Application letter critique

Hi everyone! Here is the link to the internship advertisment for which I composed my application letter:

http://ch.tbe.taleo.net/CH02/ats/careers/requisition.jsp?org=MILLWARDBROWNUK&cws=10&rid=1097

And this is my application letter:

Lim Yi Wen Gail
Block XX Ghim Moh Road #XX-XX
Singapore 27XXXX

19^th February, 2013

Millward Brown Singapore
50 Scotts Road #04-01
Singapore 228242
(65)63232273

Dear Sir/Mdm:

I am a third year psychology undergraduate at the National University of Singapore, and I am writing to express my interest in the Quantitative Market Research (QMR) Internship as advertised on the company website. Millward Brown is amongst the most well established market research organizations worldwide as evidenced by its extensive clientele of global brands. A trusted name in the industry, it has impressed clients with its dedication to enhancing value and maximizing returns. I have long admired the success of Millward Brown and would greatly like to contribute to it. I will be available from May to August 2013 to participate in this internship.  

I believe I am the right choice for the QMR Internship because of my benefiting educational background. As a psychology major, my degree has well equipped me with skills to understand and analyze the cognitive processes of humans, which will be useful in interpreting consumer behaviour and developing suitable recommendations. I have also been trained in research and statistical techniques, which are useful for data analysis and questionnaire construction. In addition, my solid academic records are a testament to my strong grasp of the knowledge that can supplement this field of work. This will definitely enable me to give of my best to the demands of the internship.

Beyond that, I have also had the opportunity to hone good project management and oral communication skills during my term serving on the students’ council in my junior college. I was the vice chairman of the freshmen orientation programme and through organising this and various other school events, I learnt how to manage a diverse team of individuals, as well as communicate ideas efficiently. Furthermore, my continued membership in a choir has taught me how to be a team player, instilling in me the ability to cooperate, facilitate and mediate. I feel that these are critical skills for a QMR intern because this job involves working as part of a team to serve clients. Being able to manage an account well and communicate effectively is important for convincing clients of the credibility and superiority of Millward Brown, which will contribute to the growth of the company.

With its strong global presence, I believe that there are few better places than Millward Brown from which I can broaden my horizons and gain valuable experience about the marketing research industry. I am highly interested in the QMR internship and would greatly appreciate an interview. I can be contacted via my mobile at (65)9XXXXXXX or by email at limyiwengail@hotmail.com. Thank you for taking time to review my application and I look forward to a fruitful internship at Millward Brown.

Yours faithfully,



Gail Lim (Ms.)

Resolving Interpersonal Conflict

“I’m going to be late.”  Up until about a year ago, if I were to be given a dollar coin every time I heard this phrase, let’s just say my piggy bank would be well fed without much effort on my part. This is because I had a friend who just couldn’t seem to integrate the concept of punctuality into her personality. I didn’t hate her for it, in fact she was and still is one of my best friends, but this only made addressing her bad habit more complicated than if it concerned a complete stranger.  Before her late-coming was resolved, I developed my own bad habit of letting her tardiness slide because while I yearned to tell her enough is enough, I was fearful that the confrontation might change the dynamics of our friendship. Hence I was always side stepping the issue.  I got used to having to wait for her for 15 minutes, an hour, sometimes even an hour and a half. The problem was that it was getting on the nerves of the other people we regularly hung out with.

The straw that broke the camel’s back occurred last April, when this friend, let’s call her S, myself and our other friends decided to get together to celebrate one of our birthdays. We were going to have a picnic and S was allocated the all important task of buying the cake before joining the rest of us in the park.  When the day finally came, it was no surprise that S was nowhere to be seen at the appointed meeting time. However, we decided to wait a little longer before giving her a phone call to obtain her whereabouts. After 20 minutes had passed, my other friends were getting impatient and so one of them, let’s call her K, placed the phone call.

After 3 unsuccessive attempts, K finally got through to S. However, to our horror, S informed us that she was still at home. And perhaps the heat had gotten to our heads, but a shouting match then erupted between S and K over the phone. While I did not manage to catch S’s side of the conversation, I distinctly heard K use words such as irresponsible and tardy, and after yelling at her to grow up and start respecting other peoples’ time, K hung up in a huff. And as though as an afterthought, she proceeded to send a text message to S telling her not to show up for the picnic, nor any of our gatherings for that matter, until she could manage to be on time. At that point, I felt like we all shared K's sentiments, yet I was speechless at how brash she had been in handling the matter. Needless to say, S didn’t reply. She also refused to show up for our gatherings for a good 2 months, and even when she did, it took another month before she warmed up to K again.

Thankfully, the curtain has fallen on that chapter of our lives and we have since resolved this interpersonal conflict. But there is no doubt that K could have handled the situation better instead of yelling at S. In fact, I could have handled the situation better as well, instead of evading the problem and giving it the opportunity to escalate to such proportions.

So how do you think K or myself could have better resolved this situation?

The Importance of Effective Communication

I watched the film ‘Cast Away’ when it was released in theatres 12 years ago. In a nutshell, the movie depicted Tom Hanks getting washed up and stranded on a deserted island. While there, Tom Hanks proceeded to create an imaginary friend, Wilson, from a volley ball that he found.

He talked to Wilson all the time, and to me, Tom Hank’s desperate attempt at creating a communication partner even on that uninhabited island is a clear indication of how desirable communication is to humans. Indeed, it is undisputed that in today’s globalised society, being able to communicate with others is of penultimate importance. In fact, humans manage to communicate through a myriad of ways. Hence everyone can communicate, but effective communication is much more elusive, and that is what we all seek.

I define effective communication as being able to get one’s point across effectively and efficiently. Effective communication skills are important to me because I believe they enhance the quality of life by decreasing the likelihood of misunderstandings when communicating. Furthermore, it would aid in strengthening the connection I experience with my communication partners, which would, in the long run, satisfy the human need for belonging.

Another reason much closer to heart, and one that I’m sure all of us can relate to, would be that effective communication skills would pave the way for a brighter future. As a psychology student, I am interested in applying psychology to the real world and am currently seeking an internship in consumer and business development. This job would entail extensive interaction with clients. Being able to communicate effectively would definitely enable me to engage in better client management, and it is more likely that I would be able to do a good job than if I went around giving clients the wrong impression. It would also place me a cut above my peers and colleagues in my future work place.

In conclusion, effective communication skills are definitely beneficial. I look forward to graduating from ES2007S as a better equipped individual ready to face the communication challenges of the world!