Answer by Researcher byrd on Thu 15 Oct 2009 - 4:15 am UTC:

Hello again Cati, 

Good to see you've made such good progress with your studies that you're
ready now to apply for a position. Congratulations! 

To answer your specific questions first: 

1. In English, capital letters are used to signify proper names and nouns.
The word "colleges" by itself is not a proper noun so would not ordinarily
be capitalized. However, if it refers to a named college it would be
capitalized as part of that name, and also subsequently when used as a
pronoun following the first reference. 

Therefore, in your letter, your first reference, "... opening at the
College" should actually say, "opening at ______ College," naming it by
name. Then subsequent references may say just "the College" without
repeating the name, capitalizing "College" since it refers to that specific
one. The same rule would apply to "school," i.e. capitalize the proper
name, but do not capitalize a general reference. Hope that's clear. 

2. The closing of a letter may range from casual to very formal. For a job
application, most people opt for business formal, which could be either

               Sincerely yours,
               Yours sincerely,

For further reference and help, you may want to consult the Online Writing
Lab (OWL) at Purdue University, which is a comprehensive guide covering
most writing tasks, including capitalization rules and cover letters. It's
American, of course, not Australian. Still, there are basic rules for
English that transcend our regional differences and I think this guide
would be very helpful: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/  

If you'd prefer to use an Australian resource, you might find the writing
section of "The Aussie Educator" site helpful (though you'll notice it also
refers to the Purdue OWL resource):
http://www.aussieeducator.org.au/language_writing.html 

One other note to keep in mind when writing both resumes and cover letters:
keep the focus on what you can do for the employer, not what they or the
job can do for you. Most employers really don't care about your goals and
desires. They care about their own needs, the requirements of the job, and
finding the person who can best serve them. So keep any discussion of your
dreams and plans and desires to a minimum. 

Ok, I've proofed and edited your letter which is indeed well written to
start with, but made a few changes to style and form, though not the main
substance. Normally when I edit papers for private clients, I use the
tracking feature in Word, which isn't possible here. So instead I've added
one or two parenthetical notes where I think you may miss or not understand
the changes I made. Hope it's not too confusing. Also please forgive me if
the formatting gets messed up. We have a new preview feature that hopefully
will prevent that, but I haven't used it before so I'm hoping all goes
well. If you require further clarification, let me know, and I'll do my
best to help. 

Best wishes, and good luck on your job search! 

Byrd
___________________________________________________________________________

(Formal business style would have your name/address at the right side of
the page, the addressee name/address, date, reference and salutation left
justified, paragraphs indented 5 spaces, and closing/signature placed at
the halfway point four lines beneath the last paragraph. Block style is
also acceptable. In that case, everything is left justified, with no
indentations. Your choice.)
                                                                           
                                                                           
                                                             
                                                         Cati Yoursurname
                                                         Address line 1
                                                         Address line 2
                                                                           
                                                                           
                                                                           
                                     
Name of person addressed
Address line 1
Address line 2

October 14, 2009

Re: HSIE teaching position (double space after this) 


Dear Sir: (or you may use Dear Mr. X: but with a colon, not a comma)

   I am very excited about this opportunity to apply for the HSIE teaching
position currently open at   _______ College (best to name the college) as
I believe I possess the qualifications necessary to make a significant
contribution to the needs of the College and its students as described. 

   Over the course of the past year I have worked (might be good to name
your position here, i.e. "have worked as a ____ ) in a secondary school, my
primary responsibility being the teaching of seven HSIE and Religious
Education classes. I am hard-working and enthusiastic, and have been able
to quickly build rapport and trust with both students and colleagues. It
has been a challenge both rewarding and fulfilling. You will find me highly
motivated and versatile, prepared to accept immediate responsibility, as
well as to undertake extra co-curricular activities in whatever capacity
may be needed. I enjoy working with adolescents and have the energy
necessary to keep up with them. 

   As you will see from my enclosed resume, my professional qualifications
include a commercial background, which increases my versatility by allowing
me to bring a wider than average experience to the job. Complementing this
experience is a strong educational background in commerce, anchored by a
Bachelor of Business degree completed in 2004 at the University of Sydney.
Four years later, in 2008, I reentered college to pursue my ultimate goal
of becoming a secondary school teacher and follow my dream of creating a
better world by helping to educate and make a positive difference in the
lives of those young people whom I would be privileged to teach. 

   I feel confident that my educational background, solid work experience,
and strong Catholic values will ensure my ability to make an immediate and
positive contribution to ______ College and its students. I am aware of and
share in the beliefs of the College that teaching and learning are 
relational, contextualised, holistic and engaging, and will endeavour to do
whatever is required to contribute to and remain a part of furthering and
continuing this worthy mission. 

   Thank you for considering my application. Should you have any questions
please do not hesitate to ask. I am eagerly looking forward to receiving a
positive response in the near future.                                     

                                                                           
                            


                              Sincerely yours, 
                                                                          
                                                                          

    
                              Cati Yoursurname 
   (allow enough space for your signature, then type your name below it)