https://www.swajobs.com/ci20/index.jsp?locale=en_US&applicationName=swaE...
I have selected the job of an operational safety intern because I currently do not have a bachelors and I am not scheduled to graduate for yet another semester. I believe that applying for this internship will help me greatly in many aspects. First of all when it comes down to applying for airline jobs they are all the same, and even if I do not get this job gaining experience of the interview process will prove to be greatly helpful. Another reason why I believe that this application for a job will be helpful is the many different opportunities that will arise as a result of being selected.
Since the Southwest Airlines internship program is a widely accepted program through out the industry, many other airlines enjoy seeing applicants that have participated in such an internship. My primary reason for really wanting to apply for this job is that I hope to some day work for Southwest. Southwest is one of the best airlines to get a job for. They are an ever growing company that shows no signs of downsizing anywhere in the future unlike many of the other airlines. One final reason why I would like to get accepted for this job is because everyone really enjoys working with this airline and flying with them. Of all the people that I have talked to about this airline has nothing bad to say about it.
I believe that I am qualified for this job because of the wide array of classes that I have taken as part of my degree. I have taken many classes involving safety including crew resource management, which involve accident research and what the problems were involving the crew. Another class that I took was human factors of flight. This class entailed the parts of the human medical factors that would affect a persons ability to perform different tasks under certain circumstances. Lastly, the one class/classes that I believe would the qualities required would be the wide array of Boeing 727 jet training that I received which covers all aspects of flight and the many problems that would arise as a result of many different challenging situations which safety is strongly enforced.
When it comes down to skills, abilities, and experience I believe that I am also qualified. The one major activity that I am currently involved in that helps me meet all of those qualities would have to be the Purdue Cheerleading Team. Purdue Cheerleading involves more than just cheering. We participate in many different events where dealing with people and being able to communicate with them is a major advantage. Also, being able to balance time efficiently also comes into play because of all the time involved with workouts, practice, games, and appearances. Being able to balance all of these aspects and be able to maintain good grades is challenging.
Human Factors and Safety
A job in the airline industry is would be a very interesting job. Southwest Airlines is always been a good airlines to fly on. I actually took four flights with them over break to multiple places and have always enjoyed flying with Southwest Airlines. An operational safety intern is definitely something that an airline always needs to help the public feel and remain safe on an airplane. Especially in the recent news with the airplane landing in the Hudson River and everyone surviving, safety is a great issue. It is unbelievable that the pilot that landed the plane was actually a graduate from Purdue. It is actually pretty interesting that you mentioned human factors. I am enrolled in a human factors class at Purdue (IE 577), and it is a very good class. The professor that teaches the class actually shared with everyone that the pilot that landed the plane in the Hudson River teaches a class on human factors to all the pilots on American Airlines. The pilot actually owns a company that deals with things like human factors. It is great that you already took a specific class at Purdue that had to deal with Airlines and human factors. I never thought and have never heard of human factors before enrolling in this class. I think that the job you are talking about is a great opportunity and something that might give you a great experience. The job might also give you a great cultural experience and a way to develop great personal skills.
The fact that you have training with cover the Boeing 727 is a great aspect in your qualifications. I think that specific training for unusual events on an aircraft is something people need to know now. Training in human factors are going to be very important in the future.
Instructor Feedback
You seem well-suited for this position: the experience you have means you have something to offer them, and the experiences you would gain would seem to serve you well in the future. There are several things in your analysis that I want to address by way of preparing you for the job application letter.
The first is your assertion that, "First of all when it comes down to applying for airline jobs they are all the same." While I think I know what you mean by this, you will want to be careful in applying for particular airline jobs. That is, the jobs might be the same, but the companies may not be the same (share the same values, the same business model, the same clientèle, etc.). Know enough about the company to know what makes them different, or at least what they think makes them different.
With respect to your human factors class: identify the most appropriate class project you did and describe it in some detail (two to three sentences). Describe it so that the work you have done and the skills that you have show up to the reader. Don't try to cover everything with few details: your particular skills and abilities will get lost. The more focused and concrete the examples the better.
The same can be said of your cheerleading experiences. Describe a particular project that articulates those skills you developed in cheerleading that work well for the kind of work you would do as a human factors intern. While you may know how the two fit together, your reader might not immediately know how. Make the point clear and strong. Again, demonstrate how those experiences dovetail with the requirements for the internship.