If you are looking for a job in Nigeria or a job offer from a company that is located in Nigeria, you may have to write an application letter. This email must have the correct format and also should include a few things.
In this article, we will discuss how to write an application letter in Nigeria.
This email is written to introduce yourself and your qualifications to the person who is hiring employees and also to inform them about your interest in the job position.
At the end of this article, we will show you an example.
How to write an application letter in Nigeria
If you are applying for a job in Nigeria, here is what you need to include in your application letter regardless of the company’s requirements.
1. Address to the Right Person
Address the letter to the appropriate person in charge of recruitment or where recruitment is done. This is important because if you do not address it to the right person, it will be difficult for your letter to get to the right person who offers the job. So make sure to address your letter properly.
Example:
The Hiring Manage
Shop D27 Emab Plaza Aminu Kano Crescent, Wuse II
FCT, Abuja
Nigeria.
11th November, 2021.
2. Use full name and title when addressing the employer.
You must use the correct format. For example, it must be something like this: “Dear Mr. Johnson” or “Dear Ms. Hill”. You can just call the person by his first name, especially when you aren’t on a first-name basis.
Use the right salutation. It should be “Dear Sir/Madam” if you don’t know the persons’ name. In other words, your salutation should be personalized as it will make a good impression on the employer and also garners their attention to the letter from beginning till end.
Example:
Dear Mr Okoro,
Or
Dear Sir,Or
Sir,
3. Open with a Brief Introduction
Open with a brief introduction of yourself and go straight to the reason you are writing the application letter and state your experience, and skills related to the position applying for and why you are qualified for it.
Example:
I am John and I am applying for the position of Chief content editor in your organization. I have spent the past 18 months writing actionable content for companies like Vanguard NG, Legit NG and have even contributed on CNN.
4. Mention Noteworthy things like Education
Finish this section by saying how long you have been at this occupation and mention any other qualifications from formal training courses taken, extra-curricular or outside academic education that could help qualify you for this position if not already mentioned above).
Example:
I have acquired Google’s writer certification and have taken some noteworthy course on Udemy
4. State why you are interested in the Position
State why you are interested in the position. Continue with other things you’d like the hiring manager to know about you. Remember that you are writing to a Nigerian company, so put in context that will make the hiring manager understand that you understand the situation at hand.
For example:
I am interested in this particular role because I have a passion for storytelling and writing…..
I have such a strong persion for writing that I wrote for xyz.com for two years without any financial incentive and those were one of the best years of my life.
5. The Closing
Close the letter on a good note. The hiring manager has taken the time to read your application letter, he might have even done this in one of those lagos traffics, you have to thank him/her for taking the time to read your letter.
Close the letter with your name and contact details (phone number).
Example:
Thank you for taking the time to review my application letter. Since you likely receive tons of these letters every day, I am extremely grateful that you took the time to read mine. I look forward to a positive feedback
Always double-check to make sure you have done all the above points before sending out your application letter to this person.
If you are using email, don’t forget to include your resume also in the attachment because it will be easier for them to refer to it while processing your application if necessary after receiving it.
Note: Do not forget to add the attachment, people often finish writing a beautify application letter, only for them to forget to attach it as they are about to send the email.
Example
Why do I need to go through all this?
It is usually very difficult to convince someone that you are interested in a particular job position if they have not received your application letter. You are immediately “put into the pool” of many applicants if you do not follow the above steps.
Things you need to do before you start writing your application letter in Nigeria
Before you start looking for a job in Nigeria, you must write an application letter. But before you start writing your application letter, there are a few things you must do first.
1. Research the company you are applying to:
You should consider whether or not this company is a good place for you to work in the long term. If you will be working there for a few months, you can search about the company on the internet to see if it is reliable and has good reviews.
It is important to research this company so that you do not waste your time applying to companies that are unethical or might not be of any use (for example, they will give jobs only to people who they like).
You should also research them to have all the necessary information about the company such as the name of the hiring manager, the office location, the business hours, the business line, etc. This is important because you will need to put this information in your application letter.
Note: Do not forget to ask the person who referred you for this position if they know any information about the company or can do some research for you. Contact them before you start writing your application letter in Nigeria.
2. Who is the letter addressed to?
The application letter should be written to the manager (the person in charge of recruitment, HR department, or even the business owner if possible). If it is not possible to write your letter directly to the person in charge of recruitment, then write it to any other executive in that company that is above the one who recruits employees.
Your application letter must be addressed to someone (and not just sent out randomly). If you send out your job application letters without an address, it means you don’t care about being recruited by this company.
Related: 30 highest paying jobs in Nigeria that are in demand
3. Define the tone of the letter first
The tone of the letter is important because it will determine whether or not your application letter will be successful.
There are 2 major tones you can take while writing your application letter:
- Formal tone: You can adopt a formal tone while writing your application letter to a company in Nigeria. This tone should be used when you are confident that you have all the qualifications required for this position and want to get the job position immediately without going through an interview process.
- Friendly tone: You can use a friendly tone while writing your application letter in Nigeria. This is the type of tone that attracts people because they feel that they already know you. But be careful, some companies don’t like it. Companies that are overly formal will not like this tone, so if you are unsure, stick to the formal tone.
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