What is the full form of PFA?

What is PFA?

PFA stands for Please Find Attachment. If you are sending an email or a file on apps like WhatsApp, you can use the phrase or the short form to let the receiver know that one or more files are attached. You can attach your CV if you are searching a job. There are many more reasons to attach different types of files. The files of different forms can be attached like charts, images, audio, video, text, etc.

Usage of PFA when sending Email

There are many occasions where an attachment is included while sending emails. Some of them are discussed here.

Sending CV

When you are searching for a job, employers, HR managers, or hiring managers ask for your CV. If you are applying through an email, you need to attach the CV to let the employers know about your capabilities. You can mention PFA to let the receiver know that the email has an attachment. This will let your employer know the time you have taken to prepare your CV.

Applying for a job

When you apply for a job, your prospective employer may ask for your CV along with other documents like a cover letter, certificates, identity proof, etc. You can either write the cover letter in the body of the email and attach your CV and certificates or you can attach everything mentioning PFA to check the attachments.

Interview invitation reply

In this case also, you can update your existing CV and send in the reply. Your prospective employer will receive the latest CV with updates and will know about your experience and skills.

Request for a recommendation letter

A recommendation letter may also be required when applying for jobs as it is the demand of some employers. This is required to know about your skills from previous colleagues and employers.

Alternative phrases for PFA

There are many other phrases which you can use instead of PFA. Some of them are listed below −

Attach the file with no explanation.
Here is...
I've attached...
This [X] has …
I'm sharing [X] with you.
You'll find the attachment below.
Let me know if you have any questions about the attachment.
The requested document is attached to this email.
Relevant information is in the attached file.
The attached [X] includes…
When you review the attached [X], you will see...
Please see the attached [X] for more details…
Take a look at the attached [X].
Attached herewith this email.
I've linked [X].
For reference, I've appended…
Please see the enclosed…
...added [resource] to this email.
The enclosed document shows...
Enclosed is…

Writing an email with attachments

Here are the steps that you need to follow while writing an email with an attachment −

Store the files to be attached

Make a folder and collect the files that you have to send in the email. Check the format of files as some organizations ask for specific formats only like PDF for CVs, JPG for images, etc. You can merge the files in a zip format so that they can be compressed. This will also reduce the upload time from your end and the download time at the receiver’s end.

Check the recipient names

Check the names of the recipients to whom the email has to be sent. This will help you in using the correct format, language, and tone while writing an email.

The subject line should be clear

Mention the correct subject line as it will help the recipients to know the purpose of the email.

Previous reference

If you have received an email from a person mentioning to attach required documents, you can tell about this email in your current message.

Simple body

The body of the email should be simple and easy to understand. The message should be short as long emails are not preferred due to time constraints.

Call to action

If a call to action is needed, include it in the email. You can ask for feedback, suggestions, etc.

Email Review

Read the email two to three times to check for spelling and grammatical errors. Also, check whether the attachments are correct or not. The next aspect to check is the names of the recipients and then send the email.

Advantages of PFA

There are many advantages of using the phrase PFA (Please Find Attachment) and some of them are listed below −

The phrase can be used to grab the attention of the recipient
It lets the recipient know that the email has an attachment
The format of the attachment can be mentioned like please find PDF

Other Full Forms of PFA

PFA has many other full forms and they are available in the table below −

Acronym	Expansion
PFA	Protection From Abuse
PFA	Pacific Film Archive
PFA	Public Fishing Area
PFA	Parent Faculty Association
PFA	Process Flow Analysis
PFA	Predictive Failure Analysis

Conclusion

PFA can be expanded to Please Find Attachment. This phrase is usually used when one or more files are attached to an email and the sender wants the attention of the recipient on the attachment. This is a very common phrase but there are many alternatives for PFA which are being used to let the recipient know about the attachment.