Chang Zhao
Qinhuangdao, Hebei Province, China
Xxxxxxxx@xxxxxx.com
+86 138xxxxxxxxxx
Assistant Manager Engineering Quality
BMW Research &amp
Building 7, yard 12, Anxiang Street
+86 010-80473700
Dear Ms. Shang:
My name is Chang Zhao and I am currently a students of master of Vocational Engineering in UTS. I am
very excited to notice your recruitment information posted on the recruitment website. I am very
confident that I can provide you with professional engineering knowledge and use my experience in the
field of mechanical engineering to solve the actual engineering problems or management problems faced
by the company.
In the past three years, in addition to studying in UTS as a master's student, I also worked as an intern in
Shenyang Machine Tool Plant in China for two months. During the internship, I helped the office to
complete drawing drawing and modification, SolidWorks model production and simulated assembly, which
improved the economic benefits of the company, improved the operation efficiency of the company,
reduced the time loss during operation, and laid a good foundation for the actual production work of the
workshop. In fact, I have been working as a team during my internship. This way of working has cultivated
my experience of teamwork and made me fully understand how individuals complete one task after
another in the collective. I am very happy to share and exchange these experiences with my new team in
the future. In addition, my team during my internship won the excellent team award issued by the
company, which made me full of confidence in my team skills.
As a master of engineering who is about to graduate, I have always been eager to grow in practical work.
As the assistant manager of your company, I will use my work experience to support the establishment and
maintenance of a quality management system for our organization to meet standard requirements. I will
coordinate all departments, analyze deficiencies and training needs, put forward suggestions, and lead the
implementation of training. Most importantly, I will keep close contact with the project quality
management department and quality engineers according to the standards and regulations, and
participate in the analysis of quality problems and the introduction of solutions. I will take the feedback of
the company and the evaluation of my colleagues as the standard for my work, and always abide by the
company's values.
I can arrive at work at the end of November. I think it will be very exciting. My ideal is to quickly become an
experienced engineer to meet my expectations in the engineering field. I look forward to further
information from your company.
Best regard
Chang Zhao
Reflective Learning Journal Part B:
learning journal entry 1
A）
In 2018, I worked as a trainee engineer in Shenyang machine tool factory. As a member of the working
group, I participated in the reverse engineering of a machine tool. Specifically, I completed the analysis of
advanced machine tools through mapping and disassembly, and then imitated products with similar
performance. The imitation of this product has been authorized. My task is to draw the parts of the
machine tool through the engineering drawing software, and hand over the drawn parts to another
colleague for assembly. It is also in the engineering software. The advantage is that it saves time and
improves work efficiency compared with paper drawing. This is a very complex project. Assembling a
machine tool requires tens of thousands of parts and a professional project team, so we all work in the
form of a team. I am not the only intern in the company. In fact, a considerable part of our whole project
team are graduating students who come to the company for internship and complete practical courses. It
is conceivable that not everyone has high work enthusiasm and a responsible attitude, but most people
complete tasks within their respective responsibilities.
Obviously, the company also knows that interns are not experienced regular employees, and their work
skills and experience can not be compared with those of old employees. Therefore, we were not assigned
particularly important tasks at the beginning of the project. In fact, the projects we are engaged in do not
have priority in the company's plan. This is good news for interns, because compared with formal positions,
a more relaxed environment and relatively simple tasks are not always encountered, not to mention not
every company's boss is so considerate. However, even with such superior working conditions, some
people are still unwilling to cherish rare job opportunities, learn and reflect on their experience. I met such
people at work. Their behavior had some negative effects on me and the project team, forcing us to take
some unconventional actions to make up for it.
At that time, my task was to draw 3D models for machine parts. In fact, this is not an easy task because
there are hundreds of parts waiting for me to model. Drawing parts takes a lot of time, but as long as
everyone works according to the plan, the work can be completed on time. I have a colleague named bill
(a pseudonym). His task is to assemble 3D model parts drawn by other interns in SolidWorks. After starting
to complete the task assignment, our team planned the deadline for completing the task. This is very
urgent, because if the person in charge of the previous task does not complete it on time, the whole
project will be delayed.
When the work starts, I start working immediately, because my work is the most important. At this time,
bill was very relaxed because there was no ready-made model for him to start working. He began to watch
TV dramas at work, especially when the supervisor was not in the office. It seems that he came to the
company to watch episodes. At first, we didn't care, because this behavior has been used to us. As long as
the work can be completed on time, it's no big deal. But one day, it was close to due date of Bill's project. I
found that the parts we sent him were stacked in the folder in his computer and had not been opened at
all. We were very surprised because the deadline of the plan was coming soon. Once the project is delayed,
it will affect the evaluation of our whole team, and then affect the scores of all of us in this course. Bill
began to express his great regret. He explained that the work was too boring, and he was very skilled in his
work and would complete the accumulated work with high efficiency, so he planned to complete it before
the deadline, but he obviously forgot that the work assigned by the company was different from that
assigned by the school. This can not be solved by "communicating" with students, because everyone's task
is different. Finally, our entire project team had to pay for his negligence. A few days before the deadline,
all of us worked 12 hours a day to catch up with him, including himself.
B)
Seriously, I'm angry about Bill's behavior. I knew him in school. His behavior is not so much a lack of
enthusiasm for work, but more like his strategy. By delaying the delivery of tasks, he gives himself more
free time and forces other members of the group to pay for his behavior. Obviously, he didn't realize that
the internship was a rare experience, but thought it was an interesting off campus trip. In this process, he
evaded his responsibility and let me and other colleagues bear it, which is undoubtedly unfair. This
behavior is very dangerous, especially for other interns who need to bear the consequences for him. In
order to solve the problem, we have to work hard every day, which makes everyone's mental state quite
poor. A friend of mine admitted that he almost had a car accident on the way to the company because he
was too tired. In addition, we have to engage in jobs that have nothing to do with ourselves, just to solve
the problems caused by bill. After all, Bill's work is not particularly familiar to others except himself, which
is why Bill seemed so confident at the beginning. I once thought about reporting this to our supervisor, but
after several days of repeated thinking, I gave up this idea, because after all, we haven't graduated, and we
will get along for a long time after completing the internship. But that's why I'm very angry. He is my
classmate and basically has a good relationship in life. We can't even restrain people like Bill.
C)
My personal view is that everyone should do his best within his ability. If not, at least not affect the team,
because the achievements and returns of the team are higher than those of the individual. I think this is
not only a belief, but also the most important experience that mankind has learned in thousands of years
of evolution. No matter how outstanding a person's ability is, his ability and energy are always limited. At
this time, we should highlight the strength of the team. If you can't contribute to the team, at least don't
be a weakness of the team, which is often fatal in the workplace.
D)
In my experience, no matter what you do, there will be "procrastinators" who like to put everything to the
last minute. At the same time, there will always be colleagues with a lack of sense of responsibility. For the
behavior of these people, in addition to condemning, it is more important to learn how to avoid the
negative impact caused by such behavior. It is wrong to let this behavior go, and communicating with the
competent authorities may be a potential solution.
E)
It is undeniable that ethical dilemmas vary greatly and occur in the working life of all engineers.
Human beings are creatures with complex psychological activities, and it is biological instinct to seek
advantages and avoid disadvantages. This psychology will lead to a series of moral problems. Bill's
behavior is very obvious. In the work of team cooperation, he did not consider the interests of the group,
but put personal habits, or his own interests first. It is certainly immoral for our team, but for him
personally, he is defending his interests, and bill used this as an excuse. Certainly， no one cares about his
defense. In the case mentioned above, Bill's behavior does not only involve him personally. He will soon
find that his reckless behavior will lead to his interpersonal relationships are compermised because
colleagues cannot rely on them to take account of the needs of the team or company when making
decisions.(Dowling D et.al.2020)
Another point that needs to be mentioned is utilitarianism, which is a moral theory developed by
philosophers Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill. Its objective is to maximize human happiness and
minimize human suffering, but these things can not be accurately measured. Most importantly, utilitarians
attempt to calculate the overall happiness and suffering a target group will experience, and avoid
considering the reality that happiness and suffering may be unequally distributed within the group.
(Dowling D et.al.2020) Take bill for example. When he imposed his task on us, while sharing his pain with
others, he did not share his happiness with others. In fact, as far as our feelings are concerned, he seems
to be enjoying the process, because his job is shared by others. Although it's hard to understand how
much bill enjoyed the process, from the result, he succeeded in making himself happy and others
miserable.
F)
According to the results of this internship, our team has achieved seemingly good results. After all, not
every internship team can win the title of excellent team. Although it is an internal selection, it also proves
the ability of our team as a whole in some aspects. The experience and lesson is that sometimes you have
to cooperate with colleagues who play the role of team weakness. What you need to do is not to focus all
your energy on your work and take care of your teammates. In my opinion, this is not an arrogation, but a
kind-hearted supervision to ensure that the overall interests are not affected. In fact, I am full of
confidence in the future. After all, this internship is not a real working state, and many situations can not
be solved according to the conventional methods. Maintaining a good relationship with my classmates and
colleagues is an important point that can not be ignored in my career success in the future. Whether in
school or in the workplace, extensive contacts and relationships are essential, which is related to whether
we can get a place in the hidden job market.
A few years ago, I might have been angry about similar things for several days, but now I understand that
people can't easily change other people's habits and working methods. We should be prepared to deal
with such situations. It is not simply understood as condoning the negative behavior of others, but giving
positive guidance to the goal. Common negative behaviors can be well solved by exchanging opinions,
transmitting values or stimulating initiative.
In the future, I will continue to improve and summarize my experience in work, and enrich my experience
through teamwork again and again. My goal is to complete the task to the best no matter what
environment I am in, whether it is an individual or a project team as a whole. It can be expected that this
process will be full of challenges and there will be countless difficulties waiting for me, but I am confident.
learning journal entry 2
A)
In the EPP course, we conduct the tutorial in a small group. In theory, there are a total of 6 members in our
group. Unfortunately, only four students attended the tutorial. We basically have group discussions in
every tutorial, and we will also give feedback to the task of other group members, which is a very positive
cooperation. However, even such a harmonious peer review group also has disharmony to a certain extent.
In fact, not everyone in the group will follow the requirements in the task. This has happened more than
once. For example, my tutorial is on Wednesday, but until tutorial, I can only find some members'
documents in the canvas files, which makes me unable to give sufficient feedback to everyone in the class.
I have to read my classmates' documents in the meeting and prepare feedback for them in a very short
time. The feedback effect can be expected to be greatly reduced. Of course, I will ensure that I will not
make such mistakes and give team members enough time to analyze my task and give me feedback.
B)
Although I feel depressed about this behavior, I'm not particularly worried. Because at least the students
are still completing the task. Although it bothers me that I didn't hand in the task in advance according to
the regulations, at least the feedback can be completed.
C)
My personal belief is to prepare what needs to be done in advance so that I can be comfortable at the
beginning of the tutorial. This is not only good for individuals, but also good for the team. It can reduce the
pressure on us to a considerable extent and deal with various forms of setbacks more quickly.
D)
What needs to be clear is that people often can't assign the best team members to cooperate with
themselves. Moreover, people are diverse. It is predictable to meet colleagues with different personalities,
habits and abilities at work. We should be prepared for this.
E)
According to my experience, when we can't solve the problem of team members' negative work or
learning attitude, we just need to think about the problem. We should consider whether there is a more
realistic solution to the existing problems. Fortunately, the problem I encountered was just an episode in
my learning career. I had enough time to reflect. As suggested by Virginia tech（2018）, reflecting on
problems will stimulate our thinking and learning of internship work experience.
F)
Participating in EPP is a very meaningful experience. I learned a lot of knowledge in this subject. In the
foreseeable future, I will continue to encounter the problems I have encountered. Fortunately, I was
probably ready to use the knowledge I learned in EPP.
In the future, I will continue to improve and learn what I learned in this subject. I don't think I can fully
understand it in just two months. It takes time. Most importantly, I am full of confidence in the future.
learning journal entry 3
A)
After participating in the EPP course, I still think about whether my performance in the course is qualified.
As instructed in the tutorial, it is very effective and wise to reflect on experience and mistakes. I also had
problems participating in the course. I always couldn't focus on the key points when I gave feedback to the
team members. Compared with other people's feedback, I think my feedback is always a mere formality
rather than a kernel, although part of the reason is that my team members submit tasks very late, which
makes it too late for me to make a detailed analysis. Just like the feedback of the third task, in the seventh
week of the course, several people in the whole group didn't submit their own parts, so I couldn't provide
them with feedback. I think this affected my performance in this course.
B)
I am very worried about such problems because I think it may affect my final score. Although I once
consulted my tutor on this issue, she said that it would not have much impact on the results, because the
scoring is for individuals rather than teams, I think we still need to seriously think about this issue, because
it is a part of the classroom content.
C)
Personally, I'm not used to completing tasks in limited time. If I need to provide feedback, I hope I can have
more time. In short, upload the task earlier.
D)
Personally, I think it is very difficult for me to urge my classmates to treat the EPP and tasks with a more
positive attitude. Let alone that we are not acquaintances, and in theory, they submitted the tasks just in
time for the deadline, which bothers me.
E)
Reflecting on this issue, I think it still needs further supervision. This is difficult to achieve in the school
team, but I think we will get due supervision in the formal work, because it is related to everyone's core
interests. That is why eflection on problems benefits us from various directions. After all, it is through
reflecting about the actions at work and the concrete experiences that will lead you to recognizing that the
experience.(career.vt.edu, 2018).
F)
As a result, the members of our group have basically completed the task, and I have no idea of changing
their behavior, because I feel a little unrealistic. I once thought about whether I should explain this
problem to tutor, but it is not a very serious problem for individuals and the current team, so I gave up and
just hope they won't have similar problems in their future career.
As for my plan, I will also reflect on the consequences of this problem. I think it depends on the specific
situation. Therefore, I decided that I should depend on the situation. Although it doesn't sound like a very
positive idea, I will take responsibility for my decision and avoid negative situations as much as possible.
Summative reflection
It is not easy to achieve the subject learning objectives, not to mention the need to attend the course on
time, complete character feedback and peer review, and also need to read a lot of literature and materials.
Fortunately, there are a large number of documents in canvas, especially reading list. There are a lot of
resources, which are difficult to learn systematically in other places. In order to achieve my learning
objectives, I also read a lot of articles on job hunting, as well as different versions of cover letters and
interview instructions. The information is very messy, so it is only for reference. Most importantly, we
understand the importance of reflection in our career, because we learn from reflection, not others. This is
not easy and requires students to learn it throughout their career.
In canvas,I can easily get a tutorial on getting an engineering position, which is very detailed. If I can't
understand, just follow the instructions in each tutorial. In the tutorial, I learn through reflection. In the
past, I was always used to learning from failures, but the EPP guided me another way to enrich myself.
Through the perspective level of reflection, I knew that I should also reflect on my experience and grow
from it.
Reference:
Fook, J. and Gardner, F, (2007), Practising critical reflection : a resource handbook
Yocco, Victor. (2018), Dwelling On The Past: The Importance Of Self Reflection (Part 2),
https://www.smashingmagazine.com/2018/01/importance-self-reflection-part-2/
CAREER AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT, (2018), Reflecting about your experience Reflecting.
https://career.vt.edu/experience/Internships/reflect.html.
Dowling D, Hadgraft R, Carew A, McCarthy T, Hargreaves D, Baillie C, & Male S (2020).Engineering your
future : an Australasian guide.
https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/uts/reader.action?docID=5915858&ppg=166
Appendix A :
Screenshot of Recruitment Information
Appendix B:
Feedback Preparation Grid for reflective learning journal part B
Appendix
C:
Peer review group charter