In this blog post, we will introduce how to effectively incorporate your practical skills into your production engineering cover letter, focusing on the practical experience and on-the-job adaptability you have gained through your mechanical engineering major.
Growth
“My sincere and hard-working parents”
I grew up with very sincere and hardworking parents. My parents always told me that the most important thing in life is to have a sincere attitude. My father ran a laundry shop when he was young, but he decided to go back to school, obtained a real estate agent license, and started a real estate agency in his 30s. The reason my father was able to take on such a new challenge and start his own business was because he had a sincere attitude toward life. When my father started his real estate business, he met my mother, who was working as a housing manager, and the two of them got married because they shared the same interests in their work. In the 30 years I have known them, my parents have never had a single fight. They love and care for each other and have lived diligently. Seeing my parents like this, I developed respect for them and a desire to follow in their footsteps.
When I was in high school, I studied technical engineering and plant engineering at a technical high school. My father advised me to take pride in my work and work diligently, no matter what job I did or what field I entered. So he didn’t interfere much with my career path or dreams and respected my opinions. With my parents’ support, I majored in production engineering and went on to study mechanical engineering at university to prepare for my future. I have a younger sibling who followed in our parents’ footsteps, obtained a real estate broker license, and decided to take over the family business. I, on the other hand, knew what I wanted to do from an early age. So, I went to college to major in mechanical engineering and engineering technology, and I studied enthusiastically, taking practical classes and participating in industry-academia cooperation programs. After graduating from college, I prepared systematically for employment in the production engineering field, always striving to maintain a sincere attitude.
Strengths and weaknesses
“A person with kindness and courtesy ingrained in his character”
I grew up learning the importance of manners from my father. In particular, my father emphasized that if I was born a man, I should always be a gentleman with good manners. Following my father’s teachings, I tried to be a person with good manners and courtesy. I continued to consider these things throughout my school days, and eventually, I became a person with good manners without even trying. My manners include the following behaviors. When meeting someone one-on-one, I start by pulling out their chair and shaking their hand to greet them politely. I am also careful about how I address people, and I try to be mindful of every word I say. When eating or drinking, I tend to take care of what others need and try to make them comfortable.
These manners sometimes come across as kindness. If someone suddenly asks me for directions while I am walking down the street, I am a person who values manners, so I will kindly give them directions and even take them to the station. I served in the military, and before I was discharged, I was known as a kind senior soldier. As a senior soldier, it is natural to become strict and give orders, but even in such situations, I tried to give instructions in a kind manner. I thought that was the right thing to do, but I was also very satisfied with myself for always maintaining good manners, regardless of whether the person I was dealing with was a junior soldier or a man. That is why I am still in touch with my subordinates from the military, and I try not to do anything that would hurt others or require me to apologize. When I do have to apologize, I always do so politely first, and because I always behave this way, I don’t have many unnecessary conflicts or friction with others.
School days
“Efforts to build up my resume”
I majored in mechanical engineering in college. When I entered engineering school, the most important factors for me were employment prospects and access to information about good jobs. So I attended a university in Seoul, which has a lot of information and a good location, and I tried to get good information by frequently interacting with my classmates and seniors. In fact, it is no exaggeration to say that connections and information are the key to finding a job. Nowadays, there are few jobs and many job seekers, so you need to have the right information to be able to find a job. Knowing this, I worked hard to build up my resume during college so that I wouldn’t be left behind in the job market. I believed that once I had a solid resume, I would be ready to take on new challenges. So, I studied hard and shared information with my classmates to build up my resume.
First, I did my best in my major and managed my grades. As competition for jobs was fierce, competition for grades was also fierce, so I worked hard to get good grades. I made an effort to obtain information about every exam, read all the books related to my major, and check the weight of each assignment so that I could reflect the contents of the reference books in my work. As a result, I was able to get higher grades than others and study for the entrance exam with peace of mind. In order to find employment, I took personality and aptitude tests. These tests are usually taken for large companies, public corporations, and industrial complexes, so I prepared for them by taking online lectures. The personality test covered several subjects, so I participated in job study groups for subjects that required cooperative learning with others, and I also participated in daily study groups for general subjects to prepare efficiently.
Work experience
“Experience working at Doosan Mekatec on a fixed-term contract”
I had previously worked at Doosan Mekatec, which led me to apply to your company. When I was a senior in college, I applied for an industry-academia cooperation program and worked as a fixed-term intern in your company’s production engineering department. Of course, at that time, it was more of an assistant role than actual work experience, but even as a support role, it was a valuable experience that allowed me to experience the overall work process. I worked in the CPE production team and collaborated with the bridge production team and management support team. I gained a lot of knowledge and information about communication skills for collaboration and information exchange. I worked while preparing for my welding technician license, which was the basis for CPE production work, so I was able to quickly understand the practical aspects of the job. My seniors also provided me with a lot of information about the production process and management tasks, which made it easy for me to understand the team’s work.
At the time, I was a temporary employee and an intern, so I did not have much time to specialize in my work. The entire program lasted 10 months, and I spent about half of that time specializing in welding, while the rest of the time was spent gaining practical experience by learning about the work of other teams. My seniors showed me the process and introduced me to the work of forming presses and bending rollers, and they also told me about the work of the team that manufactures steel bridges. They also showed me the plant, steel bridge construction, and light machine handling work, and let me try them out for myself so that I could find out which part of the process suited me best. I was able to work in such a considerate environment because I was not a regular employee. It was a process of learning as an intern, developing my work skills, and trying to find my aptitude. Through this work, I learned that this job requires not only technical skills, but also English speaking ability and the ability to communicate with materials managers, forklift operators, plant managers, and others.
Reason for applying and aspirations after joining the company
“A professional engineer who utilizes my major in mechanical engineering”
I majored in mechanical engineering in college and steadily prepared for employment at Doosan Mechatronics. Specifically, I decided to target your company because a close senior was working there. My senior showed his love for the company, saying that there was no other company like Doosan Mechatronics where we could work in the mechanical field utilizing our major. Following his recommendation, I sought his advice and steadily prepared for the document screening, aptitude test, and interview process. Currently, I have submitted my initial documents for the document screening, but I am also fully prepared for the aptitude test. In addition, I have prepared for the interviews with my colleagues through interview study sessions. Therefore, I can say that I am a well-prepared candidate for your company, and if I am selected, I will continue to show you that I am a well-prepared candidate. If I am finally hired, I will utilize my relevant connections and human network to always show you that I am a capable employee.
