CORRESPONDENCE.

BUSINESS CORRESPONDENCE.

Closely written postal cards and long letters meet with little favor among business men; therefore it is important to make business correspondence as plain and brief as possible.

Names of places and persons should be written very plainly.

When a letter is written in reply to another, the date of the letter to which the reply is made should be given, and it is an excellent plan, and one that saves much time, to give in a letter the substance of the one to which it is a reply. This is especially desirable when accepting a special offer made in such letter, thus:

When writing a business letter, a married woman should sign her name as she would sign it when writing any other letter; that is, by placing her first name and surname in the usual position of the signature, and adding, a little to the left-hand, her name in full, with the address, thus:

When writing to a person or firm for information solely for one’s own benefit, a postal card or a stamped envelope should be enclosed for a reply.

It is a too common custom among people unacquainted with the rules of business, when sending an order to one firm, to enclose money to be paid another, or with which to make small purchases in some other line, to be sent in the package ordered from the firm with which the correspondence is held. The proper way to do when one wishes to order goods from different houses in the same city, and yet have all the goods shipped in the same package, is to write an order to each firm requesting the goods to be delivered to the firm with which one does the most business, having, of course, notified such firm of his action.

It has become so common among people to request everything “by return mail” that business men look upon such requests as a mere form, rather than as an evidence of urgency. If such urgency exists, it is well to state the cause of it in a few words, and request immediate attention to the order, thus:

Whoever writes a caustic letter makes a mistake; for it will do no good, even if there seems to be a cause for it, and if the assumed cause proves to be simply a mistake the writer will be humiliated.

LETTERS OF APPLICATION.

It is sometimes difficult to write a letter of application, because one must speak of himself and of his ability to fill the position sought, and to do so without seeming egotistic. If the applicant has had experience in work similar to that for which he applies, a simple statement of the fact, the length of time engaged in such work, the reason for quitting his last position, and the name and address of his former employer, should form the substance of his letter. If he has had no experience, he should state what advantages he has had to qualify himself for the work, and not boast that he could soon and easily learn to do it.

The following will exemplify the points:

Such letters should always contain a stamp for a reply. The stamp is attached by its corner or by a pin to the head of the letter.

Great precaution should always be taken not to send a letter with insufficient postage on it; for the additional postage is collected from the person to whom the letter is sent, and many business men look upon such neglect as inexcusable, if they do not consider it dishonest, inasmuch as it compels others to pay what the writer should have known it was his duty to pay.

An application for a position as teacher in a public school is often very difficult to write, because it is necessary to say much, and to say it, in some cases, to men who are not thoroughly familiar with business principles.

Before giving any forms, some suggestions which experience has taught may be of great importance. The handwriting should be natural. If one has a degree, he should not sign his name with it, but state in his letter that he is a graduate, naming the institution from which he was graduated. All boasting should be avoided. One should not ask a reply by return mail, but he might enclose a postal card or a stamp with a request to be informed when the board meets to consider applications. One ought not to name as references persons who know nothing about his work; for although they may, if consulted, endeavor to praise him, they will show their ignorance of what he has done, and the board will naturally assume that he has no better references.

As a rule it is not advisable to give testimonials from ministers or from county superintendents, unless the writers can say that they are familiar with the teacher’s work, and have visited his school. Very old testimonials should not be placed before a board. Indeed, it is doubtful whether any testimonial, unless it comes from a competent judge, is of value.

If boards would consult one’s references, or seek information from outside sources, it would be only just to all concerned; but as they will not often do this, it is wise to send copies of two or three, generally not more, good testimonials, and to have one or two of the applicant’s friends write the board in his behalf.

A letter of application, especially if for the position of superintendent or that of principal, should be full and explicit, specifying the opportunities the writer has had to prepare himself for the position, rather than stating that he has done so-and-so, for in the latter case it might seem like boasting.

Sometimes a short letter, unless circumstances demand a long one, will be most favorably received by a board. The writer once knew a very important position to be obtained by a correspondence about as follows (names of places, dates, etc., are omitted):

A stamp was enclosed for a reply. The secretary of the board at once wrote asking for references and stating the salary paid. The applicant replied that he did not wish the position at the salary named, and thanked the secretary for the trouble he had been given.

Had the applicant written a long letter, setting forth the value of his services, and urging the board to raise the salary, it is not probable that a reply would have been received by him. The simple statement that he did not want the position at the salary named, was evidence to the board that he considered his services worth more, and, moreover, that he had confidence that he would command more. The secretary replied to the last short note, asking for references and at what salary he would accept the position. The information was given, and in a few days the applicant was requested to meet the board with the assurance that the position would be given him if the interview proved satisfactory, which it did. Afterwards the applicant was informed by the president of the board that his short business-like letters, written in an almost illegible but natural hand, obtained for him the place over nearly one hundred applicants, many of whom were college graduates of long experience in teaching, and who had basketfuls of testimonials, but not one of whom had written even a fairly good letter of application.

Many cities and towns have stated public examinations, which applicants must attend before they can be employed.

The impression of character and of qualification produced by a personal interview is deemed so important that even minor appointments are scarcely given to any one not personally known to one of the school board, or to some one in whose professional judgment they have great confidence.

Preliminary inquiries about positions are most profitably made through acquaintances, who can advise one whether to take any further steps. One might write as follows:

If a favorable answer is received, something like the following form may be used, which is also a form suitable to make application where one is already acquainted, and where formal applications are expected.