#3 Application Letter Critique

For this application letter, I am writing to Saatchi & Saatchi, a global advertising agency.

February 17, 2013

100 Orange Street
#12-20 S100200
+65 9123 4567
fakemail@mail.com

HR Manager
Human Resource Department
Saatchi & Saatchi Asia-Pacific
3D River Valley Road
# 03-01 Clarke Quay
Singapore 179023

Dear Hiring Manager

Application for an Internship Position

My name is Raphael, and I am a third-year Communications and New Media major at the National University of Singapore (NUS). I am writing to express my interest as an intern at Saatchi & Saatchi as I would love to be a part of the team that produces creative and award-winning advertisements.

In the course of my study at NUS, I have sharpened both my writing and research skills from the modules that I have taken. I am currently on the communications management track, which focuses on public relations and advertising.

At my final year in the polytechnic, I led a team to run a successful event for SingPost, a client for a business planning module. We also produced collaterals, a stop-motion commercial, and a short instructional video, resulting in a distinction grade. I have also designed posters during my National Service term, where I was awarded 1st and 2nd place in a Safety Poster Design Competition.

Outside of academia, I had the experience of working as a freelance photographer, where I have acquired skills that will beneficial in this industry. My experience in this industry has given me the ability to fine-tune both my photography and image editing skills. You may view my work at www.raphaelgoh.com.

I have enclosed my resume and look forward to an interview to review my match for this position. I would love the chance to speak to you about my opportunities with your company. You may contact me at +65 9123 4567 or fakemail@mail.com.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Yours faithfully


Raphael Goh (Mr.)

Click to enlarge

#2 Resolving Interpersonal Conflict

One of the things that kept me going during my polytechnic days was my CCA. I was in the piano ensemble, and I loved both the music and the people there. Being a member was easy, but being a leader requires so much more. I had two roles - program director and concert president.

We had two groups of people, performers and non-performers. We would train the performers to play for concerts, while we would teach the non-performers how to play the piano. The club progressed by leaps and bounds, and non-performers were soon able to perform. And with progress, come challenges.

One side of the committee focused on issues, while the other side focused on the people. There were six committee members, three on the 'issues' side and three on the 'people' side. I was on the 'people' side. We had problems. Good problems. We had an overwhelming amount of non-performing members and not enough resources to teach them all. Other problems include performers not having sufficient 'airtime' during concerts, and little issues that I did not really see as a problem. However, on the issues side, stood the ensemble's president and vice-president. They thought they had the power to overwrite us, and they oftentimes made decisions without meeting or consulting us.

An issue that I vaguely remember was that they wanted to remove members who were not progressing as fast as the rest. I did not think that it was right to remove them for that reason, but their argument was that they would slow the club's progress and we did not have enough resources. The club's progress stood above anything else. I felt that the all members should have the opportunity to learn, and not to be removed because of this. I did suggest that we could have a second intake within the year to recruit more performers and teachers, which would effectively solve the manpower problem.

Committee meetings were a pain. We would have to face the aggression of the president shouting at almost every meeting. I knew he was very passionate about the club, but I did not see the need for all of that. We would sit down and state our point with examples, trying to keep as calm as possible. He shouted, interrupted, and refused to listen to us. The only we did not do is to change our stand or try to placate him.

He wanted progress, while we considered the members and their feelings. (This seems to be just like the case in Singapore right now.) I explained that we understood his point of view, but somehow he just could not see ours. It is hard to imagine that a simple disagreement can result in so much pain. Finally, we came to an agreement to remove members that were not as active as others. To me the solution was not ideal, but we could move on to other issues. We did not speak to each other after our final concert, and he reminded me of the pain we had to go through. Looking back, it is pretty sad that things had to turn out this way just because of disagreements.

Do you think that there was a way to handle the conflict without impacting our relationship?

Happier times in the club