Project 3
Student id: k16
To select another student or project, return to the Project Page.
Title: Title of Assignment
Author: Gurtaj Khatra
Date:
- Gurtaj Khatra
- 54 Westland Ave
- Boston, MA 02115
- 508-353-9888
- gurtajkhatra@gmail.com
Dear Mr. O'Brein:
I am writing to apply for the Software Engineering Co-p[i.n.] role over at Smartleaf. Currently I am going into my last coop here at Norteastern. With my previous two coops[i.n.] I have working in finance related positions. First I worked at a small startup company of about four people, and for my second I was at a much larger company of more than 30,000 people[i.n.]. Not only do I find what Smartleaf is working on to be fascinating, I also would love to get experience working in a medium sized company. I believe that my experience as a Computer Science student working in more finance oriented[i.n.] positions would make me a perfect candidate for this position.[i.n.]
Currently, I am a Computer Science student here at Northeastern University. I believe that my experiences with going through my classes and projects has helped me build skills to excel in industry[i.n.]. For example, I have taken classes where I have learned about object oriented programming and other software design patterns, and worked on projects with common industry languages such as Java and tools such as Intellij. However, I believe that one of the main advantages of going to Northeastern was being able to gain experience through different coops.
My first coop was working at Mavenomics, a small company in Cambridge. I created and implemented tools for data analysis and visualization into their main product using languages such as python and JavaScript, and frameworks such as d3.js and React. My tools were used by portfolio managers at hedge funds to aid in research into investment opportunities in multiple industries. Due to the small nature of the company, I gained exposure different aspects of the company such as accounting, management, and day to day operations. It gave me a[i.n.] deeper understanding of how businesses are run, and how they develop over time.
My next coop was working for Goldman Sachs in New York, a much larger company. During my time there, I learned more about applications of Computer Science in the field of finance. I worked with traders daily to build tools to analyze risk on different portfolios using a mixture of their proprietary technology and some open source frameworks, such as Elasticsearch. Not only did I improve my software skills during my time there, but I also learned how to clearly express my software ideas to individuals with no background in software. On top of that, I gained experience with working in a team oriented environment and learned how to navigate my way though a corporate environment to get tasks done.
I believe that I have the experience and skill set to excel in a position at SmartLeaf, and I feel like the medium sized company environment would be a great fit for me. My experience in working with financial technology will make it so I can hit the ground running, and immediately start contributing to a project I am assigned[i.n.]. I'm excited to hear back from you, and would appreciate the opportunity to meet and talk in person. Thank you for your consideration.- Sincerely,
- Gurtaj Khatra
Peer review
For Project 3, Gurtaj wrote a cover letter. A cover letter would be included with a resume as a response to a job opening. Overall, Gurtaj's writing follows this genre; it is broken up into introduction, experience, and closing sections. The bulk of the writing deals with his experience, which is appropriate for a cover letter. The sentences and tone are professional, which is important because he is addressing a hiring manager who has the power to continue or stop the job application process. The word choices are mostly appropriate, and they detail his technical experience with different software components. However, I think that the contractions should be left out of professional writing. I also think that the experience sections could be developed with more details of the work and projects Gurtaj has done.
I think that Gurtaj has followed the basic schema of a cover letter well. However, the experience sections could use more information. He mentions in his school experience section that his classes and projects helped him build skills, but he does not explain what the classes and projects were and the skills he got from them. In the paragraph about Mavenomics, he could detail what specific projects he worked on. In the Goldman Sachs paragraph, he could explain the work he did when he "learned about applications of Computer Science in the field of finance." I think that this paragraph is especially important considering that he wants to work in finance-oriented positions. While it is good to know and address the desired work environment, I think that the size of companies is over-emphasized. I think that the main focus should be on the work that Smartleaf does, and everything should tie to that and the desire to get more experience in finance-type positions.
Instructor Note
This is a solid start, but there are some minor and bigger issues you will want to address before using this as a cover letter. Pay close attention to the comments I added above. In particular, pay attention to passive voice and be as specific as you can wherever you can--you have a tendency, especially when talking about skills you've developed, to remain vague and superficial.