Project 3
Student id: p22
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<DOC>
<docHead>
<!--required header includes metadata about the assignment (title, author, version)-->
<title>Writing Project Three </title>
<author xml:id="p22">Matt Parlon</author>
<version n="3" date="2016-08-20"/>
</docHead>
<!-- root element for P3 here -->
<cover_letter>
<header>
<name>Matt Parlon</name>
<contact_info>
<!-- One or More Contact -->
<contact type="address">116 Hemenway St. Apt.3E</contact>
<contact type="phone"> 617-319-5868 </contact>
<contact type="email"> parlon.m@husky.neu.edu </contact>
</contact_info>
</header>
<greeting>Hello,<note type="peer">If you don't know who its going to say "Hiring
Committee"</note></greeting>
<intro_para>
<intent type="purpose">I am interested in the Analyst position within the Ameresco
Project Management team.</intent>
<intent type="connection"><!-- Optional --> During my time at BlueWave Capital, I
recieved some exposure to Ameresco submittals and was immediately impressed by the
quality of work. <note type="peer">was immediately impressed with... their work
ethic? their project difficulty or varety or impact?</note>
</intent> After evaluating Ameresco's development history and continual production of
quality projects, I became interested in persuing<note type="instructor" resp="#kgs"
>pursuing</note> a role on their project management team. <note type="peer">maybe
say you became increasingly interested in the company, because right now you haven't
really mentioned anything position specific or specific to the management team. If
you make it clear you are impressed with the work of the management group then I
think it would make sense to say you are interested in the position
specifically.</note>
<reason><!-- Optional --> I have enjoyed my work with Solar Project Development in the
past</reason> and <proposition>I think I will fit well with Ameresco's challenging
culture and contribute to your goal of expanding sustainable energy generation.<note
type="instructor" resp="#kgs">good specificity here</note>
</proposition>
</intro_para>
<para_background>
<!-- One or More -->
<experience type="work">Throughout my three co-ops at Northeastern University, I was
able to hone my <programs>AutoCAD and Excel</programs> skills in a manner that
increased the efficiency of my work as well as that of my peers'.
<programs>Excel</programs> proved to be increasingly useful <accomplishments>as
I recognized areas of inneficiency within my previous companies'
workflow</accomplishments> and <accomplishments>was able to develop macros to
automate previously manual processes.</accomplishments>
</experience>
<experience type="school"> At Northeastern, I gained <note type="peer">cosider: "I
gained valuable technical communication skills"</note><skills>technical
communication</skills> skills from my work within the Sustainable Energy Systems
minor. Through various projects within the graduate classes associated with this
program I was able to utilize the knowledge gained in my earlier classes as well as
on my co-ops to work towards unique solutions to proposed issues. Advanced classes
within this minor evaluated the leglislative, economic, and environmental issues
assocated with solar energy.<note type="peer">This is a very long sentence, consider
breaking it down for clarity.</note>
</experience>
<experience type="school"> My capstone project<note type="peer">If by final project you
are reffering to capstone, make sure you talk about it in presenent tense if you
plan to send this letter out prior to graduation. Otherwise this sentence makes
it sound like you are already done with school.</note> at Northeastern will
allow me to improve my <skills>ability to communicate effectively with various
specialists</skills> working towards a common goal. Our project goal, to design
a potable water distribution system as well as an energy generation facility in
Haiti, will give me the opportunity to<note type="peer">consider rewording from "let
you" to "required you to" or something a little less flimsy. It will help make
it clear you learned valuable information from these people rather than just
chitchatted or something!</note> communicate with environmental and electric
specialists as I fill the role of solar development specialist. </experience>
</para_background>
<closing_statements>
<compatability>I believe my skills and passion for renewable energy will help me to fit
in well with the<note type="peer">change "a" to "the", you want to fit in with the
company as a whole</note> Ameresco team and have a positive impact on the
Project Management Team.</compatability>
<pb/>
<next_step>Please reach out to me at the contacts listed above to discuss the
possibility of an interview. I look forward to hearing from you. <note type="peer"
>Consider rewording, sounds a bit robotic and unfeeling. Maybe also saying that
you look forward to hearing back from them so that they know you are genuinely
interested in them!</note></next_step>
</closing_statements>
<signature>
<salutation>Sincerely,</salutation>
<name>Matt Parlon</name>
</signature>
</cover_letter>
<docReview>
<reviewer type="peer" xml:id="w28"/>
<report type="peer" resp="#w28">
<p>For writing project three Matt wrote a cover letter to Ameresco applying for an
analyst position within their project management team. His letter very clearly
addresses his privious experience with the company, his reasons for being interested
in the position, and his qualifications for holding the position. Overall I think
that this is a very solid cover letter that could most definitely warrent a follow
up interview. It is very technical in nature and gives simple logical reasons for
why he would be an appropriate candidate. One thing that I think he could improve on
however is his choice of language. Some of his statements can be a bit too dry, as
seen in his next steps sentence. It is important to remember that although a cover
letter is an introduction for why you think you should get the position, your resume
will highlight many of the academic and experience related reasons for why you are
qualified. I have been told by employers in the past that these letters should also
be able to highlight your character and your personal interests to show them that
you would fit with their company culture. Consider speaking more specifically to
what you know and like about the company, rather than keeping it broad, as well as
including some level of personal connection to show why you like this thing that
they do or service that they provide. Also, in your writers memo you mentioned
wanting to show the benfits of having a technical engineering background as a member
of the management team. I think that this could be a good thing to tie your personal
interests to the position. Consider adding a short second background paragraph
discussing how your experience with your capstone team allowed you to learn a lot
about managing a team and how that is much easier to do if you understand the
technical aspects of what all of your team members are working on. For this reason
you would be able to bring those valuable communication and planning skills when
working with engineers and technical professionals into the management team at
Ameresco. This helps wrap up your background with a tie back to the company and
leaves them thinking about how awesome of an addition you would be to their
management team specifically! </p>
</report>
<reviewer type="instructor" xml:id="kgs"/>
<report type="instructor" resp="#kgs">
<p>This is a solid cover letter; you do a nice job balancing general achievements wiht
specifics that are relevant to the job at hand. See notes above for minor
corrections.</p>
</report>
</docReview>
</DOC>