Formal letter word example

Learning how to write a formal letter is essential when establishing a sense of professionalism in the workspace. Whether you’re communicating with your boss, employees, or someone outside of your business, a business letter acts as a representative of the organization. The way you present yourself in your letter sets the tone for your business.

Using a professional tone informs readers that you are serious about your work and possess expert knowledge on the subject you are bringing forward. This article looks at formal letter examples and formal letter formats, which will help you become an expert in professional communication.

What Is a Formal Letter?

A formal letter is a document written in a professional tone that follows a specific format, addressed to authorities, coworkers, dignitaries, and seniors. You do not address these types of letters to friends, family, or personal acquaintances. They are the opposite of an informal letter, which uses more conventional language. 

Formal letter examples include business letters, appointment letters, resignation letters, cover letters, and recommendation letters. You can send formal emails, but a paper letter gives more detailed personal attention.

What Are the 5 Parts of a Formal Letter?

• Address: You must include both the sender and the recipient’s address. The sender’s address belongs to the writer and is written on the top-right corner of the paper. It is followed by the sender’s email address and then the date. The recipient’s address appears below the sender’s address, in the upper left-hand corner. You do not repeat the date under the receiver’s address.
• Salutation: The salutation is an essential part of a formal letter. Unlike an informal letter where you can address the recipient however you see fit, the standard salutation for a formal letter is “Dear Sir/Madam”. If you do not know the recipient’s gender, you can address them by occupation or full name. Your salutation should depict respect.
• Title: After the salutation, the title or heading comes next. The title contains brief information on the subject of your letter. It should clearly state the letter’s purpose, and it is usually written in caps lock or underlined.
• Body: The body is the main part of the letter, written in single-space paragraphs. The body paragraph comes after the introduction, before the conclusion, and should state the key reasons for writing the letter. You should divide this section into small, concise paragraphs.
• Signature: Once you’ve concluded your arguments, you must include a subscription and a signature at the bottom of your letter. An example of a subscription is “Yours Faithfully”. Your signature should appear below the subscription, in the same position. In a formal letter, the authentic signature is usually handwritten.

How to Write a Formal Letter: Beginning and Ending

You want to draw the reader in from the very first sentence, so it’s vital to know how to address formal letters. On the same note, you want to end your letter strongly so the reader is left with a good impression of you as a professional. Below are key points to note when beginning and ending your formal letter.

How to Begin a Formal Letter

The majority of formal letters begin with the word “Dear” before the name of the recipient. You can either use the person’s first and last name or their title and surname. If you do not know the person’s name, you must address the letter using “Dear Sir or Madam”. 

Regardless of how you begin your letter, it must be accompanied by a comma. Your first sentence, which should start on a new line after the title, should directly indicate why you’re writing the letter.

How to End a Formal Letter

How you end your letter will be determined by the message you want to send. Examples of letter closings include “Yours sincerely”, “Yours faithfully”, “Respectively”, and “Warm regards”. Remember that you must use a comma to end your message.

How to Write a Formal Letter: 5 More Useful Tips

Make Use of the Right Tone

You must write a formal letter with a professional approach. Take into account your target audience and be wary of the words you use. Write in the proper format, avoid using slang and contractions, and maintain a courteous approach.

Be Clear and Concise

It is important to state the objective of your correspondence clearly in the introduction of your letter. Ensure that it is brief and straightforward. Knowing how to communicate is a professional skill everyone should know in the workspace.

Proofread Your Letter

Proofread your letter and review your work thoroughly. This letter could be an essential part of transitioning into the next stage of your career. Give yourself at least four weeks to write, review, and check for spelling and grammar mistakes before sending it in. A letter that is free of errors will appear more professional.

Include the Proper Elements

When writing this type of letter, make sure to include all of the required information. This includes the address of the recipient, your name, and your signature.

Use Proper Format and Presentation

When writing a handwritten formal letter, choose high-quality paper and a matching envelope. Ensure that you spell the name of the recipient correctly and that the address is correct. Remember to sign the letter.

Formal Letter Examples to Help You Communicate Effectively

Writing any kind of formal letter is easy once you have mastered the techniques of sharing clear and concise messages. Below are formal letter examples that will help you communicate effectively. The first is a common example of a formal letter delivered by email, and the second is a common example of a formal handwritten letter.

Formal Letter Example 1: Application Letter

Lynn Thomas
123 Main Street 

Anytown, FL
32821

lynn@email.com

February 12, 2022

Hiring Manager,

WebTech Solutions

123 Business Road

Business City, NY 

54321

Dear Sir/Madam,

I am writing in regards to the human resources consultant position advertised on CareerKarma.com. I am very interested in this position and would appreciate being considered a candidate for it.

I have work experience in human resources departments, providing help to various sectors. I have been employed as a human resources generalist for the past four years. Before this position, I worked as a human resources assistant for two years.

I have a strong desire to help people, and I excel in looking for answers to common HR issues, which I believe would be a valuable asset to your organization. I possess excellent communication skills, which are critical for HR success. I have a degree in human resources from Arizona State University. 

I promote employee retention and improve business cultures by establishing training and education programs. Making sure my employees have access to the information they need to succeed and comply with legal obligations is of utmost importance to me.

I appreciate your taking the time to read this message, and I am looking forward to hearing from you about the next steps in the recruiting process. Please contact me if you have any questions or require extra information.

Sincerely,

Lynn Thomas

Formal Letter Example 2: Resignation Letter

Jennifer Lee

22 Main Street 

Business City, NY 

87321

lee@blue.com

February 12, 2022

Mr. Isaac

Managing Director

Blue Enterprises 

546 Business Road

Business City, NY 

54321

Dear Mr. Isaac,

I am writing to inform you that I am resigning as the Product Manager for Blue Enterprises, effective March 23, 2022.

Thank you very much for the professional and personal development opportunities you have afforded me over the last three years. I have loved working for the organization, and I appreciate the help during my tenure. 

Sincerely,

[Signature]

Jennifer Lee

How to Use Formal Letter Examples to Write Your Own

This article has provided you with formal letter examples to write your formal letter. According to ResumeLab, an excellent cover letter will get you the job 85 percent of the time, even if your resume isn’t impressive. Follow a sample letter and include all of the right elements to help you make the professional leap to boost your career needs.

Always ensure that you maintain a formal tone and avoid a friendly tone, and proofread your work to ensure that you have no grammatical errors. With constant practice, you will develop your formal letter writing skills.

How to Write a Formal Letter FAQ

Formal letters are the business letters that are used to convey something important from one organization to another. Example of Formal letter are the letters that are used officially and commercially. These letters are mostly used in the industry. They are always explicit in nature. Such letters are also termed as business letters as they are primarily used in an official way, and these letters are always formal in nature. Any type of information one can want to put forward he/she can carry that information ahead by executing a formal letter. A formal letter including many types like Job recommendation letter, apology letter, appreciation letter, job application letter, invitation letter, complaint letter, and many more such types.

There are numerous uses of formal letters. formal letters are used for multitudinous purposes, as it is played the most fetching and efficient role in professionalism

• Formal letters are used to convey information from one person to another
• Formal letters are used in legal requests.
• People usually use formal letters for their payment demand as well.
• Formal letters are also used to acknowledge an employee.
• Formal letters are also used in recommending a job.
• Any type of cancellation or declaration one can make with the help of such letters.
• Job application and interviews are also done by executing such letters.
• An individual can also write a complaint letter against anything unfair, as it is kept confidential by the administration.
• An individual can also justify nonpersonal communication through a formal letter.
• People also use such letters to request information.
• To apply for a job.
• Formal letters are also helped you in expressing your views like-
• You can tell what you think about the government.
• You can ask a question about any of your query.
• Tell an employer what is the importance of this job for you.

Key Features of Formal Letter

There are overriding traits of formal letters that should be kept in mind while writing a formal letter.

• Always used formal language to write such letters.
• Be straight forward and sneak forward directly to the point.
• Do not mess up by overwriting, please take care of words.
• Do not forget to follow the prescribed format.
• Be specific and justified always.
• Do not write anything that can create misunderstanding.
• Firstly write the address of writer and recipient
• Date of the day.
• Subject/title – Must be in one line
• Hailing or nod with Dear Mam/Sir
• Content – break down the content into three parts

Sample Formal Letter Example Template

Aliza Johnson
14 Jonas Street
Portland, Maine 04101
555-555-8888
Alizabethjohnson@emailaddress.com

January
14, 2019

Dark Smith
Human Resources Manager
Veggies to Go
233 Main Street
Portland, Maine 04101

Dear
Mr. Smith,

I  am feeling glad to know that when my former co-worker, Jay Lopez, told me about your opening for an administrative assistant in your Portland offices. It is a very vibrant opportunity. A long-time Veggies to Go customer and an experienced admin, I would love to accompany you and help you in achieving the goals its mission of making healthy produce as available as takeout.

I’ve worked a lot for small companies for my entire career, and am too passionate about it and I relish the opportunity to wear many hats and work with the team to succeed more and more. I have been the administrative manager at Kollinworrd Corp, throughout my career there, I have been able to save thousands of dollars by planning and executing several strategies to provide better services to the customers which help in cutting down the canceled shifts. I also learned web design, timesheet coding, and perfected my Excel skills.

I’ve enclosed my resume for your further consideration and hope to speak with you soon about your needs for the role and expecting feedback from your side soon.

Best
Regards,

Aliza
beth Johnson

Signature

Format of Formal Letter Example

The traits and features of all the formal letters are almost the same. Formal letters are always written in a formal language by strictly follows the prescribed format of writing it. These letters are basically worked as a documentary evidence in an organization as both the parties the sender and the receiver cannot deny to anything that conveys through the letter for example – If an organization recruit a candidate in their company, for that they have to send him the job application letter with all the details from the salary to all the work process of that designation and get assigned by the signatory as well therefore in further process both the people the candidate and the company, nobody can deny to any of the assigned detail that is specified in a letter as it is assigned by both the parties and can be used as an evidence whenever needed.

Beginning- By greeting and introduction

Middle-
Briefly described an issue

End-
conclusion

• Subscription- Your sincerely/ Yours faithfully.
• Signature with the full name.

By taking care of all the above detailed and follows the prescribed format here presenting one of the examples below of formal letter.

Types of Formal Letter

There are infinite types of formal letters and each of them is unique in their own and used in a different situation always, some of them are written below.

Job offer letter

One of the most commonly used formal letters is a job offer letter which is written by an employer to offer a job to an employee. A job offer letter is provided to an employee if he/ she is selected for a particular position. All the important details such as salary, joining date, job position, other terms etc are included in a job offer. An employee responds to a job offer with a job acceptance letter or job rejection letter. Make sure to be professional and formal while responding to a job offer letter.

Appreciation letter

This is a formal and informal type of letter. An appreciation letter is written to acknowledge or appreciate something good. It may be the outstanding performance of an employee or maybe a salary hike from an employer. There are many instances where you could write an appreciation letter. Every person loves to get appreciated, a few good words from someone acts as the biggest motivator and confidence booster. As an employer, you must write an appreciation letter to employee for outstanding performance. Similarly, as an employee, you must appreciate your boss for a salary hike, promotion, or support, etc.

Job recommendation letter

As a job seeker, you may find yourself in a situation where a job recommendation letter is required. A good percentage of the job vacancies are still fulfilled with recommendations. A recommendation letter from an authorized person adds extra weight to your resume and the chances of getting a job increases. If you just graduated from school or college then ask your professor or mentor to write a recommendation letter. Similarly, you could ask your employer to write a job recommendation letter in case you are shifting a job. A Job Recommendation Letter is also known as a Letter of reference or reference letter or associating letter.

Complaint letter

A complaint letter is a formal type of letter which is written to complain about the poor services, bad product, inappropriate behavior, etc. There are many instances happen in life where you need to write a letter of complaint in order sort things out. Following are the major instances where a complaint letter should be written.

• complaint letter example for bad product
• complaint letter for poor service
• complaint letter to a service provider

Writing a complaint letter is a formal way to sort things out. Instead of getting angry, putting bad reviews, you must try to a complaint first. If things don’t solve even after a complaint then you can deal with a situation in a different way.

Resignation letter

This is a type of formal letter which every person has to write at some point in a career. A resignation letter is written by an employee to resign from a job or to quit a job. There could be many reasons for writing this letter. Maybe you are getting a better job opportunity or maybe you are not happy with a current job. There are further many types of resignation letter. We recommend the use of formal resignation letter samples to write down a formal letter to resign from a job. You have already decided to resign, so why not do that professionally. Be formal and professional, even if you are angry with the management.

Announcement Letter

Announcement Letter or Notification Letters are written to notify all the people or members or employees about particular information. The purpose of an announcement letter is to announce something important. An announcement letter could be written in many instances such as new project announcement, a holiday announcement, change in office timings, about meeting schedules, maybe a new job vacancy announcement, etc. This type of letters is written by an employer or boss or people at higher authority.

Appointment Letter

Appointment letter is like a confirmation letter from an employer that a person is selected or appointed for a particular job position in a company. This is an official formal letter which must be provided before an employee starts a job. As an employer, it’s your responsibility to write this letter and as an employee, you must ask for it. All the job-related terms and condition are mentioned in this letter and an employee must agree to them if you choose to work. Check out the sample of appointment letter to save your time and efforts in writing it from scratch.

Download Example of Formal Letter Template Word

Conclusion

As a working person, you must know how to write a formal letter. As explained above, there are multiple types of formal letters and writing each type is different from the other. That’s why it important to always check the sample letters for reference in order to write a correct letter. This site is loaded with a different type of formal letters, use the search bar to find a formal letter.