Application Letter

Caleb Raj Mahendran

BLK 405 Pasir Ris Drive 6

#05-481 Singapore 510405

Contact: 9321 3217

calebraj11@gmail.com

8 February 2011

Mr. K.K. Poon

Sato Kogyo (S) Pte. Ltd.

149 Rochor Road

#04-14/15, Fu Lu Shou Complex

Singapore 188425

Dear Mr. Poon,

Engineer, Job Reference No. JSG400003000333840

            I am enclosing my resume in response to the job advertisement for the above post that appeared in JobsDB.com.sg on 8^th February 2011. As mentioned in my resume, I have recently graduated from the National University of Singapore (NUS) with an Honours Degree in Civil Engineering, and wish to begin my Engineering career at your esteemed organisation.

            I have experience in leadership and have worked with many different kinds of teams; two skills which I think will definitely help me excel at this job. My leadership roles in National Service as an Officer have helped me hone my leadership skills, particularly my roles as Platoon Commander and Company 2^nd-In-Charge at Basic Military Training School (BMTC). A key event that tested my leadership was my task to be Event Organiser for the Unit Level Games Day. I am certain that my leadership experiences in National Service and elsewhere will enhance my experiences at Sato Kogyo.

Another key set of skills that I think is vital is team-work. Having the privilege to attend courses such as Outward Bound School (OBS - Singapore) and being in the Executive Committee in the Hockey Club have helped hone these team-work skills. Furthermore, having worked on projects at NUS with a variety of student characters have helped me understand and blend with most kinds of people well, and I believe these team-work skills can and will help me blend in with the working culture at Sato Kogyo without hassle.

            I have no doubt that my interest and passion in Civil and Structural Engineering will enhance my working experience at Sato Kogyo. I am looking forward to putting my knowledge and best ideas forward in ensuring Sato Kogyo upholds its reputation as being the foremost in technological expertise and innovative construction techniques.

Yours Sincerely,

Caleb Raj

How would YOU settle this Interpersonal Conflict?

Conflicts are bound to happen in any relationship and team setting. They arise due to differences in opinions, and the inability to settle the matter in a positive manner. Resolving these conflicts takes experience, time, and some Emotional Intelligence (EQ).

 The important thing to note is that in different scenarios, there are different ways to solve conflicts – there is no ‘sure-win’ way. Even the most obvious of solutions can backfire and worsen the conflict situation.

So here’s a hypothetical conflict scenario:

The scene takes place in an office. Mike the manager needs to form a team, including himself, for a certain project his department is tasked with. Mike looks through the list of employees he has in his department, and concludes that the best two people for the job are John and Nancy.

John has been in the company for 10 years, and has formed a close rapport with Mike; they are close friends, and he has the most experience on the job. Nancy has only been in the company for almost a year, but she has brought contemporary and challenging ideas to the department. Mike also has a fancy for Nancy (he likes her, and she seems to be reciprocating too).

After a few months into the project, John and Nancy begin to clash in terms of ideas and opinions. Over a few weeks, the disagreements get worse and turn into massive arguments. All this while at the meetings, Mike always sits back and just let’s things play out; he doesn’t want to take sides. However, the deadline for the project is looming, and not much has been done because of the conflict.

One day, the argument gets so bad, that John and Nancy both tell Mike that they will walk out if they have to continue working together, and force Mike to make a decision to get one of them off the team.

Question: With the relationship that Mike has with John and Nancy, he is having difficulty deciding on whom to boot off the team. He decides that it is too close to the deadline to boot someone off. He decides instead to attempt to resolve the conflict. If you were Mike, how would you do so?