formal expressions
Filed under: mercebank.com
  • (Please, for this question I need the assistance of a person whose mother language is English) How do you reply politely to a letter/email ending like this? Suppose that this is a formal email, related for instance to job searching, from the company where you have applied for: "...and of course I will keep you posted. Kind regards (Signature)" Is it okay whether in my brief reply I use: "I look forward to hearing from you" Since the writer in the first letter wrote "OF COURSE, I will keep you posted", would it be a bit ANXIOUS or demanding to end the reply as stated: "I look forward to hearing from you." Or, on the contrary, both are common and "automatic" expressions widely used? Please ellaborate. Kind regards, Tom


  • FWIW, I agree. Your phrase does not so much indicate anxiety, as keen, on-going interest.


  • Dear Tom, Thank you for your thank you and fine rating, I'm happy you are happy. Take care, hummer


  • Dear hummer-ga: Thank you for your precise reply. Kind regards, Tom


  • "I look forward to hearing from you soon" is, IMHO, an excellent and courteous way to show that you are receptive to the employer. In no way does it seem overly "anxious". There's a difference between being avidly interested and being neurotically anxious. Now, if you were to close a letter by saying "Pick me, pick me, pleasepleasepleaseplease pick me," I would say that you were going a bit over the edge. ;)


  • Magnesium: Tee hee hee :-)


  • Dear xarqui-ga: Thank you for your comment! Tom


  • Hi tom136, "I look forward to hearing from you soon" is a great response to "...and of course I will keep you posted." Your potential employer has chosen to end his letter in a positive way and therefore you should respond in kind. Honestly, I cannot think of a better response - in my opinion "you nailed it". Both phrases are commonly used, but I think in this case, the employer has gone a bit further than an automatic response and has ended with a positive "action" phrase - it is appropriate that you reply with a positive "action" phrase as well, which you have. You will not sound anxious or demanding - if you did not respond with an appropriate promise of action, you would run the risk of sounding nonchalant or uninterested, which would not be a good thing to do. This, as I said, is my personal opinion but I have taken the time to do a bit of research online to make sure that I'm not "out to lunch" on this and also I've asked a colleague their opinion and I can say with confidence, "not to worry, all is well". That all said, if you are concerned that you do not pick up on all of the nuances of the English language, it would be entirely ok to mention the fact at the end of your letter (assuming the employer already knows that English is your second language). Here are a few letter writing links that I hope you find helpful. 1. Businessletterpunch.com: step-by-step guide: "This web site takes users through the actual steps of writing a business letter." http://www.businessletterpunch.com/ 2. Business Letter Writing Basics http://esl.about.com/library/weekly/aa041399.htm 2. Essential Resources for Writing Business and Employment Letters http://jobsearchtech.about.com/library/bl-business-letters.htm 4. Writing an Effective Business Letter. http://www.business-letters.com/business-letters.htm I hope this helps. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to post a clarification request before rating my answer - I will be happy to respond. Thank you and Good Luck! hummer Terms Used: "business letters" "business letter writing"







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    rose @ March 19, 2010 edit