The job that I will apply for is entitled Mechanical Engineer, and I found it posted on Monster.com. The job is for a company called Ghafari, Inc. They are a building design company with duties ranging from master planning, site analysis, design, interiors, and sustainability. According to their website, Engineering News-Record ranked Ghafari #100 in their list of Top 500 Design Companies. Located in Dearborn, MI, they are a major player in building automobile manufacturing plants.
I selected this job because of many reasons. The most important reason is that I am fascinated about HVAC work. HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning) is an important field now and in the future because of rising energy costs. I like the challenge of trying to incorporate renewable energies into the HVAC design of buildings to save energy. I believe this would be a great step in my career. For the past two summers, I have worked at a mechanical contracting business where I did most of the gruntwork ranging from piping in new ductwork, digging trenches for new water mains, installing and maintaining heating and ventilation units, and updating sprinkler lines in warehouses. Now that I have been "behind-the-scenes" and seen how everything becomes installed and managed, I will use that knowledge when designing a new building and system.
There is on small downfall of this job: location. I am from southern Indiana and my girlfriend attends school at the University of Indianapolis. I would like to be closer to these two locations, and Dearborn is about five hours away from Indy and seven hours from my family. I could not visit them every weekend or too often. Seeing this difficulty in distance away from relatives and friends, I know it could be much farther away too. And with the economy the way it is right now, I am not too picky about a job, just so I have one. I can always relocate sometime in the future, and Ghafari does have other offices in Chicago and Indianapolis. Ghafari seems like it is a good place which offers challenges and competitive pay.
The requirements for this job are right up my alley. It is an entry level position, and I would have a mentor to give assistance when needed. The job requires a person who has a BS in Mechanical Engineering, which I will graduate this May with a BS in MET. The experience requirements are zero to five years, and although I have zero years experience designing, I have two summers worth of knowledge that some designers never possess. An easy requirement to fill for me is the proficiency in AutoCad, MS Word, and MS Excel. During my school years I have aquired great knowledge of these computer programs. There are, however, some functions that will be fairly new to me. They call for a person who can design and layout mechanical systems including HVAC, plumbing, and fire protection, and although I have never designed these systems, I have spent many hours reviewing these systems and using them to make the installations necessary. I have never reviewed product submittals before either. If there is anything that I have not been acquainted with before, I know I will be eager to learn it.
I have investigated this company and have found that it may provide just what I want for a job. Although it does have some distance from my friends and family, I do think that after working up through the ranks of the company, I could become a competent and worthwhile employee. I believe this job could be my future.
Instructor Commentary
This analysis shows careful consideration of the positive and negative aspects of this position. The way that you highlight particular drawbacks is great. I think there are three things that might make this analysis stronger: more information about how the company would benefit from you (rather than how you will benefit from the job); identification of specific key words in the job ad and how you match up with them (using specific, concrete examples of projects/tasks you have completed); an explicit discussion of how your analysis shapes your cover letter (and other documents). Keep in mind that a specific story about using a particular tool or technique to produce a complete work has more impact than a general statement of qualifications. The golden rule of employment documents is show, don't tell. Also, recall that the assignment description states: "Think of the Job Ad Analysis as a prelude to the Cover Letter." You should make tentative determinations about what the central theme or argument of your cover letter will be and how you will use the material in this analysis correspondingly. You want to treat this analysis as groundwork for the documents ahead of you, which means attention to both content and structure.
Overall, however, this analysis is a fine start and there is much in it that you can build upon in your subsequent employment documents.