Job Title: Intern at Economic Development Board(EDB) Singapore
About the internship: At EDB, the internship program has been and will continue to be an integral part of our engagement and development efforts to attract and retain candidates of high calibre. As an organisation, we believe that getting meaningful work experience at university is a great way of increasing your future employability. That is why the internship is designed to build valuable professional and corporate experience in highly-motivated students. The programme is demanding and can include cross-disciplinary projects within the organisation so as to encourage new approaches and perspectives in relation to business and economic challenges.
What and who they look for: We don't simply look at the strength of your academic qualifications. Your personality, ambition and passion count just as much. And, because you will participate in demanding projects in a constantly evolving environment, we look for the entrepreneurial fire in you and expressions of imagination and creativity.
Requirement for intern in Logistics Division: University students majoring in Industrial Engineering
Job scope of an intern: Scope out opportunities in Sustainable Supply Chain for Logistics Industry and come up with game plan.
Block X Prince George Park
Level X, Room X
Singapore 118XXX
+659387XXXX
xi@nus.edu.sg
September 1, 2010
Human Resources Department
250 North Bridge Road
#28-00 Raffles City Tower
Singapore 179101
Dear Sir/Madam,
Application for Summer Internship Programme
After attending a career sharing session with Mr. Gabriel Aw, an EDB Senior Officer and an alumni of National University of Singapore(NUS), I have gained a better understanding of the nature of work in EDB. It interests me immensely. I am writing this letter to apply for an intern position in Logistics Division in summer internship programme 2011.
By end of May 2011, I would have finished two years of formal engineering education in NUS. My major is in Industrial and Systems Engineering specialising in logistics and supply chain management. An internship experience in EDB’s Logistics Division allows me to have a holistic view of the entire industry. Furthermore, the project’s focus on sustainable supply chain is extremely relevant to my course work in university. I believe this is a golden opportunity for me to find out how my technical knowledge could be utilised in the real workplace.
My academic strengths are evident in my school results, which place me on track for First Class Honours Degree. On top of that, I have taken many cross-disciplinary courses in University Scholars Programme. I believe a wider range of knowledge in different fields and more experiences working with people of diverse backgrounds could help me handle the demanding projects in this internship programme.
My organisational skills and communication skills are further enhanced through a variety of projects I have accomplished. Last year, I have initiated and spearheaded an independent student project , “Campus Speech Contest 2010”. After forming a twenty-people organising committee we have successfully raised funds and run the very first Speech Contest in my university. In addition, after one-year of dedicated work as a Human Resources Director in Institution of Engineers, Singapore(IES)-NUS Student Branch, I was elected to be the President of our Executive Committee, leading a group of twenty students to serve the engineering community. Through these experiences, I have honed my leadership and communication skills, which will definitely come in handy in the workplace.
My strong academic strengths, relevant technical knowledge and effective communication skills make me a suitable candidate for this position. I have enclosed a copy of my resume with additional information about my qualifications. Thank you for your consideration. I look forward to receiving your reply.
Yours sincerely
Miss Xi Xi
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteHi XiXi,
ReplyDeleteWhat I like about your cover letter is that it provides a very detailed and clear picture of yourself, backed with many relevant examples.
Firstly, you managed to link up your personal skills to the requirements of the internship.
Secondly, you showcased your academic strengths in the third paragraph.
Next, you highlighted your soft skills and experiences you gained along the way.
Good job! However, I feel you should spell out the organisations before placing acronyms (NUS,EDB). You did mentioned National University of Singapore in the second paragraph, but perhaps it slipped your mind that you have already used NUS in the first!
Also, there is a typo in your fourth paragraph.
I have horned my leadership and communication skills ---> horned --> honed. Other than that, your cover letter is great! :)
Cheers,
Alvin
Hi Xixi
ReplyDeleteI think your application letter is quite well done. It shows your relevant skills for the job.
It exceeds one page if I put it into Word with 12 Times New Roman. Another point is that in paragraph two, your approach is how this internship will benefit you but not how you can contribute to the company, which I think may not be very appropriate.
Hi Guo Chen,
ReplyDeleteThank you very much for your comments.
I agree with you that it could exceed the page limit, I will try to shorten it a little.
The rationale of writing the 2nd paragraph is to explain why this particular internship programme, out of so many others, interests me most. It tries to offer the reasons for my application.
Hi Alvin,
ReplyDeleteThank you very much for pointing out the mistakes. I have edited it based on your suggestions.
Thanks a lot!
Hi Xi Xi,
ReplyDeleteThanks for posting such a clear and relevant post for the topic. What I like the most is the step by step flow of your writing. Each aspect for the requirement of the job is dealt with spot on statements and skills needed to support them. I acknowledge these facts. Just make it a bit shorter.No need to cut any specific experience.If not possible, then leave it the way it is. Typo have already been found out.
It is better to shorten words in experience part because when you are selected for the job you already need to explain your experiences.It is better to just mention them with a clear work statement.
Thanks.
Hi Xixi,
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, I feel that your letter is very impressive! I am awed by how much you have done for the school despite being a year 2. Also, I feel that your letter has largely answered the requirements that the job is looking for. Like Shivam, I think that what makes your letter nicely done is the organization. It has a great flow from paragraph to paragraph, and with each paragraph, you explain how your experiences put you in great stead for your job. Again, being concise yet detailed, you have done a great job! (:
However, I feel that the fourth paragraph probably could have been shortened a little, because it seems a little too detailed. Also, the part about "thank you for your consideration", could have been in a separate paragraph. Overall, it is a great effort! Well done! (:
Hi Xi Xi,
ReplyDeleteImpressive letter you have there ! Coupled with your good qualifications, your letter I think will get you the internship. However,the part about how you can contribute to the company is not very evident. Other than that, great letter:)
Hi Xi Xi!
ReplyDeleteThis is truly a job well-done! (: Your application letter is concise, pleasant to read, informative, and is pretty perfect 7C's wise.
I'm very impressed by how you 'sold' yourself and your abilities in such an eloquent manner. All the factors you mentioned were very relevant to the internship position, and you managed to really impress without sounding proud/self-important or anything of the sort.
You come across as one with excellent character, good management skills, leadership ability, and high intelligence. (: Which, dare I say, isn't far from the absolute truth.
There's just one little grammatical error I'd like to draw your attention to: Last year, I have initiated and spearheaded an independent student project..>>> Last year, I initiated and spearheaded an independent...
Aside from that, your application letter is fantastic! (:
Hi Xixi,
ReplyDeleteCan't agree with May more. I'm actually using the template for analysing application letters right at this very moment and seriously every box seems to be getting ticked. You could have really input some errors in intentionally which would have made my life easier haha. Besides all the encouraging points mentioned as above, what seems to strike me most is your conscious attempt at using active language to describe your accomplishments throughout the application letter. Certainly makes your case very strong.
I just feel one aspect of the requirement is missing in your letter, the part on entrepreneurial fire. You could mention any commercial based venture that you were just a part of no matter how minor it might have been just to backup your letter. Not that it needs much in my opinion anyway. Length wise, I also feel there's no need for shortening as you've been concise where needs to be and elaborated in the appropriate sections. Kudos to a wonderful letter!