Good communication is essential in almost every endeavor. Businesses, educational institutions, or private individuals would be able to communicate best through letters.
Contrary to current communication practices such as social media messaging and emailing, sending tangible letters are still relevant in this day and age. As a matter of fact, it is the best way to provide evidence in court should there be legal proceedings. Furthermore, letters are easier to track down and it is easier to assess whether or not a letter has reached the its target recipient.
Business Letter Format
Personal Business Letter
Business Proposal Letter
Resignation Letter Format
Resignation Acceptance Letter Sample
Formal Resignation Letter
Sample Cover Letter Format
Resume Cover Letter
Fax Cover Letter in Word
Formal Letter Format
Formal and Informal Letter
Formal Request Letter
Application Letter Format
Job Application Letter
Application Cover Letter
Professional Letter Format
Professional Reference Letter
Professional Thank You Letter
Informal Letter Format
Informal Invitation Letter
Informal Advice Letter
Request Letter Format in PDF
Formal Request Letter
Approval Request Letter
Appointment Letter Format
Medical Appointment Letter Sample
Job Appointment Letter
Free Appeal Letter Format
Disciplinary Appeal Letter
Appeal Letter For School
Letter of Recommendation Format
College Letter of Recommendation
Personal Letter of Recommendation
Letter of Reference Format
Personal Letter of Reference
Landlord Reference Letter
Letter of Complaint Format
Customer Complaint Letter
Official Complaint Letter
Interest Letter Format
Interest Letter Outline
Statement of Interest Letter
Letter of Authority Format
Irrevocable Letter of Authority
Bank Letter of Authority
What Are Letter Formats?
Letter formats contain the specific outline or layout for a particular type of letter. Whether a letter is formal or informal, it must subscribe to standard rules on how to write it as well as to the type of content or information that may be included in it.
Formal Letters vs. Informal Letters
Formal letters are letters that are used in the professional setting. The following are organizations or individuals that/who need to send formal letters in its/their regular functions:
- Businessmen
- Sales associates
- Managers
- Department heads
- Training assistants
- Training managers
- Recruiting managers/Hiring managers
- Employees
- Job applicants
- Chief executive officers
- Assistant administrative officer
- Doctors
- Lawyers
- Architects
- Retail associates
- Retail interns
- Retail assistants
- Accountants
- Financial managers
- Accounting head
- Accounting staff
- Marketing analyst
- Marketing managers
- Medical assistants
- Medical office administrators
- Payroll managers
- Operations manager
- Logisitics supervisors
- Internship applicants
- Interns
There is still a plethora of individuals who can use formal letters—almost all individuals who are involved in corporations, businesses, companies, nonprofit organizations, educational institutions, and other formal organizations. Indeed formal letters are crucial for professionals to be able to communicate with fellow professionals effectively. It provides them a platform for clearly stating and targeting their professional concerns.
Meanwhile, informal letters are letters that are usually sent by someone to a person whom he/she is close to such as
- neighbors,
- longtime colleagues,
- friends,
- parents,
- siblings,
- cousins,
- other family members,
- other relatives,
- special someone,
- spouse, and
- best friend.
Usually informal letters are sent with the purpose of communicating or imparting an information that is personal such as
- when someone wants to invite a person for a birthday party, wedding, anniversary, engagement party, and other private gatherings;
- when someone wants to express his/her heartfelt gratitude toward a friend, parent, colleague, employer, or teacher;
- when someone wants to express his/her sorrowful remorse for a wrong that he/she has done to another person, be it intentional or accidental;
- when someone wants to congratulate a certain person for his/her accomplishments or achievements;
- when someone decides to offer voluntary advice or suggestion regarding a matter that can affect the letter-recipient; and
- when someone decides to cut off personal ties with someone who proves destructive to his/her self-growth, endeavors, or any other personal matter.
Demand Letter Format
Personal Injury Demand Letter
Final Demand Letter
Experience Letter Format
Work Experience Letter
Retail Job Experience Letter
Offer Letter Format
Employment Offer Letter
Offer Letter Format
Sales Letter Format
Business Sales Letter
Sales Cover Letter
Proposal Letter Format
Business Proposal Letter
Project Proposal Letter
Termination Letter Format
Contract Termination Letter
Termination of Service Letter
Verification Letter Format
Request For Employment Verification Letter
Self Employment Verification Letter
Authorization Letter Format
Signature Authorization Letter
Credit Card Authorization Letter
Declaration Letter Format
Self-Employment Declaration Letter
Event Information Declaration Letter
Free Job Offer Letter
Thank You Job Offer Letter
Job Offer Rejection Letter
What Are the Different Types of Letters?
Letters are as varied as the reasons for writing it. On this page, you can find disparate types of letter formats from which you can glean letter-writing ideas from. To help inform you as to the different types of formal and informal letters, below is a list of the most commonly used letters in both the professional setting and for personal purposes.
Reference Letters
Reference letters, or also known as recommendation letters, are letters that contain a detailed description of another person’s desirable traits. The usual individuals who are commonly asked to write reference letters are any of the following:
- a previous professor;
- a current or previous manager;
- a current or previous employer;
- a current or previous team leader, department head, or supervisor;
- a previous internship adviser;
- a church pastor or priest of the religious congregation that the applicant (or person recommended) is a part of;
- a previous landlord or landlady of the building, land, or establishment previously rented; or
- a previous lender (individuals, banks, any lending institutions).
There are several circumstances that necessitates the submission of reference letters. The following are the different types of reference letters:
1. Scholarship Grant Reference Letters: This particular reference letter is sent with the intent of convincing a prospective scholarship grantor that a student is deserving of a scholarship grant.
2. Academic Reference Letters: This letter aims to ensure that a prospective student would be accepted in an educational institution and gain a slot in the degree program that he or she is aiming for.
3. Employment or Job Application Reference Letters: Probably the most common reference letter there is, this letter strives to increase a job applicant’s chances of getting hired. In this letter, it is important that the job applicant’s qualifications must match the ones that are required in the job description of the position that he or she is applying for.
Cover Letters
One of the most effective way of getting hired despite the stiff competition in the corporate arena is to submit a cover letter together with one’s resume and other credentials. A cover letter aims to illuminate the hiring manager’s opinion regarding the qualifications of the job applicant. In this letter, only the most salient qualifications and skills must be mentioned. It would also help to inculcate a more personal yet still formal tone in addressing the hiring manager.
Job Offer Letters
A job offer letter is sent by a hiring manager to a deserving job applicant. After the interview and initial assessment, if the hiring manager is impressed by the applicant’s qualifications and character, then he/she would not hesitate to make a job offer through a formal job offer letter. In this letter, the applicant is invited to accept the job offer and to report to the hiring manager or any relevant department should he/she decide to accept the job offer.
Job Offer Acceptance Letters
When a job applicant decides to accept a job offer, then he/she must respond immediately through a job offer acceptance letters.
Job Offer Rejection Letters
In contrast, this letter is sent when an applicant does not find a job offer appealing.
Legal Letter Format
Formal Legal Letter Format
Legal Confirmation Letter
Bank Letter Format
Bank Reference Letter
Official Bank Letter
Confirmation Letter Format
Purchase Order Confirmation Letter
Job Confirmation Letter
Consent Letter Format
Auditor Consent Letter
Director Consent Letter
Cancellation Letter Format
Cancellation Request Letter
Cancellation of Appointment Letter
Donation Letter Format
Donation Request Letter
Church Donation Letter
Divorce Letter Format
Letter from a Child of Divorce
Divorce Letter to Wife
Deputation Letter Format
Authorization or Deputation Letter
Deputation Request Letter
Dispute Letter Format
Credit Report Dispute Letter
Debt Collection Dispute Letter
Excuse Letter Format
Formal Excuse Letter
Medical Excuse Letter
Resignation Letter
Resignation letters are sent when an employee wishes to leave his job in a specific company. There are several reasons for resignation and some of those are the following:
- when an employee has found a more lucrative job in a different company;
- when an employee has decided that career growth is slow in his/her present company;
- when an employee is advised by his/her physician to quit his job or stop working entirely due to some health issues;
- when an employee’s family relocates to a distant place, which thus makes it impossible for him to work for his/her present job in a company;
- when an employee has to quit his/her job despite his/her willingness to work because of family matters such as but not limited to the following: (1) when he/she must take care of an ill parent or relative and (2) when his/her child needs special parental supervision and care daily.
Whatever the reason for resignation, an employee must be careful in observing the stipulated rules and policies regarding resignation. One important thing that must be kept in mind is the strict observance of the notice period required by the company. Failure to do so might result to negative legal consequences.
Termination Letter
Termination letters are letters sent by an employer or manager to an employee or staff in order to inform him/her that his/her employment is to be terminated at a specific date. Just like the resignation letter, there are rules as to how many days or weeks a termination letter must be sent to an employee before his/her employment is actually terminated. This time allowance is necessary in order for the employee to have the time to look for another job for his/her subsistence. Furthermore, this period also benefits the employer by giving them time to look for another suitable person for the soon-to-be vacated position.
Termination letters may be given due to any of the following reasons:
- when an employee has violated any of the terms of the employment contract,
- when an employee fails to correct his/her behavior despite previous warning notice,
- when an employee is not performing his/her daily job functions,
- when an employee has engaged in illegal activities inside the company’s premises, or
- when an employee has gravely destroyed a company property.
Cancellation Request Letter
This letter is sent when someone wants to cancel a request previously made. There could be various reasons for his/her cancellation, which must be clearly enunciated in this letter’s body.
Cancellation of Appointment Letter
Appointments are serious matters since it usually means that person or professional has vacated a slot in his/her calendar in order to cater to your needs. If one wants to cancel an appointment, it is primary that he/she informs the person whom she/he has an appointment with in a timely manner. It is extremely impolite if one cancels at the last minute, and even more so if there’s no cancellation notice.
Request for Permission Letters
There are situations that necessitate for us to ask permission from another person. Whether it be the permission to do or not do something or to use a particular establishment or equipment, you need to send a formal request for permission to the relevant person who has the power to grant permissions.
Email Letter Format
Email Cover Letter Sample
Email Offer Letter
Gift Letter Format
Gift of Equity Letter
Thank You Letter for Gift
General Letter Format
General Cover Letter
General Business Letter
Grievance Letter Format
Formal Grievance Letter
Job Grievance Letter
Inquiry Letter Format
Business Inquiry Letter
Product Inquiry Letter
Invitation Letter Format
Informal Invitation Letter
Tender Invitation Letter
Intent Letter Format
Statement of Intent Letter
Intent to Vacate Letter
Medical Letter Format
Medical Claim Appeal Letter
Medical Leave Letter
Nomination Letter Format
Award Nomination Letter
Nomination Acceptance Letter
Official Letter Format
Application for Official Letter
Official Complaint Letter
Simple Solicitation Letter
Sponsor Solicitation Letter
Solicitation Letter to Download
Personal Letter Format
Personal Statement Letter
Personal Reference Letter
Promotion Letter Format
Sales Promotion Letter
Elementary Letter of Promotion
Permission Letter Format
Request for Permission Letter
Project Permission Letter
Standard Letter Format
Standard Business Letter
Standard Cover Letter
Thank You Letter Format
Thank You Letter After Interview
Personal Thank You Letter Format
Invitation Letters
Gatherings require that a number of individuals must attend it. Birthdays, corporate functions, anniversaries, engagement parties, bachelorette parties, cocktail parties—all these necessarily implies that there are guests to be invited. That is why if you are planning an event, one must send out formal invitation letters days or weeks before the event.
Medical Excuse Letters
Employees are required to formally send excuse letters in case they are unable to go to work due to medical reasons. In this letter, it is advisable that a medical certificate be attached that contains the physician’s advice that an employee must desist from performing his/her daily job functions.
Thank-You Letters
There are moments when we just want to express our gratitude toward another person and one of the best ways to do so is by sending him/her a warm thank-you letter. The following are the most common examples of thank-you letters:
- thank-you letter for a gift
- thank-you letter from a student to his/her teacher
- thank-you letter from an employer to an employee
- thank-you letter from an employee to his/her employer
- thank-you letter for a colleague
- thank-you letter for a mentor
- thank-you letter to a friend or best friend
- thank-you letter for sponsorships or donations
- thank-you letter for a scholarship grant
- thank-you letter for a job offer
- thank-you letter for university acceptance
Nomination Letters
In every discipline—be it science, business, or art—there is almost always an award-winning body that annually or biannually rewards recognition towards exemplary individuals in the field/discipline. For example, for films, there’s the Sundance Film Festival, Cannes Film Festival, Golden Globe Awards, Academy Awards. For music, there’s the Grammy’s. For literature, there’s the Pulitzer Prize among other awarding bodies. There are plenty of awarding bodies out there that usually makes a list of nominees before the actual awarding ceremony.
After making a list, these awarding bodies send out nomination letters to the nominees for each field or category and subsequently invites them to attend the ceremony.
Nomination Acceptance or Rejection Letters
This letter is sent when a person decides either to reject or accept a nomination. This letter must be sent days or weeks before the actual awarding ceremony in order to give the awarding body the chance to look for other suitable individuals who deserve the nomination.
When writing a letter, it is always important to think of the person or entity you are writing to. Regardless of the circumstances, you should always sound polite when writing your letter. Also, you should check and review the content of your letter and ensure that there are no technical errors such as misspellings and wrong grammar.
Start writing your letters now. You can download and use our pre-made samples for free. They are available in PDF or Doc format, which makes them easy to edit and modify according to your specifications.
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