Project 3
Student id: g14
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<DOC>
<docHead>
<!--required header includes metadata about the assignment (title, author, version)-->
<title>WP3: Cover Letter</title>
<author xml:id="g14">Ben Gincley</author>
<version n="2" date="2016-08-22"/>
</docHead>
<cover_letter>
<header>
<name>Benjamin Gincley</name>
<contact_info>
<!-- One or More Contact -->
<contact type="address">700 Columbus Ave, Boston, MA 02120</contact>
<contact type="phone"> 411-666-3333 </contact>
<contact type="email"> gincley.b@husky.neu.edu </contact>
</contact_info>
</header>
<greeting>Hello,</greeting>
<intro_para>
<intent type="purpose">I am very interested applying for the Foundry Operations Co-op at
Ginkgo BioWorks.</intent>
<intent type="connection">Last year, I had spoken with representatives of the company at
a Northeastern University Biotechnology career event, and had proceeded through to a
phone interview with a member of the company thereafter, but was deferred due to
lack of experience at the time (as it would have been my first co-op).</intent>
<reason>I am still extremely interested in the type of work that Ginkgo is doing, and
the doors it will unlock for further biotechnological innovation,</reason> and
<proposition>I believe that an opportunity to work at Ginkgo in Spring 2017 would
allow for me to both make a noticeable contribution to the team and work being done,
as well as provide a unique and powerful learning and skill-development experience
as I strive to further develop my competency in this field.<note type="instructor"
resp="#kgs">based on your explanation of your unique rhetorical situation (in
your presentation), this is a well crafted and, I think, effective opening
paragraph</note></proposition>
</intro_para>
<para_background>
<!-- One or More -->
<experience type="school">Through my Bioengineering coursework, with a concentration in
Cell and Tissue Engineering, I have gained an understanding of genetics, tissue
mechanics, proteomics, and cellular engineering. I continue to pursue opportunities
to learn more about the science and find creative ways to apply this knowledge,
through conversations with peers and teachers</experience>
<experience type="personal">and by reading about advances and research being done in my
spare time. <note type="peer" resp="#v_27">For this school experience sentence you
can split it up into two sentences just because there needs to be a break so
that it does not feel cluttered to the reader. I would suggest breaking it after
cellular engineering.</note> While on campus, I have volunteered my time in two
research labs, <skills>developing and executing mechanical engineering
experiments</skills> in the Bubble Imaging Lab and <skills>learning cell
culture/passaging, transfection, and biological assay techniques</skills> in the
Addiction Sciences Lab, which I continue to be involved with. When not doing
research, I serve as a mentor with multiple organizations on campus, further
developing <skills>strong interpersonal and leadership skills that enable my ability
to lead groups and harness initiative.</skills></experience>
</para_background>
<para_background>
<experience type="work">At my first co-op, I gained experience in a neurobiological
research setting at Duke Universtiy, gaining proficiency with
<programs>MatLab</programs> and familiarity with <programs>python</programs> to
<accomplishments>develop an automated animal behavior training
paradigm</accomplishments> and <accomplishments>conduct comprehensive
analysis</accomplishments> of both behavioral and <skills>calcium
imaging</skills> experiments. Throughout this experience, I gained <skills>
skill and experience with both digesting and writing technical
documentation,</skills> as well as developed ways to <skills>abstract simple
meaning and explanation of technical concepts.</skills> At the end of my co-op,
<accomplishments>I gave an hour-long comprehensive presentation of my work with
both animal behavior and calcium imaging to the entire lab in a lab
meeting.</accomplishments></experience>
</para_background>
<closing_statements>
<compatability>My coursework in genetic and protein engineering, as well as my
experience using coding to automate existing processes while on my previous co-op,
would allow me to succeed as a Foundry Operations Co-op at Ginkgo. I believe that
this relevant experience, as well as my extreme interest in the work being
done/potential applications of the technological paradigm being developed at Ginkgo
and my personal qualities<note type="instructor" resp="#kgs">this clause gets a bit
clunky/hard to follow</note>, would make this a great fit. <note type="peer"
resp="#v_27">I feel that you could give an addition sentence or two if it be in
your closing statements or experience section, where you can give some
background on how your skills and experiences translate well to position that
you are applying to.</note></compatability>
<pb/>
<next_step>I eagerly await your call at 1-800-666-5555 so that we can discuss possible
next steps and answer questions about moving forward.</next_step>
</closing_statements>
<signature>
<salutation>Best regards,</salutation>
<name>Benjamin Gincley</name>
</signature>
</cover_letter>
<docReview>
<!-- <writers_memo>
I am mostly finished with the bulk of the process, just looking for any tips
or advice regarding content or format. The situation here is my application to a
Boston-based biotech company, and presented is my cover letter to be sent with a resume
to garner an interview with the company. The simple structure of the genre has been easy
to work with, and everything is by and large well-defined, making the template easy to
follow. The only difficulty has been the tagging of body content, as some situations are
not clearly "work," "personal," or "school," but I suppose in reality it's up to the
writer's discretion to decide which tag fits best, and overall it's relatively
inconsequential. I would mainly like focus to be on the order of the paragraphs/content
presented (I have moved the order around a few times), as well as if any of the
information seems extraneous of not directly relevant. For reference: The position is
working at a biotech company that uses genetic engineering to take natural principles
and engineer novel chemicals/substances such as flavors and scents (right now) for
commercial use, using principles of bioengineering and scaling to commercialize
discoveries made in the lab. It is a small-ish spinoff from MIT consisting mostly of
engineers. Last year when I was phone interviewed, it was with an
engineering/recruitment staff, not an HR-background person. I assume an
engineering-background individual will likely do the hiring again this year.
</writers_memo> -->
<reviewer type="peer" xml:id="v_27"/>
<report type="peer" resp="#v_27">
<p>For Ben's project he is writing a cover letter to Ginkgo BioWorks in hopes of landing
a Foundry Operations Co-op position. Throughout the cover letter he discusses his
background in school, work and personal life, where he brings up many of his skills
and accomplishments that he has gained and why he would be a strong choice for the
position. I can tell from reading your letter that you have an understanding of the
rhetorical situation and audience that you are targeting. Which means that you know
that you are apply for a position in which you hope to get an interview and your
audience is someone within an engineering/recruitment staff. What really impressed
me in your draft was the seamless transition from element to element. What I think
could be improved in your letter is your argument as to why you would be the best
candidate for the position. I found that you were able to state all of your skills,
experiences, and accomplishments well, but you did not engage as much into the
actual position and how/why you would fit in there. I would say that the way that
you have structured your background paragraphs seem to be good. It looks like you
made it a point to transition from your academic experience to your work experience
using your personal experience as a mechanism to get from one to the other which I
appreciated. I did not find any of information that you included to be extraneous
and I found that by including all of these achievements and going into detail with
them that you gave off a stronger image of yourself to the employers. Overall I
think that your draft was very well constructed and that there are only a few
adjustments that should make to improve it.</p>
</report>
<reviewer type="instructor" xml:id="kgs"/>
<report type="instructor" resp="#kgs">
<p>Excellent work here; I think you demonstrate real knowledge of the position, skill
set, and attitude required of the position (due in part, no doubt, from your
previous contact with them). I made a few small comments above, but on the whole
this is very well done and I hope proves useful for you going forward.</p>
</report>
</docReview>
</DOC>