FOUR.~ Second draft of application letter

Tan Si Jia Jacqueline

Blk XX XXXXX Road

Singapore XXXXX

+65 XXXXXXX

XXXXX@hotmail.com

7^th February 2011

Rhodia Asia Pacific Pte Ltd

51 Science Park Road

#04-01, The Aries Singapore Science Park II

Singapore 117586

Dear Sir/Madam,

Application for Student Internship Programme


I read with great interest of Rhodia’s internship and career prospects on your company’s website. Rhodia offers top-notch career opportunities by acquiring the very best in innovation as well as providing a vibrant and fulfilling working environment for its  staff. The challenging Research and Development (R&D) projects that Rhodia is launching right now impressed me very much. Hence, I would like to be of assistance in my area of expertise for your company as I believe I could apply what I have learnt from my Junior College and University studies on the necessary skills you might require.


I graduated from Raffles Institution Junior College (RIJC) with a distinction in Higher-level 3 (H3) Pharmaceutical Chemistry and am currently studying in National University of Singapore (NUS), with a major in Pure Chemistry. In RIJC, I had been trained in the skills and theories of pharmacology, drug development, clinical trials and quality assurance. These concepts have provided me with a strong background which would enrich my application towards the internship projects that you offered. Furthermore, my willingness to learn more complex and sophisticated procedures had broadened my knowledge as I continue to strive for greater achievement in the sciences. This was also the reason why I was selected for a science attachment trip to the University of Western Australia in December 2007. During this month-long trip, I was exposed to the essentials of plant biology and experimented with techniques like gel electrophoresis, allowing me to discover the future prospects a career in scientific research could bring. This trip enhanced my knowledge in theoretical and specialized skills which would otherwise not be taught in my course of study. The combination of biomedical sciences and chemistry thus became an added-on advantage towards my study in NUS.


In NUS, I am exposed to many aspects of Chemistry such as Organic chemistry, Inorganic chemistry, Spectroscopy, Analytical Chemistry etc. With these different aspects of Chemistry, I have built a strong foundation of lab skills: working with Nuclear Magnetic resonance (NMR) machines, column chromatography, gas chromatography, Thin layer chromatography (TLC), ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) spectroscopy, X-Ray Diffraction, mass spectrometer etc. I also possess the skill of performing various testing methods which include solubility, purity, viscosity tests, vacuum filtration, purification, crystallization, and polymerisation. In addition, NUS combines chemistry with computer IT which allowed me to study the 3-D nature of molecular shapes, vibrational and rotational modes, and bond lengths via the HyperChem program.


While studying at NUS, I handled many projects and lab reports in a given time frame, hence learning to work under tight deadlines. It is also a habit of mine to maintain a schedule of my time and continually check my progress to make sure that I am on the right track. This strength will be helpful in the future if I have a chance to be a part of the Rhodia family, as this organizing skill increases the efficiency of work and ensure no delay of the delegated work.


The enclosed resume is a brief description of my qualifications. I look forward to your reply with great anticipation. Please do not hesitate to contact me at XXXXXX or e-mail me at XXXXXX@hotmail.com for further clarifications. Thank you for your time.


Yours faithfully,

Tan Si Jia Jacqueline

Enclosed: Resume, transcript

THREE.~ First draft of application letter

Tan Si Jia Jacqueline

Blk XX XXXXXXXX Road

Singapore XXXXXX

+65 XXXXXXXX

XXXXXXXX@hotmail.com

7^th February 2011

Rhodia Asia Pacific Pte Ltd

51 Science Park Road

#04-01, The Aries Singapore Science Park II

Singapore 117586

Dear Sir/ Madam,

Application for Student Internship Programme

I read with great interest of Rhodia’s career prospect on your company website. Rhodia offers top-notch career opportunities by acquiring the very best in innovation as well as provide a vibrant and fulfilling working environment for the Rhodia staff. I am very impressed by the challenging projects that Rhodia are launching right now. Hence, I would like to be of assistance in my area of expertise for your company as I believe I can apply what I have learnt from Junior College and University studies on the necessary skills you might require.

I graduated from Raffles Institution Junior College (RIJC) with a distinction in Higher-level 3 (H3) Pharmaceutical Chemistry and am currently studying in National University of Singapore (NUS), majoring in Pure Chemistry. In RIJC, I had been trained in skills and theories of pharmacology, drugs development, clinical trials and quality assurance. I believe these concepts will provide me with a strong background which will enhance my application towards the internship projects that you offered. Furthermore, my willingness to learn more complex and sophisticated procedures had broadened my knowledge as I continued to strive for greater achievement in the sciences. This was also the reason why I was selected for a science attachment trip to the University of Western Australia in December 2007. During this month-long trip, I was exposed to the essentials in plant biology and experimented with techniques like gel electrophoresis, allowing me to discover the future prospects a career in scientific research could bring. This trip enhanced my knowledge in theoretical and specialized skills which would otherwise not be taught in my course of study. I believed this became an add-on advantage towards my study in NUS, combining biomedical with chemistry, in which I will have a broader view of things.

In NUS, I am exposed to many aspects of Chemistry: Organic chemistry, Inorganic chemistry, Spectroscopy, Analytical Chemistry etc. With these different aspects of Chemistry, I am able to build a strong foundation of lab skills: working with Nuclear Magnetic resonance (NMR) machine, column chromatography, gas chromatography, Thin layer chromatography (TLC), ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) spectroscopy, X-Ray Diffraction, mass spectrometer etc. I also possess the skill of performing various testing methods which include solubility, purity, viscosity tests, vacuum filtration, purification, crystallization, and polymerisation. In addition, NUS combines chemistry with computer IT; the HyperChem program, which allows me to study the 3-D nature of molecular shapes, vibrational and rotational modes, and bond lengths.

I am confident that my ability to work well with others and my initiative qualifies me to handle the responsibilities of the position. While studying at NUS, I handled many projects and lab reports at a given amount of time, hence disciplining me to work under tight deadlines. I always plan my time ahead and continually check my progress to make sure that I am on the right track. I believe this strength of mine will be helpful in the future if I have a chance to be a part of the Rhodia family, as this organizing skill increases the efficiency of work and ensure no delay of the delegated work. I am a well-organized, highly motivated individual who enjoys the challenges of working in a fast-paced work environment. My personal ability encompasses strong communication and computer skills, including a working knowledge of Windows 7 and Microsoft Word, Excel, power point, outlook as well as Adobe. Rhodia is a world leader in the development and production of specialty chemicals, providing added-value products and high-performance solutions to diversified markets through its 11 Global Business Units (GBUs). My experience, perseverance, and curiosity coupled with the passion and enthusiasm that I will bring to the job makes me the right person for the position you are looking to fill.

The enclosed resume is a brief description of my qualifications. I look forward to your reply with great anticipation. If there are any doubts, please do not hesitate to contact me at XXXXXXXX or e-mail me at XXXXXXXX@hotmail.com.

Yours faithfully,

Tan Si Jia Jacqueline

Enclosed: Resume, publication, transcript

TWO.~ -an-interpersonal-conflict-

I worked as a teaching intern in a neighborhood secondary school right after my ‘A’ levels. It was really something I anticipated as I thought this would give me much perspective into a possible teaching career in the future.  Because it was the long holiday break after ‘A’ levels, many JC graduates also came and worked part-time as relief teachers in secondary schools. Hence, I was not surprised to see five other young teachers in the school I was posted to. They all came in earlier than me and had all gotten to know each other quite well before my arrival. I even knew one or two of them as they came from the same secondary school as I did. Nonetheless, it was still easy for me to fit in and I was rather comfortable mingling with the students and teachers alike. The young teachers would usually eat together during lunch and whenever we had lunch, I would listen more than talk because I was really exhausted from all the teaching in the early mornings.

Then, another teaching intern joined us and she was able to get along well with us too. After about three months of teaching, I started falling ill and when I consulted a doctor, he advised me to take a break from the hectic routine and concentrate on getting well first. I was alarmed by the seriousness of this and immediately asked for leave. The next day I went to school and informed my friends and the teachers that I’ll be taking a week long break and apologized for all the work I left behind for the other teaching intern who now shared my workload. All of them were fine with this arrangement and asked me not to worry. During that week that I was away, I messaged the other teaching intern to ask how everyone is coping and she reassured that all is fine and told me to get well soon. It was only when I returned to school did I realize that NOTHING was fine.

So the next Monday I returned to work and it suddenly dawned on me that all the young teachers were either averting their eyes away from me or pointedly ignoring me. I thought it was probably just Monday blues and went about doing my work. But the feeling that something was wrong quickly gripped me and I knew I had to ask someone about it. It was only when I consulted a young teacher who was closer to me did I realize that something was amiss. Apparently, another young teacher thought I was being irresponsible for leaving just like that and told many people that, coupled with the fact that I was from a rather prestigious junior college, said that I was probably always looking down on them and had no interest in being around with them. The young teacher whom I consulted also told me that the other person always felt jealous that I graduated from the same secondary school as her but ended up in a better JC and hence leading ‘a better life’ right now. I thought that was rather ridiculous but at that moment in time, I was distraught. Everyone chose to believe her and was thoroughly against me as I was unable to retort during that week that I was away. In retrospect, I also realized that that other person got along much better with the other teaching intern than with me. What do you suggest I do then?