ANALYSIS OF ENGLISH JOB APPLICATION LETTER WRITING SKILLS AMONG ENGLISH EDUCATION STUDENTS

Authors

  • Habib Azizi NST Sekolah Tinggi Agama Islam Negeri Mandailing Natal Author
  • Muhammad Sobri Sekolah Tinggi Agama Islam Negeri Mandailing Natal Author
  • Rahmat Fais Sekolah Tinggi Agama Islam Negeri Mandailing Natal Author
  • Muhammad Hasyimsyah Batubara Sekolah Tinggi Agama Islam Negeri Mandailing Natal Author

Keywords:

Writing Skills; Job Application Letter; English Language; English Education Students; Professional Correspondence.

Abstract

Writing competence is one of the most essential skills that English Education students must master to support both academic and professional communication. Among various forms of professional writing, job application letters play a significant role in helping graduates present their qualifications effectively to potential employers. This study aims to analyze the English job application letter writing skills of English Education students. The research employed a descriptive qualitative design involving 30 students from an English Education Study Program. Data were collected through documentation of students’ job application letters and analyzed based on letter structure, grammar, vocabulary, and language formality. The findings reveal that although most students were able to construct the general structure of a job application letter appropriately, many still experienced difficulties in grammatical accuracy, formal vocabulary selection, and the maintenance of professional tone. Several students used informal expressions and inappropriate sentence structures that reduced the effectiveness of their letters. Nevertheless, some participants demonstrated adequate ability in presenting information clearly and persuasively. The study concludes that students’ job application letter writing skills require further improvement, particularly in linguistic accuracy and professional correspondence conventions.

References

Ahmed, S. T. S. (2020). Investigating EFL students' difficulties in writing skills. International Journal of English Linguistics, 10(6), 130–138. https://doi.org/10.5539/ijel.v10n6p130

Bhatia, V. K. (2014). Analysing Genre: Language Use in Professional Settings. Routledge.

Bovee, C. L., & Thill, J. V. (2021). Business Communication Today (15th ed.). Pearson.

Brown, H. D., & Abeywickrama, P. (2019). Language Assessment: Principles and Classroom Practices (3rd ed.). Pearson.

Canale, M., & Swain, M. (1980). Theoretical bases of communicative approaches to second language teaching and testing. Applied Linguistics, 1(1), 1–47. https://doi.org/10.1093/applin/I.1.1

Fareed, M., Ashraf, A., & Bilal, M. (2016). ESL learners' writing skills: Problems, factors and suggestions. Journal of Education and Social Sciences, 4(2), 81–92. https://doi.org/10.20547/jess0421604201

Harmer, J. (2021). The Practice of English Language Teaching (6th ed.). Pearson.

Hyland, K. (2019). Second Language Writing (2nd ed.). Cambridge University Press.

Klimova, B. F. (2014). Constraints and difficulties in the process of writing acquisition. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 122, 433–437. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2014.01.1367

Locker, K. O., & Kaczmarek, S. K. (2020). Business Communication: Building Critical Skills (8th ed.). McGraw-Hill.

Swales, J. M. (1990). Genre Analysis: English in Academic and Research Settings. Cambridge University Press.

Alisha, F., Safitri, N., & Santoso, I. (2019). Students' difficulties in writing EFL. Professional Journal of English Education, 2(1), 20–25.

Guffey, M. E., & Loewy, D. (2022). Essentials of Business Communication (12th ed.). Cengage Learning.

Ahmed, S. T. S. (2020). Investigating EFL students' difficulties in writing skills. International Journal of English Linguistics, 10(6), 130–138.

Klimova, B. F. (2014). Constraints and difficulties in the process of writing acquisition. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 122, 433–437.

Downloads

Published

2026-08-15

How to Cite

ANALYSIS OF ENGLISH JOB APPLICATION LETTER WRITING SKILLS AMONG ENGLISH EDUCATION STUDENTS. (2026). Journal of Advances in Linguistics and English Teaching (JALET), 2(1), 1-8. https://madanipublisherindonesia.or.id/index.php/jalet/article/view/40