Monday, 18 February 2013

Application Letter Draft 1


16th February 2013

143 ABC Street
#11-222 Singapore 123456
(+65) 9123-4567
steph.koh@gmail.com

 
Ms Genevieve Loh
Senior Executive, Human Resources
Swissôtel The Stamford
2 Stamford Road
Singapore 178882


Dear Ms Loh


Application for Internship position at Swissôtel The Stamford


I am writing this letter to express my interest in joining Swissôtel The Stamford for an internship during the period of May 2013 to July 2013. I am currently an undergraduate in the National University of Singapore (NUS) undertaking the course of Sociology. Having always been passionate about the industry of tourism, hospitality and hotel management, I am hoping to obtain an internship position to understand the functioning of this distinguished hotel so as to better be able to contribute to this field upon my graduation. My purpose of internship is to learn more about the industry and hence any jobs offered to me, would provide the learning experience that I desire. I too, am eager to apply my knowledge and skills to contribute to the hotel in whatever ways possible.

Integral to working in the hotel industry, I possess interpersonal communication skills which have been greatly honed by my undertaking of two communication modules in NUS namely The Dynamics of Interpersonal Communication and Professional Communication: Principles and Practice. These modules have not only provided me with an understanding of the communication theories but also given me a platform for putting it into practice through class presentations and group projects. Armed with these skills I would be able to communicate effectively, building good relations and being better able to serve the guests of Swissôtel, doing my part in sustaining the company’s good reputation. Having organized a school carnival and assisted in the execution of the Pacific Early Childhood Education Research Association (PECERA) conference 2012, I demonstrated my ability to organize and manage major events, working meticulously under pressure and pressing deadlines. During these events, I liaised with various caterers, companies and organizations such as National Institute of Singapore and The Cocoa Trees, discussing budget, location details and program outlines. Using these skills, I hope to assist in the hotel’s events planning and management, bringing fresh ideas to any of Swissôtel’s endeavour.

As a sociology major, I possess an analytical mind, being able to investigate issues from a variety of perspectives which will greatly assist me in the process of problem solving and decision making. My understanding of major societal systems and various human phenomena would allow me to provide appropriate planning that caters and appeals to the interests of the people that the hotel serves.

My keen interest in this field has driven my aspiration to gain a foothold in this industry and there is no better place to start than the well established Swissôtel. Internship with the hotel will allow me to gain valuable first-hand experience with the work, people, values, and culture of the industry. With my combined interpersonal skills, leadership skills, management, organization and sociological knowledge I hope to be given the opportunity to pursue a career with the Swissôtel and do my part for the hotel.

Enclosed with this letter is my resume for your evaluation. Should any additional information be required, I would be contactable at (+65) 9123-4567 or at steph.koh@gmail.com. Thank you for your time and kind consideration. I look forward to an interview with you.

 

Yours sincerely,
(Signature)

Koh Shiqi Stephanie (Ms)

 
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Tuesday, 12 February 2013

The Conflict Tunnel that seems to find no end


Interpersonal conflict is disagreement among connected individuals.[1] As we walk through life, we each have our experience of conflicts, be it among family, friends or partners. Here, I would be illustrating a conflict which occurred in the context of a boy-girl relationship.

(Names used are purely for illustration purposes only)

“You are late again!” was how Carol greeted James as he arrived for their date. Being upset, Carol scolded James for his lack of punctuality which recently has become common. Furthermore, Carol equated James’ lack of concern for arriving on time as a sign of dwindling love and her becoming less significant to him. These thoughts escalated each time James was late, making Carol increasingly insecure.

James was annoyed as he felt that he had only been late for few occasions. To him, Carol was overreacting and he was disappointed in the frequent fights that they have been having.

When we initially look at this situation, the main problem seems to be James’ lack of punctuality and Carol’s over-reaction to the situation. However, when one delves deeper, we are able to get a sense that this is perhaps only looking at a superficial level. What could perhaps be causing their relationship problem is Carol’s insecurity and James’ lack of information of what the true issue was.

This situation was aggravated by how both had decided to deal with it. Carol was unwilling to share her insecurity with James, however her insecurity shown through as she started accounting any small actions or words of James as signs of lack of love. James, on the other hand, was getting annoyed by how Carol is always so ready to find fault in the minor details. In an attempt to avoid fighting, James kept communications with Carol to the minimum and suppressed any unhappiness that he experienced. James’ silence was however misinterpreted by Carol as a sign of distancing, increasing her fear for losing James.

In this spiral of misunderstandings, conflict persists. How do you think this relationship can be salvaged?

 

 


[1] Joseph A. DeVito. “The interpersonal communication book”.
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Saturday, 26 January 2013

Post 1: Effective communication


This is not what effective communication looks like
Prior to the consideration of the importance of effective communication skills, we must first understand what possession of these skills entail. To me, these skills are the key to effective communication. Effective communication is when the sender and receiver share the same message and thus keeping misunderstandings at bay.[1]
 
In my opinion, having effective communication skills are important because communication plays a significant role in our everyday life! Even when we think we are not communicating, we actually are. We communicate not only through verbal means, but in actual fact even things such as the way we dress is a form of non-verbal communication. Communication, being an integral part of life, influences my profile, emotions, educational endeavour and relationships. For example, communicating effectively would assist me in sustaining and developing satisfying relationships. This has been proven in many researches such as one conducted by Malcolm Kahn who found a relationship between marital satisfaction and accuracy of non-verbal communication.[2] Hence the understanding and the management of effective communication skills is of great importance.
Effective communication skills will also be important for my future occupation. Having the skills to communicate effectively would give me an edge in both the acquisition of a job and moving up the corporate ladder.[3] These skills are especially applicable for my intended field of tourism and hospitality. In this field, collaborations with others (different companies, departments, etc) are frequent and the ability to communicate ideas accurately would greatly reduce misunderstandings and lapses of information. Teamwork is also common in this job and effective communication skills would allow me to not only be able to clearly give instructions and assign work to my team but also through my communication I would be able to encourage, motivate and reduce friction with my fellow members, building an efficient and cohesive team working together towards a common goal. Furthermore, working in this sector, perhaps more than any others would require me to interact with people from all over the world. In this globalized world today, where traveling has been made convenient by airplanes, encountering individuals from different cultural background and societies has become a commonality. For an effective interpersonal communication with culturally different individuals, I need to be conscious of such differences, know how cultures differ and understand how these differences would influence communication. Hence, possession of communication skills such as cultural sensitivity would be essential.
Upon reflection of Thursday’s session, one of the skills that I have to refine is my ability to “brand” myself and communicate to my employers about myself through the resume. Personally, the difficulty that I face is in translating some of the skills I have into words and illustrating them in a convincing manner. In my opinion, words can sometimes have a limiting quality to it and it is not easy to describe and conjure up words to illustrate the point that I would like to drive across to my potential employer. In addition to this, the difficulty also comes when I have to strike a balance between letting the employer know my abilities and being perceived as arrogant. I would need to be tactful in how I sell myself and I believe that the upcoming activities for the course of ES2007S, such as the application letter and resume, would enable me to obtain valuable feedbacks and hone my skills in this area.
All in all, effective communication skills play an important role in all my communication endeavours, personal or professional and therefore the acquiring of these skills is of immense importance. This road of acquisition is not merely confined within the classroom, but also putting what I learn into action in my everyday life. I shall thus embark on this learning journey of endless possibilities.

[1] Mindtools. “Introduction to Communication Skills: Why communication skills are so important” Retrieved January 27, 2013. (http://www.mindtools.com/CommSkll/CommunicationIntro.htm)
[2] Malcolm Kahn. 1970. “Non-Verbal Communication and Marital Satisfaction” Family Process 9(4). Retrieved January 25, 2013. (http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/doi/10.1111/j.1545-5300.1970.00449.x/pdf)
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