In this blog post, I’ll show you how to write a cover letter that goes beyond just listing your work experience and effectively conveys your authenticity and expertise in construction estimating.

 

Growing up

As a child, I remember my father was always building and fixing things, and he never left anything in the house untouched, and he was very handy, so he loved to make things, so there was always furniture in the house, shelves, and even a small radio, from carpentry to electrical repairs, there was no part of the house that didn’t go through his hands, and I think that’s why I was naturally interested in this kind of work, helping my father build and fix things. I’m currently taking a furniture class right now, and when I think back to those childhood memories and build things for my home with my own hands, it reminds me a lot of my dad and I can vaguely see why he was so passionate about it. I found that the process of making, fixing, and doing something with my own hands that is meant to be made into something that is meant to be made felt like healing the wounds of social life.

 

When I was in school

I read Professor Hongjun Yoo’s ‘My Cultural Heritage Travelogue’, I developed a longing for the places in the book and thought that I would visit them one day when I had the chance. While planning a summer vacation trip with a few like-minded friends from my second year of university, I suggested a cultural tour with the book, and luckily, they agreed, and from then on, we started our own cultural heritage trips every vacation. Experiencing each of the old buildings, sites, and the history and stories behind them was more than just a trip, it was one of the lessons that taught me more than any other subject in university. Seeing the old structures was especially special to me, as the technology and gadgets were not available to them, and their grandeur and sophistication made me proud to be Korean and in awe of human capabilities.

 

Hobbies & Specialties

I love making things with my hands and seeing the results of my efforts, so I go to my workshop every weekend to make furniture. It’s a fun daily vitamin that gives me happiness three times while I’m making it. The first happiness comes from browsing through interior magazines or foreign books to choose the piece I want to make and thinking about how to personalize it. Once I’ve decided what I want to make, the next step is to choose the wood, which I still get a lot of help from my workshop teacher. The grain and quality of the wood can change the feel of the finished product, so I mostly follow their advice, but there’s still the joy of being the one who decides what I’m going to make. Once I’ve chosen the wood, I follow the design and from there it’s all about making. From there, it’s actually a mix of joys and tribulations, and it really does require endless patience. I say it’s a time of joy and tribulation because every single plane stroke, every single touch I make is sublime, but it’s also a time of slow, ungreedy labor that I have to put into it. Finally, the sense of accomplishment and joy that comes when I give the finished piece to someone who needs it or place it exactly where I need it is irreplaceable. This is one of my favorite things to do these days, a hobby that gives me triple joy: the process before, the process of making, and the sense of accomplishment afterward, a piece of furniture that is just a piece of furniture to others but a piece of art to me.

 

Personality Strengths and Weaknesses

I wasn’t the type of person who had a lot of friends or was outgoing when I was younger because I liked and enjoyed making things by myself at home, but through my club activities in high school, I met a wide variety of friends at school, and although we all had the same hobby of making things, we all had very different personalities, and I think that helped me overcome a lot of my fears in interpersonal interactions and getting to know new people, and that influenced my personality a lot. Those friends are still some of my closest friends and life partners, and we’re still the first people I call and gather with when we’re having a hard time or a good time.
I’m not the type of person to step up and take the lead in a group or organization, but I’m more of a quiet facilitator, taking a step back and watching over people and quietly filling in where needed. Most people don’t really pay attention to anything other than what they need, want, and want to say, but I think that in order to have a good relationship with people, you need to be able to think about what they want, need, and want to hear, rather than what you want, and act accordingly. I think it’s because of this kind of consideration, this ability to look out for people, that I was able to fit in well as one of the members of a group of friends in high school, even though I was a very quiet person with different personalities.

 

Experience (or something that can show your work ability)

I worked as an estimator for ○○ company for ○ years. As an architectural estimator, I was in charge of housing facilities, public facilities, special facilities, military facilities, and power generation facilities in Korea, including YRP and FED construction. I also participated in the construction of houses, buildings, stadiums, airports, ports, etc. in various overseas countries such as Libya, United Arab Emirates, Vietnam, and Singapore. I was able to experience various building types, special buildings, etc. by conducting a lot of architectural calculations and estimates, and I am proud to say that I have the most diverse experience in Korea when it comes to estimating. In recognition of my expertise in this area and various field experiences, I was given the opportunity to serve as a lecturer in the regular courses of education and construction associations of large construction companies for 20 to ○ years.

 

Motivation and aspirations

I believe that a safe and well-made space brings convenience and happiness to people. I often visit the buildings I’ve worked on, and I try to evaluate my own work by looking at the people in them. Of course, architecture is an interdisciplinary art with so many stages and so many people playing their part. I’m really part of the beginning of it, but I think that what I’m doing is really the most basic work to create this finished product, and I think that doing my job well and making sure that the foundation is solid gives me the strength to complete this perfect piece of comprehensive art. I recently toured the ○○ and ○○ buildings that ○○ recently completed. As I looked around the buildings, I thought, “This is a really well-made building. I couldn’t help but think that it contained a philosophy, and I felt a strong attraction to challenge any company that could produce such a finished product, and to expand my abilities in such a place. Based on my experience and know-how, and my sincere and true heart for architecture, I decided to apply to add my ‘hand’ to the great results that will tell the story of the next 100 years of ○○. I look forward to being given the opportunity to be a part of the company’s future and vision with the mindset of creating spaces, not buildings.