https://jobs.dynetics.com/job_view.php?job_pkid=956
The job that I have chosen to consider for this analysis is a mechanical engineering internship position for Dynetics. This internship would take place during the summer of 2009 at there headquarters location in Huntsville, Alabama.
Dynetics is an engineering service firm, based out of the United States that deals mostly with military related contracts. As there site claims, they’ve “been a leader in ballistic missile defense and earned a reputation as a source of expert radar system analysis and engineering support for the U.S. Army and Aviation Missile Command (AMCOM) and the Missile and Space Intelligence Center (MSIC).” In more recent years, they have also begun winning more commercial contracts, mainly in the automotive industry. One such contract, struck with Chrysler, incorporated the design, building, and support of electrical test systems for a variety of vehicle makes and models.
I chose to analyze this ad for several reasons. First, I feel it provides me with the chance to work in an area of mechanical engineering that I’m very interested in. Dynetics strong position as a government contractor, solely for military services, presents an opportunity to work on very crucial, homeland related issues that could be pertinent to the success of our countries army personal. Work completed at such an engineering job could also have an impact on reducing, and in some cases eliminating, casualties during times of war. I think that in these aspects, a mechanical engineering position with Dynetics would be very rewarding and present a strong, and very positive, contribution to society.
The possibility of getting an internship with Dynetics also greatly interests me because of the sophisticated nature of the work that it would involve. One of my favorite aspects of mechanical engineering is design work, and the incorporation of ingenuity, and I think that I would have plenty of opportunities for this in such a position. The idea that Dynetics is constantly leveraging technology and tackling barriers to find new solutions, as with many leading-edge technology companies, sends chills down my spine and really gets me excited and enthusiastic for engineering.
On top of my interest, I also think that I am quite qualified for this position. Dynetics’ career page states that applicants for internship positions must have a 3.0 standing GPA, which I, marginally, qualify for. Their career page also outlines what they, as a company, are looking for in their employees. These traits include leadership and initiative, as well as an upholding of “high standards of technical excellence and ethical conduct”. I think that I have shown strong leadership roles in the past, both in and out of the classroom, and that demonstrating these aspects of my personality via my resume and cover letter will greatly improve my chances. I have held numerous positions of leadership at my fraternity house, Alpha Chi Rho, and have also taken on the initiative in many engineering related courses. In ME263, a sophomore level design class, I worked enthusiastically alongside three teammates, and won a best design award at the conclusion of the semester. Including this fact in my resume, or cover letter, would also demonstrate my past experience in design work, and the success that that has brought on.
In conclusion, I feel very motivated to apply for this internship opportunity, and see it as an opportunity for me to really delve into an area of strong personal interest. I feel that I am very qualified for this position, and that I can further demonstrate this, as need be, with examples from my past experiences.
Instructor Feedback
You have here already begun the important work of clearly articulating your skills and their requirements (as well as their values and focus). I think highlighting this good strategy. In addition, the examples you offer here give you a solid menu of content to select from as you write your job application letter. Picking concrete examples that demonstrate all three of the things you wish to highlight is your next step. In particular, you will want to avoid simply saying you have these skills; you want the reader to see your expertise and knowledge in the examples you provide. It is the easiest thing in the world to say you have a skill. It is much better (and harder) to demonstrate that through your writing. You write, "I think that I have shown strong leadership roles in the past, both in and out of the classroom, and that demonstrating these aspects of my personality via my resume and cover letter will greatly improve my chances." You are very much onto something here. You need a concrete example that demonstrates your skills; you'll want to describe the experience so that your personality comes through in the writing. Such an example should do a good job of demonstrating your expertize and personality even though you don't actually say "I am an expert." In the letter you will want to develop this with more specific details about a particular instance.