Cover Letter

Aditi Agarwal

(HP)xxxxxxxxx
(E-mail) xxxxx

10th September, 2012

Human Resource Manager,
ExxonMobil Pvt Ltd,

 

Dear Sir/Madam,

I am a second year student, graduating in May 2015 from National University of Singapore with Bachelors Degree in Computer Engineering. I would like to be considered for an internship position at ExxonMobil information technology division for the coming summer (May - August).  I came to know about the position through the NUS career center. Having a passion for various problem-solving activities together with strong interpersonal and analytical abilities, I find this program an excellent place to head start my career.

My comprehensive course training at NUS coupled with various co-curricular activities have helped me to come out from my comfort zone and made me more adaptive to my surroundings facilitating an all round growth of my personality. I believe my strong experience in Java, C++ and C will help me make an important contribution to ExxonMobil. Designing a software development project as part of the curriculum I have developed strong skills in software engineering and product specifications. I will also be working as a Undergraduate Student Researcher under Institute for Infocomm Research this December. My role will include development of software on Android platform for a desktop application.

Having keen interest in studies and application based learning, I was awarded the prestigious SIA-NOL (Singapore Airline - Neptune Orient Line) Undergraduate scholarship to pursue my graduation in NUS. I was also selected from about 500 students to be part of the Enhanced Learning in Information Technology (ELITe) programme under the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore(IDA), that aims to develop "industry-ready" infocomm graduates. Being part of this  program I was able to acquire practical exposure through industry attachments, mentorship, projects and skills development through certifications. I feel these skills are beyond classroom learning and have not only garnered my interest in this field but also made me more capable to make a significant contribution to ExxonMobil.

I have always believed in developing skills beyond academics. Being the Sales and Development Director for ECE (Electrical and Computer Engineering) and Community and Public Relations Director for IEEE (Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers) , I believe I have honed my skills and these experiences have taught me invaluable lessons on leadership and team work.

My classes in Computer Engineering have prepared me well to make significant contribution to your organization. I hope that after reviewing my skills and experience; as elucidated in my resume; you would consider me to become a member of the ExxonMobil family and widen my horizons.

Thank you for your time.

Yours Sincerely,

Aditi Agarwal

Because its between you and your dreams...

Sometimes people have to face tough situations and painful dilemmas that are difficult to resolve. All paths of life seem attractive and unattractive simultaneously and leaves one in a trance. Morals, ethics and intelligence play an important role in making good decisions during these not so pleasant times.

My senior and friend, Sam, had to fight a battle between his dreams and his moral obligations.
Since his childhood, Sam had been a diligent student and everyone had great hopes from him. He saw himself doing something radically different and substantial in his life. He always dreamt of making it big and bringing a difference to the society.

In his family, generations had been carrying on their ancestral business and it had become a custom for the son to follow the same.  His parents also wanted him to join the business upon graduation. However, Sam wanted to do something unconventional. After completing his graduation in Aeronautical Engineering, Sam received an offer from the technical giant, NASA with an extraordinary project and exorbitant pay for staying in the US and working with them.For him it was like a dream come true.

Sam wanted his parents to accompany him. The turning point came when his parents refused to leave their ancestral house to live abroad with him. They felt an emotional attachment with the house and it was not feasible for them to leave it in the last years of their life.They argued that if they had been able to have a good living with their successful business, so could Sam. Sam tried to explain to them about his dreams and how he wanted to make a difference. They warned him that life wouldn't be easy abroad and if he tried he could bring about a difference to the society with the ancestral business as well. They felt his decision was not pragmatic.

This sad reality dawned upon Sam.  On one hand were his own dreams and on the other were his parents desires. He questioned himself whether it was right to give up his parents' wishes just to realise his own dreams? Were his selfish interests larger than his obligation towards them? Sam was also doubtful that he would be able to make a significant contribution to the society. At the same time he felt that he had worked hard all his life to achieve this position and he wondered if it would be wise to give up his passion and dreams altogether.

Sam was in a difficult dilemma indeed. His decision would not only affect his own life, but the life of the people around him. What do you think should Sam choose in this battle of dreams and obligations?

Edited: September 16, 2012

Peer Teaching #1

Hello Everyone,

I have uploaded the link to the presentation me and my team ( Nirav and Shweta) gave for the first Peer Teaching Assignment. Sorry for the delay. Hope you all like it.

http://prezi.com/ef_aaquim3om/es2007s-professional-communication/

The Illusion of Communication

Oxford dictionary defines communication as the ability to impart or exchange information by speaking, writing or using any other medium. The flow of ideas is key to a conversation.

 But The greatest illusion associated with communication is that it has taken place.  So When exactly does communication take place ?

When thoughts are meaningfully conveyed, ' its effective communication'.  The funny irony associated with communication is that though we use it in some form almost all the time, we tend to lack the basic characteristics of making it efficient and meaningful.  The most interesting aspect is the various forms it can take. It is surprising to know that communication mediums range from the words we speak, to the clothes we wear, to our body language, the eye gaze and even the font we use to write the blogs communicates about us. Consciously or unconsciously these say a lot about our personality.

ES2007s will deal with an integral part of communication, focussing on professional communication, its practices and features. The course will start with the fundamentals of effective communication introducing its various forms. 

For a person in a similar domain like me, communication can largely be categorized into two spheres, the social circle and the professional wheel! In the social arena, it focusses on my ability to forge new relationships and friendships with people from different parts of the world, having different languages and most importantly different ways of communication. I have communicated with people who don't even share a common language, like the cleaners in my hostel or simply the local vendors. I have managed to get my message across and fortunately the conversation has always ended in a smile. These instances make me realize how communication has crossed borders and semantics. I think the way we communicate also depends a lot on the listener. For example, for some friends, asking a mere 'How are you' always inspires a 'I'm fine thank you'; while for some others, it results in a full account of everything that went wrong in that day! 

Professional Communication also plays an important role in one's life and I find it more challenging than the usual communication. It has to be formal, concise, accurate and the correct references need to be made. Perhaps I need to hone my skills and develop my personality in this area. While I cannot stop myself from speaking, having been part of debates and declamation competitions, sometimes I feel there is a need to regulate and filter certain things I say. I hope through this module I will learn the art of professional communication, which might not necessarily be verbal. 

As I mentioned above, communication forms an integral part of human life, and also happens as we interact with nature and animals.

Communication is inevitable but it can also get complex when it takes unexpected forms; mis-communication results in conflicts. Well, researching about it, I have found that a simple thing like communication is quite intense.

Edited : September 1, 2012

About me!

Welcome to my new Blog! It is is the first time I have started writing on a social forum and I am excited because  this is going to be something about me, the way I feel, and about the people and things that have changed my life.

I am Aditi, a computer engineering student( like most Indians are) in NUS. I have set up this blog as part of ES2007s, Professional Communication module I am taking up this semester, but I promise to update this later also.

Well, I have always thought about writing, I love reading blogs and I believe it is one of the best ways to express yourself and get to know how others feel about it. 

Today (August 19, 2012) is the day, when I will start writing about my life, more than anything else, for my own satisfaction, more than anything else to look back the memory lane 20 years later, and smile :)