Persuasiveness and conventions of job application letters: Troubleshooting for better outcomes

• Main Authors: Ooi , Kien Bee, Ting , Su Hie
• Format: Conference or Workshop Item
• Language: English
• Published: 21st MELTA International Conference 2012 2012
• Subjects: AC Collections. Series. Collected works
• Online Access: http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/810/1/Persuasiveness%2Band%2Bconventions%2Bof%2Bjob%2Bapplication%2Bletters%2528abstract%2529.pdf; http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/810/; http://www.melta.org.my/

Many careers begin with a job application letter. The skill of writing persuasive job application letters and the concomitant skill of performing well in interviews is an essential component of many business communication courses in institutions of higher education. The features of what are considered effective job application letters are rather consistent. However, getting students to produce these winning features is not as easy. The study examined the persuasiveness and conventions of job application letters written by college students in order to identify areas of weaknesses which need pedagogical attention. In this study, 59 job application letters written by commerce and technical college students in a professional communication course were analysed. The results showed that while the students generally complied with conventions on the format of the letter, the content of the letter was not persuasive. The letters do not lack routine information such as the source of the advertisement, qualifications and requests for interview but they do not have the edge to convince readers that they are the right persons for the much-coveted jobs. Making a connection between their qualifications and personal attributes to the requirements of the job and the company seemed to be a chasm that is difficult to cross and the findings suggest that this is where the effort in teaching effective job application letters should be concentrated.