Briefly explain the difference between solicited application letters and unsolicited application letters.

A solicited application letter is written in response to an announced job opening. An unsolicited letter is sent to an organization that has not announced an opening and is similar to prospecting. In a solicited letter, the writer knows exactly what qualifications the organization is seeking and can echo those attributes back in his or her letter. Writing a prospecting letter is more challenging because you don't have the clear target you have with a solicited letter. You will need to do more research to identify the qualities that a company would probably seek for the position you hope to get.