Mostrando postagens com marcador letter. Mostrar todas as postagens
Mostrando postagens com marcador letter. Mostrar todas as postagens

terça-feira, 28 de junho de 2011

Looking for a job? (Procurando emprego?)

Writing a Letter of Interest

The letter of interest is also called a “prospecting letter” and with good reason. It’s a type of cover letter you write when you’re searching for a golden job opportunity. The letter of interest is your first chance to make a good impression on a prospective employer.

Letters of interest are written to express your interest in working for a particular company in a specific field. Your letter may be written either in response to a job opening or just to investigate possible employment.

Human resource departments receive dozens of letters of interest each week. However, make your letter stand out from the crowd using the following tips:

* Before you write, do your homework. Research the background of the company and familiarize yourself with their products and/or services.

* Be sure to find out the name of the individual who does the hiring. Address your letter to his/her attention and use her/his name in the salutation. “To Whom It May Concern” and “Dear Sir or Madam” are both outdated and considered to be lazy or even rude.

* Start your introductory paragraph with the reason you are interested in pursuing employment with this company. Try not to start the first sentence with “I”. (See sample letter of interest.) Also, explain what prompted your inquiry, such as a classified advertisement, a media article or interview, or a referral from an employee.

* In the next paragraph(s), give specific examples of your qualifications. Don’t hesitate to indicate the reasons why you would be an asset to the company. Illustrate your skills, strengths, and achievements in a professional, yet personable way. Stay away from strings of abbreviated credentials. These, if you have them, should be on the resume you’ll enclose with the letter. Direct the reader to your resume and any other enclosures.

* In your final paragraph, thank the individual for his/her time in considering you as a new employee. Indicate a precise time when you will contact him/her by phone to follow up on your letter. Also, be sure to let the individual know how to contact you.

* A hard-copy interest letter should be written in the business letter format, while an email should be sent in the same format but without the heading (your return address, their address, and the date).

* Keep your letter short, no more than a single page. Remember to check it thoroughly for errors in spelling, grammar and to be sure it addresses each point you wanted to make.

Sample:

421 Liberty St.
Kenyon, MN 55021

June 7, 2007

DTI
111 Riverfront Ste 325
PO Box - Box 157
Wabasha, MN 55946

Attention: Jen Carlson

Dear Ms. Carlson:

Your recent advertisement in the Herald made it clear that customer satisfaction is an integral part of DTI. In addition, my close friend, Paula Chavez who is in your employ, suggested that my special talents might benefit your customer service department.

Part of my success is because I place a high value on personal integrity and represent both my employer and myself in an ethical and respectable manner. Added to my diligence in paying close attention to detail, as a representative of your company I would bring focus not only to the value of your services, but also to quality customer service and the ease of doing business with DTI. Furthermore, I am a hard, smart-working, self-starter who works equally well in a team environment or individually.

I will call you on June 15 to answer any questions about this letter or my resume in the hope of scheduling an interview. If you prefer, please contact me by phone (555) 454-1307 or e-mail, ljones@nowhere.com.

Thank you for your time in considering my qualifications.

Sincerely,

Signature

terça-feira, 2 de março de 2010

Letters that should be written II - Cartas que deveriam ser escritas II

(to the president of a soccer team)

Dear President of Atlético,

I've been Atlético's supporter for my entire life and I consider soccer the second best thing in the world. The first one is my family.

I'm writing to you to tell you about a conversation I had with my son the other day, which is reproduced bellow.

We had just watched Atlético 1 x 3 Cruzeiro. We were on the couch, in silence, still absorbing the loss, when he asked:

- Dad, don't you always tell me that I'm not supposed to make fun of the others?

- Yes, I do.

- What about that coach? He has just done the same, with the supporters.

- That's because the supporters were making fun of him before.

- So, whenever someone makes fun of me, it's OK to do the same.

- No!.... That's not.... The thing is, son, when people make fun of you, you should tell them that that's wrong. If you do the same, you will be as wrong as they were.

- And why didn't the coach do it?

- Because his father didn't teach him that.

Mr. President, I’m just a father. There are only 2 people that consider me their leader: my son and my wife. And, to be totally honest, the second usually forgets it. On the other hand, you, the coaches and the other teams’ representatives are the leaders of many generations. Thousands of people look up to you and that’s a huge responsibility.

Whenever a coach or a president of a team makes negative comments about the others and uses sarcasm or irony to express their anger, the rest of the world will be entitled to do the same. But, unfortunately, people might have a different way to express their anger. They may prefer to destroy buses or, who knows, shoot people.

Instead, if you showed respect towards your opponents, they would probably do the same. I believe it’s about time we started teaching the people how to be tolerant and to accept the differences between us, don’t you think?

That's what I'm trying to teach my son. Yesterday, after the match, while we were still sad, he told me: “at least grandpa is happy.” My father is a Cruzeiro’s supporter. He has always been the first one to make jokes when Atlético loses. After he saw my son’s attitude, he changed completely.

I'm very proud of my son, and I wish I could say the same about our sport leaders.

With all respect,

Andrew Harmon


(Ao president de um time de futebol)

Excelentíssimo Senhor Presidente do Atlético,

Tenho sido torcedor do Atlético a vida inteira e considero o futebol a segunda melhor coisa do mundo. A primeira é a minha família.

Estou lhe escrevendo para relatar uma conversa que tive com o meu filho outro dia, a qual reproduzo abaixo.

Havíamos acabado de assistir o jogo Atlético 1 x 3 Cruzeiro. Estávamos no sofá, em silêncio, ainda absorvendo a derrota, quando ele perguntou:

- Pai, você não me diz sempre que não se deve provocar os outros?

- Sim.

- E quanto àquele treinador? Ele não acaba de fazer o mesmo com a torcida?

- Isso é porque a torcida estava provocando ele antes.

- Então, quando alguém me provocar primeiro, eu posso fazer o mesmo.

- Não!....Não é isso.... O negócio é o seguinte, filho, quando as pessoas fizerem isso com você, você deve dizer a elas que isso é errado. Se você fizer o mesmo, vai estar tão errado quanto elas.

- E por que o treinador não fez isso?

- Porque o pai dele não ensinou isso a ele.

Senhor Presidente, eu sou só um pai. Há somente duas pessoas que me consideram um líder: meu filho e minha mulher. E, pra dizer a verdade, a segunda esquece isso com freqüência. Por outro lado, V.Sra. os treinadores e os outros representantes dos times de futebol são líderes de várias gerações. Milhares de pessoas lhes seguem e isso é uma enorme responsabilidade.

Sempre que um treinador ou o presidente de um time faz comentários negativos sobre os outros times e usa o sarcasmo e a ironia para expressar a sua raiva, está autorizando os outros a fazer o mesmo. Mas, infelizmente, nem todos usarão a mesma forma para expressar a sua raiva. Eles talvez prefiram destruir ônibus ou, quem sabe, atirar em outras pessoas.

Ao contrário, se V. Sra. demonstrasse respeito com relação aos adversários, eles provavelmente fariam o mesmo. Eu acredito que esteja na hora de começarmos a ensinar as pessoas a serem tolerantes e a aceitarem as diferenças entre nós, não acha?

Isso é o que eu estou tentando ensinar ao meu filho. Ontem, após o jogo, enquanto ainda estávamos tristes, ele me disse: “pelo menos o vovô está feliz.” Meu pai é torcedor do Cruzeiro. Ele sempre foi o primeiro a fazer provocações quando o Atlético perde. Após perceber a atitude do meu filho, ele mudou completamente.

Eu tenho muito orgulho do meu filho, e gostaria de poder dizer o mesmo com relação aos dirigentes esportivos.

Respeitosamente,

André Assumpção

sábado, 20 de fevereiro de 2010

Letters that should be written I - Cartas que deveriam ser escritas I

(To a teenager)

Claire,

I've been thinking about writing to you for a while. I've been watching you grow and you have become a beautiful girl. Not exactly a girl anymore, but I can't call you a woman yet.

I hate the word 'teenager', though that's what you are. People (to be more specifically, adults) often make jokes about teenagers, as if they belonged to a different planet. As if they hadn't been one.

Well, I have been one and, to be totally honest with you, I don't miss those days. I had a hard time trying to find friends of my age, people that would like me or make me feel less insecure, ugly, fat or uncomfortable. It was almost like running a marathon. If I could grade someone's personality, from one to ten, mine would definitely be a ZERO. I had no idea who I was or what I wanted.

Anyway, I'm not writing to you to talk about me, but to talk about you and your mother, who happens to be my sister.

I've been watching the two of you from a close distance and I can't say which one of you is sadder. You seem angry with her every time she talks to you. And, boy, she does talk a lot! (Believe me. I know. She's been my sister for much longer than she's been your mom.). And she seems frustrated and impotent watching you face, mostly, the same things that she has been through, while you refuse to accept or consider her help. It's like you spoke two different languages.

You might be thinking: 'now she's going to say that I must be patient, that it happens to every teenager, that time will heal all these wounds'. Well, sorry to burst your bubble, but I'm not going to say that.

There's something that you must learn that is called hierarchy. In the dictionary, it means 'an arrangement of items (objects, names, values, categories, etc.) in which the items are represented as being "above," "below," or "at the same level as" one another and with only one "neighbor" above and below each level. These classifications are made with regard to rank, importance, seniority, power status or authority.' In other words, in your family's hierarchy, your mother comes first. She’s older than you, more experienced than you and less patient than you. She can only see one way of educating you and she truly believes in that. You, on the other hand, are more open-minded. You have youth on your side and you are willing to try different approaches. Some time ago I heard an educator saying: ‘if something doesn’t work, it’s because the strategy is wrong.’ So, my dear niece, it's up to you to learn how to deal with her and how to build a loving relationship with her. I’m not saying that you will have to do everything while she simply stays there, on her mother’s pedestal. What I’m actually saying is that it’s up to you to show the way.

I believe there are two types of people in the world: the ones that are easy to love and the ones that are hard to love. If you have a neighbor that belongs to the second kind, OK. No problem. You don't have to love your neighbors. You don't have to live in the same house where they live, you don't have to share your meals with them, to spend your holidays or travel with them. But your mother is your mother. She's part of you. Part of your past, your present and, whether you like it or not right now, she will be part of your future.

Claire, do you feel lonely and lost sometimes? Your mother feels the same. And she’s the bravest woman I’ve ever met. In the personality rank, she would definitely be a TEN.

It took me several years to accept my father (your grandfather) the way he is and to love him the way a father must be loved. It doesn't have to take you that long.

Besides, if there's something that I can tell you for sure is that it was worth it.

Love,

Aunt K.

TRADUÇÃO

(Para uma adolescente)

Clara,

Eu tenho pensado em te escrever já há algum tempo. Eu tenho observado você crescer e se tornar uma linda garota. Não mais uma garota, mas não posso te chamar de mulher ainda.

Eu odeio a palavra ‘adolescente’, apesar de ser isso o que você é. As pessoas (para ser mais específica, os adultos) geralmente fazem piadas sobre os adolescentes, como se eles morassem num outro planeta. Como se eles não tivessem sido um.

Eu fui, e pra ser totalmente sincera com você, não sinto saudade desta época. Eu sofri um bocado tentando encontrar amigos da minha idade, pessoas que gostassem de mim e me fizessem sentir menos insegura, feia, gorda ou desconfortável. Era como correr uma maratona. Se eu fosse dar uma nota para a personalidade de alguém, de um a dez, a minha seria um ZERO, com certeza. Eu não tinha a menor idéia de quem eu era ou o que eu queria.

De qualquer forma, não estou te escrevendo para falar de mim, mas para falar de você e da sua mãe, que por sinal é minha irmã.

Eu tenho observado vocês duas de uma certa distância e não sei dizer qual das duas está mais triste. Você parece sentir raiva toda vez que ela fala com você. E, meu Deus, como ela fala! (Acredite. Eu sei. Ela tem sido a minha irmã a mais tempo do que tem sido sua mãe). Por outro lado, ela me parece sentir-se frustrada e impotente ao te ver enfrentar, geralmente, as mesmas coisas pelas quais ela já passou, enquanto você se recusa a aceitar ou a considerar a sua ajuda. É como se vocês falassem duas línguas diferentes.

Você deve estar pensando: ‘agora ela vai dizer que eu tenho que ser paciente, que isso acontece com todo adolescente, que o tempo cura todas estas feridas’. Bem, eu lamento te contrariar, mas eu não vou dizer isso.

Há uma coisa que você precisa aprender que se chama hierarquia. No dicionário, hierarquia significa ‘a ordenação de elementos em ordem de importância’. Em outras palavras, na hierarquia da sua família, a sua mãe vem primeiro. Ela tem mais idade do que você, mais experiência do que você e menos paciência do que você. Ela só vê uma forma de te educar e acredita nela com toda a sua força. Você, ao contrário, tem a cabeça mais aberta, tem a juventude a seu favor e pode tentar diferentes técnicas de aproximação. Há pouco tempo escutei de um educador a seguinte frase: ‘se algo não funciona, é porque a estratégia está equivocada’. Assim sendo, minha sobrinha querida, cabe a você aprender a lidar com a sua mãe e a construir um relacionamento amoroso com ela. Eu não estou dizendo que você terá que fazer tudo enquanto ela simplesmente fica onde está, no seu pedestal de mãe. O que estou dizendo é que compete a você mostrar o caminho.

Eu acredito que há dois tipos de pessoas no mundo: as fáceis de se amar e as difíceis de se amar. Se você tem um vizinho que pertence ao segundo grupo, OK. Sem problemas. Você não tem que amar seus vizinhos. Você não tem que viver na mesma casa que eles, não tem que dividir suas refeições com eles, passar os feriados ou viajar nas férias com eles. Mas a sua mãe é a sua mãe. Ela é parte de você. Parte do seu passado, do seu presente e, queira você ou não neste exato momento, ela vai fazer parte do seu futuro.

Clara, você se sente sozinha e perdida às vezes? A sua mãe está sentindo a mesma coisa. E olha que ela é a pessoa mais corajosa que eu já conheci na vida. No ranking de personalidade, ela certamente seria um DEZ.

Eu levei vários anos para aceitar meu pai (seu avô) do jeito que ele é e amá-lo do jeito que um pai deve ser amado. Você não tem que levar tanto tempo assim.

Além disso, se há algo que eu possa te dizer é que valeu a pena.

Com amor,

Tia K.

quarta-feira, 30 de dezembro de 2009

From 2009.... to 2010

Dear 2010,

Now that my end is near, I'm writing to you to reveal my deapest and most secret wishes.

I don't think I did my best within the 365 days I had. I couldn't make the most important leaders of our planet come to an agreement concerning what must be done to save the environment from us (as if we could live without it!). Well, I shouldn't be bothered anyway. I'll be dead in 24 hours.

Please, don't think I'm sad, 'cause I'm not. I know I have to die so that you can live, and I want you to live. I've had my days. Good days and bad days. I've managed to see Obama become the president of the USA, I saw people planting trees, people getting together to help those who have lost everything in floods, and there have been so many floods... Nature has been really angry these days, you know.

The bad days I want to forget. I hope I can. I don't want to close my eyes and see children being hurt, women being judged for what they wear, men being sent to a war they know nothing about.

You must know you will face enormous challenges, and you must be faithful. Don't let the bad days get into you. There's a famous band that once said: 'all you need is love'. That's not true. We need hope and faith as much as we need love.

Is love enough for a mother of a sick child? Is love enough for a father of 4 who lives in a slum and is unemployed? Is love enough for those who lost someone?

People need to believe in something (or someone) to look ahead. I look ahead and I see you. And I put my hope and my faith on you.

I hope you can look backwards and be proud of me, learn from my mistakes and make it better.

Love,

2009