AWD 3302, Summer 2016

Project 3

Student id: v27

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Title: WP3: Cover Letter

Author: Djordje Vlajkovic

Date:

Hello hiring committee,

I am applying for the lead engineering position in your development department at GE Aviation.After attending a seminar hosted by one of your employees, I found out that there were some open positions at the company which made me apply immediately.^[i.n.] I have been looking for a position at GE Aviation for a while now,^[i.n.] so when I saw that this position was open, I knew that I had to apply. Considering my background and qualifications, I think that I would be a perfect fit for the position. If I am accepted, I feel that I will translate well into the culture of the company and excel at every opportunity the position throws at me.

In my previous work experience, I've worked at GE Aviation in a business and manufacturing capacity. From that experience I've worked with Solidworks and Digital Workbench to design and review parts of the engine. I've also worked with customers in a business manners^[i.n.], fulfilling their needs and making sure necessary arrangements are made to satisfy their experience. Some of my achievements over the years include reducing inventory by over a quarter million dollars, creating engine shipments to multiple nations, identifying and incorporating process drawings to thousands of parts and designing apparatuses for fully automated production cells. Through these experiences I have been able to acquire a lot of knowledge and skills that have enabled me to succeed at my previous positions and hopefully in future ones. From working with other individuals at the company I have developed interpersonal and communication skills that I've used to be successful lead^[i.n.] and guide others in team projects.^[i.n.]

Outside of work I have many other skills that I practice or have learned in my spare time. One such skill that I've acquired over the years has been coding in languages such as C++, Matlab, and Python , where I've developed many programs and in turn strengthen my ability to comprehend and write within those languages^[i.n.]. I also come from a diverse background which enables me to speak languages like Serbian, Bosnian, Croatian, and Montenegrin. Between my work and school experience, I've also done some research work on weld samples, measuring the deformations in the samples in relationship to their material type.^[i.n.] And in my spare time I like to read up on new breakthroughs in the aerospace field and learn about the new engines and air crafts that are being released.

For my education background, I have a bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering at Northeastern University. There I have developed a strong understanding in the sciences and math, and have learned all of the necessary information that the field of Mechanical Engineering would require. Some of the classes that I've taken that are relevant to the position include: Thermodynamics, Fluid Mechanics, Static and Dynamics, Material Science and Vibrations. From my classes in school I am capable of understanding the mechanics and principles with components like turbines, compressors and combustors. I've also developed an understanding behind the physics and characteristics that exist on an operating aircraft.

From what I have written, I hope that you can see that I would be right for the position. I get on the same page with others quickly and communicate well with my co-workers. I am very respectful of other individual's views and can conform to the environment that I am placed in swiftly.

I hope we can talk about the position in the future, and to reach me you can contact me by phone, 857-285-8415, or email, vlajkovic.d@husky.neu.edu. I appreciate the time you took to go through my application and thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,
Djordje Vlajkovic

Peer review

In summary, this document represents the situation where Djordje is applying for a lead engineering position in a GE Aviation development program, wherein he outlines which aspects of his experience, skills, character, and interest would make him a competitive candidate for the open position.

I'll list some typos/minor suggestions as I come across them here: In the first background paragraph, check for missing words, typos, etc., there are a couple that standout. I recommend against listing experience with Microsoft Office and then listing specific programs, your resume can speak to this, it's probably assumed at this point that everyone knows how to use these programs, only mention them if you are an Excel expert, etc., something that really stands out. Otherwise, I recommend omitting or just mentioning Microsoft Office and leaving it at that. Especially so since your following accomplishments are supremely more relevant and impressive. Consider rephrasing "traits" to "skills," or add a sentence to talk about personal/character trait development.

In the "personal" paragraph, add in any hobbies or interests that might be relevant (read about aircraft development/design, etc.) or any volunteer research work you have done in mechanical engineering/related disciplines (or even unrelated personal volunteer work that speak to your character). In the final background paragraph, add more info on specific higher level classes that are relevant to the position, such as thermo, materials, etc. (you know them better than I do) - classes that demonstrate you have gained a comprehensive relevant education. Include any minors, etc. that might or might not be directly relevant (math minor, etc.).

We can speak in person about exact phrasings of things, but overall the key takeaways are to take a more action-oriented stance, as opposed to passive suggestions, and minimize the use of "you" and "your" whenever possible. Remember: this is about you trying to get an interview, not about trying to please the reader. My ultimate recommendation is to use language that expresses interest in the company or the position -- at times you sound dispassionate and disinterested, and a hiring manager might not feel the urgency to call someone who outwardly uses passive/disinterested/last resort-type language. In terms of structure itself, I might suggest making your work experience last, so that your big accomplishments are the most recent thing on their mind when they reach the bottom. Also, upon realizing this is for a lead engineering position, I recommend citing any leadership/teamwork/teambuiling experience you have (mention it to have it come up in the interview) that would make you a strong candidate for this position, as opposed to a process engineering/lower-profile position in the same department with less leadership expectations.

Overall, you did a great job of using all/most of the elements of the schema, and did a fantastic job using skills, accomplishments, programs tags. If possible, include a few more accomplishments to really demonstrate your prowess. After you visit each of the comments listed above, feel free to remove them, the XML schema agreement was impeccable before it started getting upset that I used my xml id multiple times (giving the red flags -- just delete them when you're done with them). Overall the schema use is perfect, only steps need to be taken on typos and rephrasings, and adding more content as suggested previously. Great start.

Instructor Note

This is a good effort and I'm glad to see you found a relevant position that you are interested in for this project. See my notes above that focus on two main areas for revision: 1) additional specificity w/r/t the position (consider referencing specific language from the job call or your research into the division at GE); and 2) specific words/phrases that are difficult to follow or sound awkward. Good work, overall.