Structure of Effective Letters

There is an acceptable structure for writing professional letters as noted in the guidelines below:

Your return address and the current date needs to be placed at the beginning of the letter - either top left corner, tabbed or flushed right in the upper right-hand corner of the letter.  Do not include your name or telephone number in this section.

The employer’s address should be placed at the left margin before the salutation. The inside address includes the name, title, department, and complete address of the organization to whom you are writing.

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The salutation is the formal greeting of the letter.  “Dear Mr.” or “Dear Ms.” preceding the individual's last name is appropriate. The punctuation following the salutation can be a colon ( or comma (,).  Do not use “Mrs.” unless you have seen this title used by the individual in question.  Do not use “To whom it may concern” or “Dear Sir/Madam” as it will appear you have written a form letter.  If you do not have the name of an individual, you may use “Dear Human Resources”.

The body of the letter comes after the salutation.  The body can be three to five paragraphs in length depending upon the content and intent of the letter.

Paragraphs can be indented five spaces or block style can be used.  The text within each paragraph is single-spaced with double-spacing between each paragraph.

The closing follows the body of the letter.  It is aligned with your return address and current date that opened the letter. A formal closing, such as "Sincerely," is appropriate.  Three to four blank lines are inserted and type your formal name as it appears on your resume.

Above your typed name, sign your name in blue or black ink.  Other colors of ink and pencils will not photocopy well


If information is to be enclosed, (i.e. a resume or transcript) then it is appropriate to place the word "Enclosure:" at the left margin followed by the name(s) of the document(s) enclosed.