Professor Priscilla Snef 1 of 3

27 February, 2015

English 202C Job Application Package Analysis

To:
From:

Professor Priscilla Snef

Ronald Ryder

Subject: Analysis of Job Application Package ENGL 202C

Date:

27 February 2015

The following memo comprehensively describes how I tailored my rsums and cover letters to show how I mesh
with the positional requirements of internships posted in eCareer for Nestl USA and Alcoa Inc. I will describe
Nestl USA and Alcoa Inc. and the positions I am applying to within each company while also describing
qualities each company looks for in future interns. I will then delve into the specifics of the format of each of my
rsums and cover letters, explaining why they apply to each position specifically and explain what I focused on
in each document.

Nestl USA Operations Management Trainee Internship:

Job Description
This job application package is intended for one of Nestl USAs leadership in engineering programs for
junior/senior engineering students with 3.00 GPAs or higher. The job advertisement for this internship details a
12-week program designated to move through six functional career paths, gaining a little insight of each by the
end of the program. The variety of job career paths each intern is exposed to is the most attractive part of this job
advertisement; one day I could be learning about packaging engineering and then the next working on an
environmental engineering project to find prospective energy savings for the company. While working on realworld projects and gaining exposure to senior leadership project presentations, I would also be developing my
technical engineering and professional leadership skills. I find that having a balance between technical and
business oriented knowledge is a key to excelling in the mechanical engineering field.
Ranked as number one in Fortune magazines annual Worlds Most Admired companies survey for seven years
running, Nestl USA is a company known for its diverse, challenging and supportive work environment. In its
internship programs Nestl USA implements training that prepares students for the competitive and ever-changing
business world we live in today. Nestl USA has been rapidly growing since 1905 when it was established,
quickly becoming the worlds leading nutrition, health and wellness company. Nestl is committed to producing
foods that uniquely fulfill peoples day to day needs and is also a partner in the Feeding America- Helping the
Fight Against Hunger campaign.

Audience Analysis
The Nestl USA Management Trainee Program is looking for students with strong communication, analytical and
leadership skills as well as data analysis capabilities. With over 328,000 employees around the world, Nestl is a
powerful and influential company that demands the highest of standards from its applicants. After scouring
through the corporate website and job advertisement several times, it is evident that Nestl looks for applicants
that not only excel in one facet of student life, whether it be academics or leadership, but have strong
qualifications in both realms. In order to intrigue my audience, I will need to express to Nestl that I am both a
strong student and leader. It is essential that I focus on my passion of learning, but also point to the various
leadership positions Ive held in order to reflect on myself as a well-rounded student.

Professor Priscilla Snef 2 of 3

27 February, 2015

Rhetorical Analysis
In an attempt to tailor my rsum to the guidelines Nestl USA posted on its website and in its job advertisement,
I made my rsum more generic in order to provide the company with a bigger picture view of who I am as a
person and what Ive accomplished as a mechanical engineering student and Navy ROTC Midshipman. I chose to
professionally communicate via a paragraph style rather than bullet points with the hope of describing my
experiences in a more complete manner where I can control how my rsum is interpreted, leaving little room for
confusion. I subdivided my rsum into only four categories in order to keep it simple for my audience. Based on
the size of Nestl USA, I anticipate my job application package crossing the desk of a worker that is specifically
responsible for employment opportunity/acquisition rather than the desk of an engineering supervisor or the
company president. Therefore, I focused on including words mentioned in the job advertisement itself in my
rsum; I imagine my documents will be entered into an online database that prioritizes the documents before
anyone reviews them in person.
For engineering positions, the format of cover letters is pretty rudimentary and well established. Engineering
cover letters contain an introduction paragraph, an education paragraph, an employment paragraph and a
conclusion. I chose to follow this format because I trust the engineering career advice Penn State provides its
students at the career services center, which I visited for advice. I tried to emphasize my leadership skills in my
cover letter because I think leadership is the part of my skill set that needed expanded upon the most. In my
opinion, rsums dont provide a sufficient explanation detailing the efforts certain leadership positions require
for success. The overall goal of my cover letter is to show Nestl USA why I am a step above the rest in
leadership and academics while convincing the company I uphold its ideals in my daily student life.

Alcoa Inc. Mechanical Engineering Internship:

Job Description
This job application is intended for Alcoa Incorporateds summer 2015 mechanical engineering internship
program for junior/senior level students with 3.00 GPAs or higher. The job advertisement for this position details
a 10 to 12 week program where interns will learn the inner workings of a Fortune 500 company, support
manufacturing through quality improvement initiatives, and develop/implement appropriate plans to improve
profitability and product quality. The most attractive part of this internship position is how closely the program
setup mirrors a real-world full time position in both responsibilities and wages; this allows interns to not only gain
experience, but get a glance at future life as mechanical engineers. The best way to prepare for the future is
consistent practice; Alcoa Inc. provides its interns with just that.
A global leader in lightweight metals technology as well as engineering and manufacturing, Alcoa Inc. serves
eight major world-wide markets including automotive, aerospace, construction, packaging, electronics,
transportation, oil and gas, and defense. Alcoa is the number one supplier of alumina and aluminum, hundreds of
tons of which a day are used to benefit the lives of humans all over the world, whether it be on trains, airplanes,
bridges or spacecraft. Alcoa rose to the top of the aluminum industry over 125 years ago and currently employs
59,000 people in 30 countries. An ever-expanding company, Alcoa gives its employees the chance to cross-train in
different realms of the engineering world, gaining valuable experience each step of the way.

Professor Priscilla Snef 3 of 3

27 February, 2015

Audience Analysis
Alcoa looks for interns with unique skill sets that allow them to thrive in fast-paced, deadline oriented
environments with high standards for excellence. In the aluminum/alumina portion of materials engineering,
Alcoa is the overwhelming leader and therefore expects employees/interns to be well versed in material science as
well as teamwork. The standards at Alcoa are exceedingly high and those that apply for positions in the company
need to bring a lot to the table for a chance at consideration. After researching the company at length, it is evident
that Alcoa looks for applicants that are dedicated to excellence in every facet of life. The company wants team
members that thrive together, but also employees that are able to venture on their own and succeed.
Communication seems to be a key factor in the employment selection process, it is mentioned in different ways at
least 5 times in the job advertisement. I will need to tailor my rsum specifically to display my academic
excellence and subject matter knowledge, but also to emphasize my abilities as a contributing team member.

Rhetorical Analysis
Putting together a rsum worthy of a Fortune 500 company with a tradition of excellence is a daunting task that
requires hours of close inspection, review by both peers and professionals, and healthy self-critiquing. There
needs to be a distinct balance between academic success and displays of excellence outside of the classroom. I
tailored my rsum to the best of my abilities to display such a balance and I took all the necessary steps to put
together my best rsum by meeting with the career services center, having my academic advisor review the
document, and by having a current professional in the field speak to me about what exactly employers look for in
the document. I chose to use a bullet point format with six separate headings in order to fill the rsum up as
much as possible with relevant information including relevant courses, detailed work experience and an
awards/activities list. My goal with this rsum was to leave no stone unturned-I want the employee reading my
rsum to have no doubts about who I am, what I do and what Ive accomplished. I followed the advice I was
given by a current mechanical engineering employee at Boeing by filling the rsum with as much detail as I
could fit on the page. I envision my rsum landing on the desk of an actual engineer at the company rather than
an employee acquisition manager therefore I focused on including everything I could about myself rather than
using words specifically mentioned in the job advertisement that could potentially entered into an employee
selection database system.
As mentioned before, I followed the general guidelines for formatting a cover letter provided by the professionals
at the career resource center at Penn State when I drafted my letter to Alcoa- although substantial differences
between my cover letters exist. In my cover letter to Alcoa, I included my education paragraph first, emphasizing
my abilities in laboratories and statistical analysis before I mentioned anything about my military internship in
order to include relevant research experience as mentioned in the job ad. I chose to leave out details of my Navy
ROTC involvement in order to display my abilities to be a cooperating team member rather than team leader; I
believe for this internship position, technical capabilities trump leadership skills. It mentions in the job
advertisement that interns will work with a team comprised of engineering professionals, meaning I will not be
leading a team of interns, I will be led by a team of professionals. I then detailed what I learned about in my
previous internships in the hopes that Alcoa would see all the different technologies Ive worked with and draw a
parallel between my experiences and their involvements in eight different technology realms. My goal for this
cover letter was to display the highest professionalism but also show my versatility as a mechanical engineering
student and team member.