Application Letter (Draft 2) *edited*

xxxx Avenue xx

BLK xxx, #xx-xxx

Singapore xxxxxx

13 February 2011

Dear Sir/Madam,

I am writing to express my interest in joining Singapore Airlines as a trainee station manager. I have always had a strong interest in the airline industry and I believe this career would mould me into a global person.

I understand that Singapore Airlines has evolved into one of the most respected travel brands around the world with the Singapore Girl as the symbol of quality customer care and service. In my view, the Singapore Girl image should not be limited to in-flight service but also extended to ground services. While I am a fresh graduate lacking work experience, I believe that my outgoing personality, leadership, and willingness to learn will compensate for my inexperience.

Having worked part-time in the food and beverage (F & B) industry, I have been exposed to customer service. Observing how fellow colleagues and managers responded to customers have given me a good preview of the service industry in general. For example, during a non-peak period where there were more than enough staff, my manager asked me to go around the tables to gather customer feedback on food, ambience and service. Such initiative on his part would allow him to understand customers and hence improve on current standards of customer service.

Being in the civil engineering course has also taught me to be quick-witted as a problem-solver, strive for the highest professional standards and regard safety as a vital part of our work. For instance, in civil engineering, our projects (buildings, bridges etc) are huge and the safety of the structures has a great impact on its users. There are many uncertainties, such as on-site transportation and handling of materials, which are difficult to model using advanced modelling software. Hence, we often use a high factor of safety to take into account of these anomalies. This is to ensure safety for all users.

Such assets will no doubt provide me a strategic advantage in this line of work. Furthermore, I have an interest in languages and am currently studying the Japanese language in a private school. In a global environment, I would think that the mastery of additional languages would be an added bonus. In addition, my various leadership positions in my co-curricular activities have taught me to work as a team and independently. Exhibiting versatility in various situations would definitely be useful in my future career in Singapore Airlines. I look forward to the day that I become a full-fledged station manager.

I sincerely hope you will consider my application. If you have any further questions, I would be glad to furnish you with more information in an interview. Please do not hesitate to contact me at the number provided in my enclosed resume.

I look forward to a positive reply. Thank you.

Kind regards,

Michelle Ong

application letter (draft 1)

xxxxxxx Avenue x

Block xxx, #xx-xxx

Singapore xxxxxx

7th February 2011

 

Dear Sir/Madam,

I am writing to express my interest in joining Singapore Airlines as a trainee station manager. I understand that Singapore Airlines has evolved into one of the most respected travel brands around the world with the Singapore Girl as the symbol of quality customer care and service. From my viewpoint, the Singapore Girl image should not be limited to in-flight service but also extend to on-ground services. I believe that while I am a fresh graduate and lack work experience, I can fulfill this role with an outgoing personality, leadership qualities and most importantly, a willing heart to learn.

Enclosed is my resume and you will find that I do have some experience in the service industry and have been exposed to some form of customer service. I believe this gives me a good preview of the service industry in general. Being in the civil engineering course has also taught me to be quick-witted as a problem-solver, strive for the highest professional standards in my work and regard safety as a vital part of our work. Such qualities will no doubt be beneficial to this line of work. Furthermore, I have an interest in languages and am currently studying the Japanese language in a private school. In such a global environment, I would think that mastery of additional languages would be an added bonus. In addition, my various leadership positions in my co-curricular activities have taught me to work as a team, as well as, to work independently. Exhibiting versatility in various situations would definitely be useful in my future career in Singapore Airlines. I do hope that I would one day be a full-fledged station manager.

I sincerely hope you will consider my application. If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact me at the number provided in my resume.

I look forward to a positive reply. Thank you.

Kind regards,

Michelle

Chinese New Year Conversations

Disclaimer: This has nothing to do with the assignments for this module.

Somebody I knew was going away to avoid this Chinese New Year period. Though I love the chinese new year goodies and receiving red packets, I do not really like how typical conversations go every year when I meet my relatives. Hence, I can understand why people would want to escape such hypocrisy during this season.

When I was 7 years old, older relatives would be asking how I was coping with the primary 1 school work. During my following schooling years, I would be compared to my other cousins of the same age. Mothers would congregate and discuss how many band 1s or As that we have/have not achieved or which stream we were streamed into. They never seem to get tired of that topic. Some years when I knew I did well, I would like to step out and say yes I did well. Other years when I knew I did less than satisfactory, I would just like to hide in a small corner and hope nobody will disturb me. Having older cousins who were scholars and future lawyers did not ease the burden either. Over the years, I have learnt to accept that I have done my best and if my best still do not meet their expectations, there is nothing much that I can do. They seem to have accepted that too because they stopped comparing once I stepped into university. Well, it was probably also due to the different courses pursued that cannot be compared.

I thought I have finally got rid of such awkward questions. However, they seem to be bent on asking me more difficult questions. They asked, "so you are graduating soon, have you started looking for jobs? What kind of jobs are you looking for?" and they try to give me advice. (Don't get me wrong, I do appreciate it) But they don't like it that I say that I'm keeping my options open. And they would start teasing me, saying that next time they would see me at a random construction site wearing those Phua Chu Kang (local sitcom character) yellow boots and safety helmet. If there's one thing about my future that I'm sure of, it will be that joining a contractor firm is out of the question for me. I guess the nature of my degree makes me especially susceptible to such stereotyping.

Another question that my older cousins (who are married) like to ask me is, "When are you getting married?" Obviously, they want to give one less red packet and instead let their children 'benefit' from my 'marriage'. That is one question that will be repeated till the day I finally get married. It's such an awkward question to answer. In fact, as a traditional girl, it's almost impossible to answer because we would not know when our boyfriends would decide to propose. Single journalists also like to lament such problems in their own newspaper column. I read an interesting  article that says that his reply would always be "Soon. My wedding will be held on 31st June". It worked for a few years until someone realised that there is no such date. I found that quite amusing. It seems everyone, not just me, face such awkward questions and have their own ways of handling it.

I foresee that marriage is not the end to such nagging questions. Once married, relatives would ask about when the couple is going to have a baby. Once the first baby is out, the next question would most naturally be when would they have the next one. Then there will be questions of school choices for the children and results. It seems this goes full cycle. Sometimes I really do think that such chatter is meaningless and insincere that you only try to 'actively' act concern for someone during this special time of the year.

Do you share the same sentiments? Or perhaps after taking this module, you have devised a better way of handling such situations. If you do, please share.