Letters – Free Sample Letters

Applying for a job and then getting one is one major task. There are many steps before one gets to the top of the job ladder and each step seems insurmountable till it is crossed. These days the trend of employee selection is different from what it used to be. Now there is first a round of group discussion that results in elimination. And then there are at least two rounds of interviews and then the final selection.

An Interview Letter is the one that is sent out for an individual inviting her/him to appear for the interview. Because of increased competition, an individual really needs to think “out of the box” while appearing for the group discussion as well as the interview. A lot needs to be and should be communicated in the Interview Letter, such as the date, time and venue of the interview along with details of any documents or proof the individual needs to carry with her. Since an Interview Letter is the first communication that an individual receives from an organization, it should be well written.

DOS AND DON’T’S OF INTERVIEW LETTER

• An Interview Letter is a formal letter so it should always be handed over on the company letterhead
• It should always be typed and not hand written
• Since it is purely an official communication of selection, it should be crisp and brief
• It should clearly have the date of issue on the letter
• The Interview Letter should inform the individual details of the interview such as date, time and venue
• The Interview Letter should also specify for the individual if s/he is expected to get any documents with her/him for the interview
• It should be addressed to the individual concerned with her/his full name and address to avoid an confusion
• Since it is the first communication from the organization, an Interview Letter should be well drafted and well worded
• Formal official language should be used while writing an Interview Letter
• It should be sent well in advance for the individual to make arrangements to reach the venue on time especially if it is out of station

SAMPLE INTERVIEW LETTER

_______________ (Name and address of interviewee)

_______________ (Date)

Subject: Interview for the post of ____________

Dear Ms/Mr _____________

This is in response to your application dated __________ applying for the post of ____________ (designation) and the subsequent Group Discussion that was held on ___________ (date).

We are pleased to inform you that you have cleared the first round of elimination and have been selected to appear for an interview with our Panel Members.

You are requested to come for a formal interview on _________ (date) at ________ (venue) at __________ (time).

You are requested to please be on time for the interview. If for any reason the date is inconvenient for you, kindly contact the undersigned for an alternative date. You also need to call at any of the numbers given below and confirm your availability for the interview failing which the interview call will be null and void.

There is no need for you to bring any documents for the interview. They will be required after the results of the interview are declared.

We wish you all the luck!

Best regards,

(Name of signing authority)

Every organization is set up with the intention of sale of either products or services. And each one of them needs to promote their product or service to survive in the market. These are times of “survival of the fittest” and each organization has to prove that it is fitter than the other. All these organizations obviously preach that their products or services are the best as compared to their competitors but they need to prove it to the customer today because ‘Customer is king”.

When an organization or individual has made a decision to buy a product or avail of a service they request for a quote from organizations that offer the desired product or service and a Proposal Letter is then sent by these organizations. A Proposal Letter is a price quotes or benefit description offered to an individual to make an attempt for a sale.

A Proposal Letter is an official formal letter so the language also needs to be professional and formal. Since a sale has not yet been made the tone of the letter should be “offering” in nature and not “ordering” in nature. A Proposal Letter is always written in response to a quote request so that must be referred in the letter. All terms and conditions of the deal must either be specified in the letter itself or attached as an enclosure.

DOS AND DON’T’S OF PROPOSAL LETTER

• A Proposal Letter should always be written in a formal way
• Since it always is in response to a request for a quote, the request should always be referred to in the letter
• The letter should be as soon as a quote request has been made to show the urgency from the seller’s side also
• Since it is the world of great competition, the best and most competitive quote should be given
• The proposal should sound beneficial both for the seller as well as the customer
• The Proposal Letter should always be on a company letterhead
• All contact details should be clearly mentioned in the letter if any contact needs to be established
• A call should also be made a few days after the Proposal Letter has been sent

SAMPLE PROPOSAL LETTER

________________ (Name and address of customer)

________________ (Date)

Subject: Proposal for flower decoration for the wedding

Dear Sir or Madam

We are in receipt of your request for a quote for flower decoration for the wedding of your daughter on ___________ (date) at _________ (venue).

We thank you for showing interest in the quality of our work and wish to give you a proposal as per details listed below:

1. The cost of the decoration will be Rs._________. This is inclusive of the decoration, material and labor
2. We need ________ (hours) to get the venue ready so we will be arriving there at _______ (time) to get the place ready well before your guests start coming in
3. Ms/Mr __________ (name of person in-charge of assignment) will be totally responsible for this assignment from our side. S/he may be contacted for any clarifications required if any
4. Our representative will call you a day in advance to reconfirm the program as per our discussions
5. We require 50% advance in the form of a post-dated cheque that should be given to us 7 days before the work date and the balance after the event
6. As a gesture of gratitude for the order we will decorate one additional space at the venue absolutely free of charge

We assure you of an excellent quality of work clubbed with timely delivery.

Thanking you in anticipation.

Best regards,

(Name of signing authority)

Life does not always give an opportunity to celebrate. There are sad moments in life also that one needs to cope up with. But it is during these sad moments that one needs loads of emotional support and strength. That support and strength comes from a Sympathy Letter.

A Sympathy Letter is the one that is written to tell the family in grief that there is someone always with them at this time. A Sympathy Letter is written by friends and known people to an individual or family whenever death or major accident has taken place. A Sympathy Letter should be written as soon as the writer hears the news of the mishap in the family. It is a very sensitive letter so utmost care needs to be taken to ensure that the right words are used. This is the time when the aggrieved family needs maximum support and assurance.

If the letter is being written to console a family on a death and the writer seems to know the person who has passed away, then a few words of praise for the departed soul help the reader and her/his family. And if the letter is being written to a person who has had an accident, then the writer should use words that can cheer her/him up. There is no need to always mention the word “sympathy” in the letter as that gives a feeling of being pitied.

DOS AND DON’T’S OF SYMPATHY LETTER

• A Sympathy Letter should be written as soon as the writer learns about an accident or death in the reader’s family
• A few words of praise for the departed soul always helps the aggrieved family cope with the loss better
• A few words of encouragement giving strength to the member who has met up with an accident works wonders
• A Sympathy Letter should always indicate to the reader and her/his family that the writer and her/his family are always there when needed
• Careful use of words and adjectives forms the life of a Sympathy Letter
• A handwritten Sympathy Letter always has a warmer impact than a typed one
• The urgency of a Sympathy Letter can be judged whether it has been hand delivered or couriered or sent by regular post
• Before finally sending the letter make sure that there are no grammatical or punctuation errors

SAMPLE SYMPATHY LETTER

(This is a letter written when the writer learnt about the accident)

Date:

Dear ____________ (name of the person who has met with the accident)

I have just learnt from ____________ (source) that you have met with an accident and are due for a surgery in a couple of days.

Hey buddy, not to worry, as we all are very confident that you will come out of this stronger than what you are. Each incident in your life has taught you something new and has toughened you as a human being. So it is your will power that will help you fight this also.

Our good wishes and support are always there with you. You have a friend in me in this part of the world that is just a shout away, so please do not hesitate to call me any time of the day.

My family joins me in wishing you a speedy recovery.

Take care and see you back home soon.

Love

(Name of the writer)

Every new contact, be it a person or an organization, needs an introduction. It is absolutely essential that the world is made aware of the existence of something new. The new thing could be a product or a service that is now being made available. A new organization needs an introduction and so does a new product or service by an existing organization.

An Introduction Letter should broadly give details about the product/service that has been launched, what are its benefits and where all will it be available. One must remember that it is not a sale letter so no efforts should be made to try and sell any product of the company. The prime focus of the Introduction Letter should be only on the new product or service and not on the other pre-existing products of the organization.

An Introduction Letter should first give a brief about the organization that is launching the product/service and then it should give the salient features of the product/service. A number or address for contacting should also be mentioned on the letter.

DOS AND DON’T’S OF INTRODUCTION LETTER

• An Introduction Letter should only talk about the product/service that it is intended to promote
• It should always give a brief introduction of the organization first
• After the organization’s introduction the letter should talk about the product/service and its salient features
• An Introduction Letter should be written as a pre-launch of the product, i.e. it should precede the entry of the product in the market
• Any pre-existing products/services should not be talked about in the Introduction Letter because this letter is very product/service specific
• Make sure that a contact address and number is also there in the letter so that interested parties can contact for more details
• Before the letter is sent out check for any grammatical or punctuation errors
• An Introduction Letter should preferably be on a company letterhead to prove the authenticity of the launch

SAMPLE INTRODUCTION LETTER

Dear Readers

______________ (name of the organization) has been into the telecom sector for the last ________ (number of years) and most of you are its customers. You have trusted our brand and have helped us grow to what it is today.

We very proudly introduce a new chain of retail outlets by the name ____________ (name of chain of outlets) that our organization is launching. These outlets will provide general day-to-day merchandise to you at your local shopping complexes at most competitive rates. At present we will be opening ________ (number of new outlets being opened) and will add _______ (number to be added) every month.

Your feedback will be of utmost importance so please shop at any of our outlets and feel free to call us on our toll free number ___________ or you can write to us on _______________ (email address).

We promise to serve you better always.

Management Team

_______________ (name of the organization)

An Acceptance Letter is the one that is written to either accept a job offer or resignation or promotion. The reason in the Acceptance Letter should be specified to clearly indicate what is the acceptance for. An Acceptance Letter can be given both by a superior or a subordinate depending upon what it is being given for. For example, if a resignation letter is being given to a superior by a subordinate, then the superior will give her/his subordinate an Acceptance Letter – acceptance of the resignation. If an employee is being promoted, then the subordinate gives the Acceptance Letter to her/his superior accepting the promotion.

Since an Acceptance Letter is an official one, it should be very crisp, to the point and should clearly indicate what is being accepted. It should be addressed to the person whose request of any kind is being accepted. The date from when the Acceptance Letter is effective should be very evident from the letter. To avoid any confusion in communication, it should not have any casual language written in it.

DOS AND DON’T’S OF ACCEPTANCE LETTER

• An Acceptance Letter is an official one so the language should also be official and should not sound in any way personal
• No efforts should be made to antagonize the individual whose request is being accepted
• The letter should be short and crisp as long letters lose their importance
• The date on which the Acceptance Letter is being given should be very clearly and prominently mentioned on the letter
• If the acceptance is being given for a resignation then the date from when the resignation is being accepted should also be clearly indicated on it
• Since an Acceptance Letter is an official one, it should always be on a company letter head
• Copies of this letter should be kept in the employee’s personal file and should also be displayed on the employee notice board to ensure that the existing employees are aware of any new developments in the organization. This confirms open communication between the organization and the existing employees

SAMPLE ACCEPTANCE LETTER

Ms/Mr. ______________

Address

Date: ___________

Subject: Acceptance of resignation

Dear Ms/Mr. ____________

This is to inform you that I on behalf of the organization have accepted your resignation with effect from ________ (date). As requested by you, we will relieve you of your services on ________ (date of relieving as has been mutually agreed).

We would request you to please hand over charge to Ms/Mr. __________ well before you leave to ensure a smooth transition.

We thank you for your contributions towards the growth of the organization and wish you all the very best in your future endeavor.

Best regards,

_______________ (Signature)

_______________ (Name)

_______________ (Designation)

An ‘agreement’ is an oral or written statement of an exchange of promises. It ensures that there is harmony and compatibility in people’s opinions or observations.

An Agreement Letter is written when two or more parties mutually agree on something that is mutually beneficial to all. An Agreement Letter should be drafted with utmost care to ensure that all the important aspects of the agreement have been covered as ‘clauses’ in the agreement. The people who sign an agreement may not necessarily be from the same line of profession or with similar likes/dislikes. However they may still sign up an agreement as business partners or as landlord and tenant, etc.

Since the contents of an Agreement Letter are more legal in nature because they involve more than one party, intervention of a lawyer or a person with a law background is beneficial and makes the agreement less risky. All fine print points should be clearly written in the letter making it totally fool proof and leaving no loopholes.

DOS AND DONT’S OF AGREEMENT LETTER

• An Agreement Letter should be very carefully and minutely worded leaving no room for any doubt or ambiguity
• Since lot of details form a part of an Agreement Letter, all the points should preferably be in bullet points or clause form
• The language used in an Agreement Letter should be simple and easily understandable by one and all
• The points that need to form a part of an Agreement Letter should be mutually agreed upon by all involved parties to avoid any dispute later
• The Agreement Letter should preferably be signed by at least one witness from either side to ensure that there has been no partiality
• The legal person who is involved in drafting the wordings of the Agreement Letter should also sign the letter as proof that s/he is aware of what all has been agreed upon
• The penalty clause should form a very important part of an Agreement Letter so that either party knows the implications of breaking an agreement
• All concerned deadlines or dates should be very clearly mentioned in the Agreement Letter
• An Agreement Letter is normally on a stamp paper of a particular denomination to confirm its legality
• It is generally not addressed to any one person and is a more generic form of a letter because details of all the parties is mentioned within the letter itself

CONTENTS OF A RENTAL AGREEMENT (since the wordings of a rental agreement are too detailed and legal, just giving the gist of the agreement points and not a sample letter):

• Name of both parties
• Date on which agreement has been signed
• Detailed address of the place being rented out
• Monthly rental amount agreed upon
• Date when the rent needs to be paid to the landlord
• Penalty clause if the rent is paid late
• Termination clause of the agreement as has been mutually agreed upon (this should be keeping in mind termination from either side)
• By how much percentage or amount will the rent increase and when
• It should be signed by both parties
• Witnesses should also sign confirming that the agreement has been written and signed with mutual consent
• Validity of the rental agreement

A Goodbye Letter is not as simple as it sounds. A person who writes a Goodbye Letter is writing because s/he is leaving some place or organization where s/he likes to be. The reason for leaving however may differ from person to person. A Goodbye Letter is usually written with mixed feelings – heavy heart for leaving one place but excitement for the unknown new place.

A Goodbye Letter should be short and crisp. A lengthy letter does not keep the attention of the reader for too long. The tone of the letter should be such that the reader gets the feeling that the writer is not happy to leave. It should definitely not sound like “good ridden to bad rubbish”. A Goodbye Letter should be written just about a day or two before leaving because it is the last communication of the writer with her/his colleagues.

A Goodbye Letter should only talk about the leaving aspect of the writer. No other issues should be talked about it in that letter. The writer must ensure that due credit and thanks must be given to the people deserving them. Their support and efforts should be appreciated.

DOS AND DON’T’S OF GOODBYE LETTER

• A Goodbye Letter should be written just a couple of days before leaving
• Only the reason for leaving should be talked about in the letter
• Do not get personally at any colleague in this letter
• The tone in the letter should sound that of unhappiness but helplessness
• A Goodbye Letter should always be short and crisp
• Sharing the reason for leaving and writing the letter is optional
• If the writer wants to acknowledge the efforts or support of anyone then it should be done in this letter
• This is a very sensitive letter both for the reader as well as the writer, so careful use of adjectives should be ensured
• Always check the letter for any grammatical or punctuation errors
• A Goodbye Letter can be generally addressed to everyone rather than any specific individual

SAMPLE GOODBYE LETTER

Date:

Dear All

It is time for me to move on so with a very heavy heart I wish to say goodbye to all of you. Since tomorrow is my last working day in this organization, I would like to take this opportunity to thank all my superiors who have helped me grow as a person and as a professional. I would also like to thank all my colleagues for their untiring support and displaying their faith in me.

I hate to leave but since my family and I are relocating to ____________ (new place), I guess I have to go. I shall miss each one of you and hope to see you again in some corner of the world.

You can always stay in touch with me by calling me up at ______________ (mobile number) or writing to me at ______________ (email address) and you will always find me there.

Take care and thanks once again.

_______________ (name of the person)

An ‘agreement’ is an oral or written statement of an exchange of promises. It ensures that there is harmony and compatibility in people’s opinions or observations.

An Agreement Letter is written when two or more parties mutually agree on something that is mutually beneficial to all. An Agreement Letter should be drafted with utmost care to ensure that all the important aspects of the agreement have been covered as ‘clauses’ in the agreement. The people who sign an agreement may not necessarily be from the same line of profession or with similar likes/dislikes. However they may still sign up an agreement as business partners or as landlord and tenant, etc.

Since the contents of an Agreement Letter are more legal in nature because they involve more than one party, intervention of a lawyer or a person with a law background is beneficial and makes the agreement less risky. All fine print points should be clearly written in the letter making it totally fool proof and leaving no loopholes.

DOS AND DONT’S OF AGREEMENT LETTER

• An Agreement Letter should be very carefully and minutely worded leaving no room for any doubt or ambiguity
• Since lot of details form a part of an Agreement Letter, all the points should preferably be in bullet points or clause form
• The language used in an Agreement Letter should be simple and easily understandable by one and all
• The points that need to form a part of an Agreement Letter should be mutually agreed upon by all involved parties to avoid any dispute later
• The Agreement Letter should preferably be signed by at least one witness from either side to ensure that there has been no partiality
• The legal person who is involved in drafting the wordings of the Agreement Letter should also sign the letter as proof that s/he is aware of what all has been agreed upon
• The penalty clause should form a very important part of an Agreement Letter so that either party knows the implications of breaking an agreement
• All concerned deadlines or dates should be very clearly mentioned in the Agreement Letter
• An Agreement Letter is normally on a stamp paper of a particular denomination to confirm its legality
• It is generally not addressed to any one person and is a more generic form of a letter because details of all the parties is mentioned within the letter itself

CONTENTS OF A RENTAL AGREEMENT (since the wordings of a rental agreement are too detailed and legal, just giving the gist of the agreement points and not a sample letter):

• Name of both parties
• Date on which agreement has been signed
• Detailed address of the place being rented out
• Monthly rental amount agreed upon
• Date when the rent needs to be paid to the landlord
• Penalty clause if the rent is paid late
• Termination clause of the agreement as has been mutually agreed upon (this should be keeping in mind termination from either side)
• By how much percentage or amount will the rent increase and when
• It should be signed by both parties
• Witnesses should also sign confirming that the agreement has been written and signed with mutual consent
• Validity of the rental agreement

An Announcement Letter is a letter that can either be written for a happy announcement or for an unhappy announcement. It can also be an official or a personal Announcement Letter. An official Announcement Letter should clearly indicate the reason for the announcement and if it is a positive one, then it should also be put up on the staff notice board for everyone to see and learn from.

The official Announcement Lettercan be for the following:

• Promotion
• Company mergers/acquisitions
• Company ratings (if have been publicly announced in a daily newspaper, etc)
• Resignation
• Termination of individual services/contracts
• New hires
• Any bonus announcements
• Important dates (if any)
• Opening of a new business venture

The personal Announcement Letter can be for the following:

• Marriage
• Birth
• Sharing of promotion
• Moving into one’s own house

If it is an announcement for promoting an individual in the organization then it should give the announcement detail, such as ANNOUNCEMENT FOR PROMOTION OF MR./MS. ___________ (name of the individual) TO _______ (designation to which promoted). But it should highlight the name of the person being promoted as well as the designation s/he is being taken to. A short and crisp Announcement Letter conveys the message that it should without losing its importance.

The letter should also highlight the reason for the promotion, such as commend the individual for her/his achievement and contribution towards the growth of the organization, etc.

Since one copy goes to the individual for her/his records, one copy should also be kept signed and received by the individual for her/his personal file with the HR department. One copy should also be put up on the staff notice board so that the employees of the organization see the announcement and derive motivation from it for their achievements.

DOS AND DONTS OF AN ANNOUNCEMENT LETTER:

• An Announcement Letter, if official, should be in two copies. One addressed to the individual whose promotion or achievement is being announced and second addressed to the whole office informing them of this announcement
• It should be simply worded
• An Announcement Letter should be short and crisp
• It should highlight the reason for the announcement along with its result
• The official Announcement Letter should always be on the company’s letter head
• It should only be concerned with the announcement and should not have any details irrelevant to the announcement
• Grammatical errors and typographical errors should be minutely checked
• Points in the letter that need focus should be bold and highlighted so that the content of the letter is clear to everyone

SAMPLE ANNOUNCEMENT LETTER

(An announcement to tell the entire staff that Ms./Mr. __________ has been promoted)

TO WHOMSOEVER IT MAY CONCERN

It is with great pleasurewe announce that Ms./Mr. ___________ has been promoted to ____________ (give designation) with effect from _______ (date). S/he will now be reporting into Ms./Mr. _____________ (name of superior). Ms./Mr. ____________ (name of the person who has been promoted) will be handing over her/his existing charge to Ms./Mr. _________ (name of person who is taking over the previous designation’s charge).

Ms./Mr. __________ (name of person promoted) was among 15 candidates shortlisted for the post and has been selected after a rigorous round of selection process. Her/his qualifications and experience along with the interview results helped us make the choice.

We wish Ms./Mr. __________ (person who has been promoted) all the best and success in her/his new role.

(Name & signature of the signing authority)

Lynn Johnston has put it so appropriately “An apology is the super glue of life. It can repair just about anything.”

When one feels sorry for something that one shouldn’t have done, an Apology Letter can be written and believe me it will work wonders. Most people do not make mistakes on purpose. An Apology Letter is a letter that is written to acknowledge a mistake and ask for forgiveness for the same. An Apology Letter should always be written when the writer is genuinely sorry. The reader is also, in most cases, a mature individual and will for sure be able to read between the lines if it is not a genuine apology. Asking for an apology does not make the writer any smaller than the reader who will be forgiving.

An Apology Letter should not sound rude or authoritative or as if the writer is doing a favor by asking for an apology. The letter should be short and crisp. It should clearly state the reason why an apology is being asked for, as it will become easier for the reader to relate. The language used in the letter should be simple and easy to understand for the reader. Usage of difficult words may put the reader on a weaker footing. There is no need to make the Apology Letter public, i.e. there is no need to tell anyone else that an apology is being asked for, as it is very personal only between the writer and the reader.

DOS AND DON’T’S FOR AN APOLOGY LETTER

• An Apology Letter should only be for the benefit of the reader and should not be made public
• The language used in the Apology Letter should be simple and effort should be made to ensure that it is easily understood by the reader
• An Apology Letter should be short and crisp
• It should not sound authoritative
• The flow of the Apology Letter should feel genuine
• The Apology Letter should clearly indicate the reason why it has been written
• There is no need for a subject line in an Apology Letter as it actually is not official as there is no need to keep a record of it
• A personally handed over Apology Letter does definitely have an edge and a better impact than a letter sent by post or mail
• If it is personally given then there is no need to write the name and address of the reader also in the letter. The content of the letter can just start off

SAMPLE APOLOGY LETTER

Date: _____________

Dear ____________ (name of the person from whom an apology is being asked)

I would like to apologize for my inappropriate behavior in the meeting yesterday. I should not have done that in front of your team members and should have controlled myself. I should have given you the same feedback in a politer way once the meeting had been called off. I realized my mistake that very moment but I could not take my words back then.

I am sure you would understand and forgive me for my reckless behavior. I hope that this one off incident will not affect our relationship!

Once again please accept my sincere apologies.

Regards,

_____________ (Name of the person who is apologizing)