Faizal Zulkefli (Mr)
Blk 433 Long Hill Road #10-10 Singapore 657433
HP: 8564 7690 Email: faizal@mail.com
Mr. Chua Kok Eng
Deputy Director, (Infrastructure & Reclamation)
Building & Infrastructure Department
Housing & Development Board
Dear Mr. Chua,
This letter is to express my interest in joining HDB as a civil engineer. Singapore's built environment continues to evolve with time, and I am keen to play a part in its transformation. With HDB being a company synonymous with the local physical landscape, I sincerely believe that it is the best place to begin my career, and am eager to put the skills and knowledge that I have acquired over my four years of tertiary education to good and practical use.
As my enclosed resume indicates, I do have relevant experience in civil engineering, especially in the field of geotechnical engineering. During my internship at Jurong Shipyard PTE LTD, I actively worked on the design of the Mega Shipyard project, a new shipyard that is being constructed in Tuas Extension. Part of my duties included soil and site investigation, design of earth retaining structures as well as design of deep foundations. As part of my Final Year Project, which is on geothermal energy in Singapore, I was required to extensively research on tunneling and deep drilling. This has given me a greater insight on the local geology, as well as a better understanding and appreciation of Singapore's construction industry. Geotechnical engineering is a very challenging field, with a steep learning curve, but I am confident that my experiences will help me to pick up the necessary skills faster and better than my peers in the early phases of my career.
Thank you for considering my application, and I look forward to hearing from you soon. Should you have any further questions, feel free to contact me at the number listed above.
Kind regards,
Faizal Zulkefli
Hi Faizal,
ReplyDeletePerhaps you can add a few examples of how you have exhibited leadersip. This would help you come across as someone who is all-rounded.
In addition, it would be good to reiterate what post you are applying for in the second last paragraph so that the reader keeps focused
Also for the last paragraph, you may like to request for an interview.
Otherwise, I felt that your account of your experiences are very apt.
Hi Faizal!
ReplyDeleteThis phrase in the first paragraph, 'With HDB being a company...', may sound better on if the 'with' is excluded.
I like the double spaced format, and I think it makes the application letter very readable. Great job! =)
Hey all thanks for the comments so far...
ReplyDeleteMichelle,
Yup maybe I should add some leadership anecdotes. It was just that I was thinking since the last interview I went they only cared about my fyp and my internship, maybe thats all I need to tell them.
Edwin,
yea the double spacing was just for you man! haha...
you might be right about that sentence. It does sound a little strange, as well as a bit long. I'll look to correct it soon.
Hi Faizal,
ReplyDeleteI think your working experience was really relevant to the job you were applying for, and the paragraph on that was really well written.
But I do also feel that you can also talk about some abilities that would also benefit you (and the company), for example, leadership qualities as Michelle as mentioned.
I agree with Mabel. One or two personal qualities or strength will help to 'beef' up the letter. I believe these qualities can help to illustrate how will you help HDB.
ReplyDeleteAs for "As my enclosed resume indicates, I do have ...", I think it sounds like the reader is going to assume that you don't have. Maybe you can just use "...,I have..."
I suggest that "Geotechnical engineering is a very challenging field, with a steep learning curve, but I am confident that my experiences will help me to pick up the necessary skills faster and better than my peers in the early phases of my career." sounds like a direct comparison to your batch-mates. Maybe you can 'soften' the approach as it sounds very 'hard selling'. I suggest: Geotechnical engineering is a very challenging field, with a steep learning curve that would prove extremely challenging to many new engineers. However, my experiences will help me to pick up the necessary skills with much less difficulties.
Here are some improvements you can make.
ReplyDeleteYour name, mobile and email address are not required since this is found in the resume. The date is also missing.
The following sentence is a little too long:
“I am keen to start using the skills and knowledge that I have acquired during my tertiary education to help change the Singapore’s physical landscape for the better and I sincerely believe that HDB is the best place for me to do this.” You could change it to “I am keen to apply the skills and knowledge that I have acquired to improve Singapore’s physical landscape. This position will provide me with this opportunity to do so and to work for a prestigious and renowned institution.”
In the second paragraph, the first two sentences could be rephrased as “My first-hand experience in site investigation, gained from my internship, will be relevant to this position.” Moreover, you could write more about what you have learned in your internship experience (values, character wise) and your strengths from it that makes you suitable for this job application.
For the FYP, you could write more about how your skills were developed from working on the FYP and how they will help you in this job. Besides that, you could possibly add other experiences to make your application letter more complete and comprehensive.
Overall, your application letter is very concise. It is uncluttered, with evenly spaced out paragraphs which is easy to read. It engages my attention to read on and to read the resume.
Hope this helps.
Cheers!