications as are not mentioned in the advertisement, you may still mention then in your application if these qualifications are concerned with the job you are applying for. But if they are not likely to be of use in your potential job, there is no use of mentioning them. For example, if you have obtained a diploma in journalism, it will not be out of place to mention it in your application when you are applying for the post of a script-wrier. But it would be futile to mention it when applying for the job of a Lecturer in history.

Some mention must be made here about the appearance of your application. As we said in the beginning, the first impression counts. Even before you impress the employer with the presentation and language of the application, he is influenced by its physical appearance.

If you have hand-writing your application in a very bad handwriting or if there are smudges and cuttings in your applications, these are likely to cast a bad impression on the man whom you want to impress most in order to get the job. In the same way if you cram too many sheets into a very small envelope, these will reach their destination all folded and cramped and may annoy the potential employer. While no employer would think of rejecting an application only on this count, yet other things remaining equal, a neat and clean application is likely to swing the balance in your favor.