How to write a letter of intent

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man thinking about how to write a letter of intent

In some ways, a letter of intent is much like a sales pitch. You talk about your strengths, leave out your weaknesses, and paint the best picture of yourself for the reader. Both are about selling yourself and using certain methods of persuasion. But that’s about as far as the similarities go. The crucial difference: you are not a product, and your reader isn’t the general public.

A letter of intent is simply that: a letter expressing your intention to pursue something, whether it’s a job, a slot in graduate school, or a business loan. But it’s also a letter made to impress. Your reader will judge the way you use language to make your point and sell yourself.

Read on to learn how to write a letter of intent...

Intelligent self-selling in your letter of intent

Both a sales pitch and a letter of intent answer the question “Why should we buy/hire you?” This is the part where you heap praises upon your person. A letter of intent, however, adds another layer of persuasion that’s a bit more “intelligent.” It should also answer the question, “Why are you selling yourself in the first place?” At this point, you need to convince the reader that you are applying for the right reasons. Letters of intent are often precautionary; that is, they are meant to weed out those who have no idea why they’re applying.

So your first step is to answer these two “why’s.” Write down your ideas and narrow them down to one or two main points, which will be the focus of your letter. Once you’ve got them down, it’s just a matter of organizing them into sensible prose and making a strong argument.

Getting your intros right

Some people go deep into their personal and professional histories without once mentioning the purpose of the letter. The first paragraph should contain pertinent information not just about you, but also about your application. Here’s how a typical letter intro might go:

  • Self introduction: Start with a one-sentence statement about yourself. Include your name, where you work or where you study, and what year or position. Instead of dwelling on the details, talk about the nature of your work or field of study. Most of the specifics will be in your supplementary documents.
  • Statement of intent: Next, say briefly why you are writing the letter and what you hope to get out of it. You want to get into law school, you want to get that job. Make it strong and clear; no need to pad it with unnecessary words.

Making your point

Next comes the body, or the main idea of your letter. This is where you put the answers you came up with in the first step. The following elements should go into the body:

  • Your credentials: State only those that are relevant to the program. Your baseball stint in high school may help you get an athletic scholarship, but it won’t matter much to a potential IT employer. Consider putting them in a bullet list to make it more readable.
  • Your purpose: Name one or two reasons why you’re making this application. Avoid motherhood statements—these people have probably read enough about helping the poor and promoting world peace. Talk about specific events in your life that led to this decision, but don’t go into a long narrative.
  • A bit of praise: Talk a bit about the school and why you specifically chose it. Take care not to go overboard or sound insincere. It may be a good idea to say where you learned or heard about the program, but do this only if it helps your argument.

The call to action

End your letter with a call to action. Request an interview, ask for a call back, or just say you’re expecting a reply. Alternatively, you can restate your intentions and say you plan on following up after a certain number of days (two weeks is usually appropriate). Some programs have fixed application schedules, so look them up before making any demands.

Finally, provide your complete contact details. At the very least, you should have a phone number, home or office address, and email address. Make sure it’s a real street address—a P.O. Box address will instantly make your reader suspicious (“Is this guy homeless or something?”). Most companies will contact you over the phone and send a confirmation via email. If you can’t be on call all day, mention what time you can take calls or leave someone credible to take a message.

Some do’s and don’ts

  • Do keep your letter short. One page should be enough to contain all your main ideas. If you really have a lot to say, consider putting your credentials on a separate sheet.
  • Don’t try to impress them with jargon or a big vocabulary. Your reader prefers simple letters that are modest and easy to read. Big words will make you sound haughty and overconfident.
  • Do read up on the program policies before writing your letter. Most rules apply across the board, but some schools have specific requirements on content and format.
  • Don’t go into too much detail. The letter is meant to be an overview of your application, not a comprehensive guide.
  • Do proofread your letter. You want to make a good impression, and a typo-ridden letter isn’t the best way to do that. Run a spell-check, then print it out and manually check for contextual errors.