http://www.ohio.honda.apply2jobs.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=mExternal.show...
Manufacturing Engineer – Honda of America Manufacturing Company
The job that I am applying for is a full time manufacturing engineer for Honda of America Manufacturing Company located in Marysville, OH. There are many reasons why I chose this particular job to apply to. Honda is one of the largest manufactures of automobiles, motorcycles, and other off road vehicles in the world. They have plants close to home and also have locations all across the world, which is important to me because it offers a chance to live close to home or travel as far away as I want. The automotive field is where my primary interest lies and is the reason why I decided to make my major mechanical engineering technology when I came to Purdue. Since my first day as a freshman I knew that I wanted to work in the automotive industry. I have also always had a major interest in Honda and the vehicles that they produce since I was a kid. I also love racing, which is a major contributor to their automobiles and the other products that Honda produces.
After reading the job description I definitely meet the experiences and qualities that the ad is asking for from the applicant. The first major qualification is to have a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical, Industrial or Manufacturing Engineering, or Engineering Technology major, which my major will fall under easily when I graduate in December 2009. The job ad asks for zero to two years of experience with manufacturing systems/processes or for an internship/coop with an automotive company, and I easily knock off both of those because I am currently doing a spring internship with Subaru of Indiana Automotive Company. The experience and knowledge I am gaining from my current internship would be of the same kind that I would use with this specific job description. My current internship is also in the Manufacturing Engineering Department, which is the same department this ad is hiring for and would help greatly when applying for this job.
I also meet many of the skills the job ad is asking for. I am used to working long or crazy hours, proficient at using Microsoft Office, know how to use the CAD programs they use, and have some experience in everything they ask for. After taking this class, I will also hopefully have strong technical oral/written communication skills. I am also a great at leading a group of people and have the natural ability to multi-task and to make difficult decisions on the fly. I also enjoy traveling and it would not bother me to have to make business trips or to be relocated for a period of time. My major has also given me the skills to be a great problem solver and to be good with complex problems, which are both mentioned in the required skills section.
After researching Honda of Ohio’s website it is very obvious that they value their associates very much. They believe that their associates are the reason why Honda is known for excellent quality, which is always something that a potential employee would want their employer to think. Also according to their website they produce more than 700,000 cars and light trucks annually, over a million engines, and three quarters of a million automatic transmissions. Another thing that I found interesting was they have the belief that they have a, “strong philosophy of respecting every individual in everything we do every day,” which is a belief I would want my employer to have. They are also very interested keeping the environment as clean as possible and are ISO 14001 certified, which pretty much just means that they have procedures in place to minimize their impact on the environment around them.
Overall this manufacturing engineering job is pretty much what I want to do with my life after I graduate. I believe that I meet most, if not all of the requirements for experience, knowledge, and skills that the ad is looking for. Much of the above information I stated would be very useful in a resume or cover letter for applying for this job, especially the sections with my experience and qualifications for the job.
Instructor commentary
Overall, this is solid analysis. You certainly give a lot of good information about why this position appeals to you, and you connect it to your personal interests. I think there are two main ways to revise this analysis. The first is that you mention some interesting hooks, but you don't give them sufficient concrete development. Here are two examples:
These are interesting, but you need to state as specifically as you can what you did, for whom, and what the effect of your work was. A good story is one with tangible details. Explain what your current tasks in the Manufacturing Engineering Department are and how they will connect with your prospective position. Cite a specific instance when you have lead a group of people or been in a position when it was necessary to multi-task or make decisions on the fly. You also identify some interesting material you found during internet research, but you don't explain how you are going to incorporate or target it in your cover letter (and/or resume). The key is concrete details, concrete details, concrete details.
This leads us to the second way you could revise this analysis: you should turn to a discussion of how your analysis shapes your cover letter (and other documents). Recall that the assignment description states: "Think of the Job Ad Analysis as a prelude to the Cover Letter." Currently it seems that you only gesture to this aspect in your final sentence: "Much of the above information I stated would be very useful in a resume or cover letter for applying for this job, especially the sections with my experience and qualifications for the job." To demonstrate how the information would be useful, you should make tentative determinations about what the central theme or argument of your cover letter will be and how you will arrange the material in this analysis correspondingly. You want to use this analysis as groundwork for the documents ahead of you, which means attention to both content and structure.
Overall, however, you've got a fine start, and you should be able to mine much of this content for your other employment documents.