In this blog post, we’ll talk about how to effectively convey your philosophy and strategy as a marketer in your cover letter, based on our experience of trying to communicate the value of a brand instead of just selling.
Growing up
Growing up, I was always strictly taught that food was the foundation of life. With a mother who had an extraordinary sense of flavor and a father who came from a family with a tremendous amount of skill and know-how in traditional food, I was raised in a family that always strived to improve their eating habits in order to overcome the fact that it was easy to get used to instant and junk food. I was naturally raised on a diet that emphasized a variety of ingredients and their natural flavors, which allowed me to develop my palate to the fullest, and I remember feeling a bit out of place when I started kindergarten after taking it for granted. It was a bit of a departure from my home, which was more of a strictly Korean base.
This didn’t mean that my parents completely cut me off from instant food or tempting outside foods, but rather that they gradually loosened the restrictions as I grew older, and built in subtle taste education to help me embrace them as part of the flavor experience. Because an unconditional ban would likely result in me hiding from the intense flavors and eating them in secret, she would regularly set aside time for us to taste those foods together so that I could have an honest appreciation and savoring of them. This made it as unlikely as possible that I would become addicted to the taboo flavors and sneak them out of my parents’ sight, or that I would become accustomed to the sweet or spicy commercial foods, and I would embrace them as part of the taste experiences I’ve had over the years, enriching my sensibilities and allowing me to grow.
Academic life
With a keen sense of taste and an eye for the smallest of differences, I remember packing my own lunch in school when the caterers were less than stellar, but that didn’t mean that my mother did all the hard work for me; I remember her spending time with me the day before to make sure that I had the right ingredients and prepared foods to take to school the next day. It was a win-win for my mom and me, as she used it as an opportunity to teach me to cook and master a little bit, while also giving me the privilege of packing my own lunch with the side dishes and ingredients I wanted.
I used to wonder if I was being overly sensitive when I was sending my friends to the cafeteria and eating my lunch in class, but once they tasted my mom’s handiwork, they were all convinced that “this is the way it’s supposed to be,” so I was able to continue my lunchbox life with a certain amount of pride. It was also a great opportunity for me to be more proactive and involved in my diet, and to maintain a more creative perspective as I filled my lunchbox with items and ingredients of my own choosing. At first, I was just concerned with nutritional and flavor balance, but as the experience progressed, I took it as an opportunity to see how creative I could be with food within the limited space of a bento box, such as considering color schemes, food pairings, and designing more novel designs. It was a great feeling to hear my mother’s praise for my skills.
Personality strengths and weaknesses
I am a person who is never satisfied with my current level and always seeks to find new experiences or knowledge and acquire them with a humble attitude. I am confident that I have reached an exceptional level of knowledge and understanding due to my childhood experience with taste and my parents’ early education, but I believe that I am far from perfect. There are as many flavor experiences as there are cultures and people in the world, and we all have different beliefs and definitions of food as a fundamental part of our lives, so when I think about the theories that have been developed and how infinite the world is, I can never be satisfied with my current level of knowledge. I also get excited when I think about how many amazing people there are out there who are way ahead of me.
This has sometimes led me to take the advice of being too confident in my own abilities and hiding them with modesty. While it’s good to humble yourself out of shyness and politeness, in the age of self-promotion, where you have to put your skills on full display to be recognized, too much modesty can also lead to not capitalizing on opportunities to make yourself known. This has been a wake-up call for me, as I’ve been downplaying my abilities to the point where I’ve been able to rely on some objective data to showcase my skills.
Work history
Having been immersed in the world of natural flavors since childhood by my parents’ thorough palate training, I had the opportunity to join ○○ to participate in the refinement of a food project that, in the name of my mother’s table, would provide a “healing” experience for people who have become accustomed to stimulating, seasoning-dependent flavors, and a respite for those tired of city life.
This was more than just a marketing project, as it was not just about promoting the company’s food products, but also about rethinking the concept of eating and changing perceptions so that people could pursue a better life, which made me an enterprising and motivated individual who was able to play a role in submitting ideas and setting the trajectory of the project.
Motivation and post-employment aspirations
Having been able to establish an exceptional taste for food through my parents’ meticulous education of taste since childhood, I became interested in my current career path when I became aware of how the food that people commonly consume and live with is out of sync with the original flavor of Korea, and expressed my desire to utilize my abilities, which I was able to develop steadily with the help of my parents, to work in a direction that is more conducive to the public good. It was clear to me that your company was in line with the goals I wanted to pursue, which is why I applied to your company.
As I have experience in various forms of strategy and marketing that can help people improve their eating habits, rather than just promoting food products or guiding them through their functions, I will strive to utilize my skills and know-how in your company to make my work more efficient, because I believe that focusing on promotion and sales alone will not fully reach the goal, and I would like to focus more on the reversal of ideas that can change people’s concepts, and promote a food culture that can break through prejudices and approach everyone anew.
