September 20, 2016
3333 Wesbrook Mall
Vancouver, BC
English 301: Technical Writing
University of British Columbia
2329 West Mall
Vancouver, BC
Dear ENG 301 Classmates,
My name is Alanna Cawston I am writing to ask for your consideration in choosing me to be apart of your technical writing team. I am a 5th year student at the University of British Columbia majoring in Sociology. After graduation, I would like to work in public relations – more specifically in crisis communications. Throughout my time in university I have been involved in various jobs and organizations. Most notably I was the Vice President of an international women’s organization. My job was to enforce the bylaws and standing rules and serve as a mediator for our members should a conflict arise. My experiences from this position are what led me to the specific field of crisis management.
In the summer I worked at a company called Sym-Tech Dealer Services as a marketing and PR intern. Sym-Tech is based on Ontario and works with automotive dealers to provide finance and insurance solutions to customers purchasing a new or used vehicle. During my time there I was responsible for launching a direct mail campaign that introduced us to dealers who were not our clients. The direct mail initiative began in Ontario and has plans to expand Canada wide by Christmas. I also worked closely with the Executive Vice President on a social media over hall which included updating the company’s image through our personal website our LinkedIn page and product video’s. These assignments not only gave me direct mentorship to senior team members, but it also allowed me to obtain helpful experience in technical writing in a business setting.
Both of my job experiences provided me with insights into my strengths as weaknesses as an individual. My strengths lie in teamwork, problem solving (both on a personal and project level), a calm demeanour and the ability to be creative and concise simultaneously. In all jobs quickly prove myself to be punctual and reliable. On the other hand, I would say a major weakness is giving up control of certain jobs, especially when I have an idea in mind about how it should be done. This summer I learned that giving up control does not mean you do nothing, it is simply allowing someone else to ‘own’ a task, while you can constructively give input. This is something I am still working on and would love feedback from my teammates on.
I would love to opportunity to work with you on technical writing assignments for this class. I would appreciate constructive criticism on my own strengths and weaknesses as well as gaining experience in areas I am not familiar with from my classmates. In addition, I will earn respect from you, be a team player, a hard worker and someone who is willing to step outside my comfort zone to gain experience. If you are interested in working with me or have any questions about my previous experience please feel free to comment below or email me at ajcawston@gmail.com.
Thank you for your interest and I look forward to hearing from you!
Best Regards,
Alanna Cawston
You can find the word document version 301-alanna-cawston-application-letter