Cover Letter/Motivation Letter/ Personal Letter

(Sample 1)
Environment, as a field, had always fascinated me right from my undergraduate college days. I
believe my penchant for this field stems from the fact that environmental issues are increasing day
by day in all over the world. Man‟s search for security, comfort and efficiency did not affect our
ecology until very recently. Uncontrolled population growth and the concomitant additional
requirements have led to deforestation and the destruction of the natural habitat for thousands of
species. Oil spills, industrial waste and the indiscriminate use of agricultural chemicals have polluted
our environment to an alarming level.

My educational background has instilled in me the qualities required to meet the rigor of this
demanding profession. Graduation in Environmental Sciences has provided a strong foundation in
understanding the environmental problems relating to waste, water, and air in different areas of life.
Solid waste, wastewater, water supply and sanitation were the main subjects in which I had always
excelled right from my bachelor to master degree. During the course of my Environmental
Education, I took up several projects with World Bank, Asian Development Bank and National
Development Bank of Pakistan that are described in my enclosed resume. This association helped a
lot in consolidating my understanding about the environmental and regional developmental skills,
especially in water supply and sanitation in developing countries and solid waste. Thus, it inculcated
in me problem solving and analytical abilities.

Master of Engineering in Applied Environmental Measurement Techniques at Chalmers University

of Technology, Sweden has not only given me a sound and firm grounding in environment but also
taught me the invaluable skills to manage, lead and collaborate effectively with people. As a result of
research projects like „Effects of Climate Change and Human Stresses on the Aquatic Environment
of Lakes in Mölndal Area, Sweden‟, „The Groundwater Contamination of the Wockatz Area and its
Remediation‟, „The Air Quality in Gothenburg -A Study on the Weather‟s Influence‟, „An Ecological
Risk Assessment on the Seals of the Baltic Sea‟ and several others, I am quite familiar with the
various analytical techniques and procedures to determine the effects of various indicators at
population and community levels and further their computer based analysis and modelling by using
different software like GABI, SADA, GMS etc.

It also developed in me the ability to analyze problems from an environmental perspective keeping
in mind the constraints and limitations of the real world and to manage them with the help of EIA,
LCA and ERA. Good reputation of high quality work environment and standards, an extremely
distinguished team members are the factors, which have motivated me to choose your organization.

I am looking forward to this position; a pursuit of career in research and experience of excitement
and satisfaction of being interest at the forefront of this vast expanding field. Based on my academic
knowledge and experience, I believe that I have the capability, and potential to take this PhD
position. I am confident that I will be an active, open minded and useful member and researcher,
willing to contribute during my PhD. I am waiting for your kind and positive response. Thank you
for your time and consideration. I‟ll be more than happy to provide any further information or
documents if required.

Sincerely,
………..
(Sample 2)
Dear Sir/ Madam,

First of all let me introduce myself, I am …………and recently (August 2007) I passed my M.Sc in
Telecommunication Engineering from Technical University of Denmark (DTU). I was
drawn to the Radioplanlaegningenior opening at SONOFON, Denmark by my strong interest
and skills in GSM Radio Frequency planning, optimization, link budgeting, nominal planning , drive
test, interference calculation, site survey for site selections and command on using Radio Frequency
planning tool like TEMS and NetAct Planner.

I did my M.Sc Telecommunication thesis project “Modeling Long Term Evolution (LTE) of 3G
Mobile Networks” in collaboration with CommWyse A/S Denmark and Research Center COM
at DTU. In my M.Sc thesis I have developed a working model for LTE mission critical applications
to get the targeted performance evaluation specified by 3GPP which includes maximum data rate
(100 Mbps in downlink and 50 Mbps in uplink), network latency (user and control plane), mobility
management and radio resource management. The model covers the concepts of all interface,
protocol heavy programming skills and UMTS, OFDM and HSPA. During this degree program I
gained in depth knowledge of WCDMA, UMTS and HSPA at radio access as well as radio access
network level.

I have done my M.Sc in Engineering Management and Bachelor of Electronics/Electrical

Engineering (4 years degree program) degrees from University of Engineering and Technology
Taxila, (www.uettaxila.edu.pk ), which is rated as one of the best Engineering University in Pakistan.

I have worked in a GSM Mobile Communication operator engineering company, Pakistan Mobile
Communication Ltd, Islamabad, Pakistan, as BSS and RF Planning Engineer for more than 1
year. My scope of work there consisted of installation, commissioning of BSS part and RF planning
and optimization for GSM network. Where I completed project related to RF planning and
optimization for giving the best coverage, capacity and QoS and solved the issues related to
interference. I also worked in fiber optic based DXX and wireless communication system in
PakDataCom (PVT) Ltd, Islamabad, Pakistan for about one year.

This is an ideal opportunity for me to apply the GSM/3G mobile communication RF planning
experience I acquire during my academics and professional career so far. I would like to take this
opportunity to apply for the said Radioplanlaegningenior position in your prestigious
organization.

I am waiting for your kind and positive response. Thank you for your time and consideration. I‟ll be
more than happy to provide any further information or documents if required.

Note: Please find my CV attached with this application.

Sincerely yours,
....................
Skodsborgvej 190, 1, 2408
2850 Nearum
Denmark
(Sample 3)

In this essay I will outline my academic and extra-curricular accomplishments. I will also discuss my
career objectives and the motivation to pursue PhD studies at the University of Twente.

The undergraduate curriculum in Chemical Engineering at Institute of Chemical Engineering &

Technology, Punjab University, Pakistan introduced me to a wide variety of engineering subjects.
Various courses like Mass Transfer, Heat Transfer, Fluid Mechanics and Transport Phenomena
provided me with a strong footing in the theoretical concepts of Chemical Engineering.

While offering both depth and breadth across this field, these courses put into perspective the
importance and relevance of Chemical Engineering and the application of its fundamentals to the
problems faced by process industry. I came to realize that the increasing complexity and magnitude
of problems faced by process industry due to rapid growth in industrialization have resulted in a
growing need for the services of engineers trained in the disciplines like Chemical Engineering.
The desire to delve deeper into this subject persuaded me to take the job of Process Engineer in a
leading process (Chlor-Alkali) industry of the country namely Sitara Chemical Industries Ltd located
near Faisalabad.

I worked as a process shift engineer and was responsible for smooth operation of the Chlor-alkali
processes which included Brine Purification, Electrolysis (Membrane and Mercury Technologies),
Caustic Concentration Plant, HCl prod furnaces, chlorine liquefaction, Ammonium Chloride and
Bleaching Powder Synthesis plants , Utilities (Boiler, Chiller, Reverse Osmosis water Treatment,
Cooling towers) and Effluent Treatment.

Later on I was assigned the responsibility of implementation of EMS system at the same industry,
and by the Grace of Almighty, I along with my team successfully implemented EMS to its full
strength by meeting all the relevant requirement of ISO 14001 standard. Resultantly, our
organization qualified the third party certification audits and was declared ISO 14001 certified in
May, 2004. During this assignment, I got acquainted with the Pollution and Energy Conservation
problems faced by the Chemical Industry and devoted a significant portion of my work to the
pollution elimination methods. As a natural outcome of my interest in Pollution control, adequate
emphasis was provided to waste water treatment and safe disposal of solid waste.

I have received the best possible undergraduate education in Chemical Engineering in Pakistan.
Throughout, my scholastic records and achievements have been outstanding. I have consistently
ranked in the top 5% of the students of my class during University education.

I am presently studying at Chalmers University of Technology in international masters program of

Environmentally Sustainable process technology. The diversity of this program attracted me and up
till now I have been able to grasp wide knowledge in areas focused on industrial energy systems,
sustainable development and pollution prevention. I have successfully completed various projects
related to sustainable development, optimization of heat & energy and pollution control. A major six
credit project work involved case study on production of hydrogen from biogas using hysys as major
simulation tool.
I am currently working on my final thesis work at Competence centre for catalysis, Chalmers
University. The work involves preparation and characterization of catalyst for NOx storage to
reduce emissions from lean combustion in diesel engines. Flow reactor measurements are being
performed to study the effect of sulphur deactivation and other critical parameters on the catalyst. I
expect to finish thesis work by the end of February.

The whole masters program is based on different research projects and subsequent presentations
and report submission, and it has revealed me of having research aptitude in myself. Moreover while
studying advanced level courses focused on process and energy systems, I feel motivated to broaden
my technical knowledge and carry out research in areas focused on chemical engineering and
industrial energy systems.

Throughout my school and university education, I have been a keen participant in extra-curricular
activities. Getting elected as the class representative continuously for five years during school and
college life helped me polish my organizational and interpersonal skills. I have been working as Vice-
president of Chalmers international reception committee (CIRC) for last one year. The work at
CIRC involved reception and support for more than one thousand international students at
Chalmers.

The years of university education and working in industry have been an enriching service experience
- both academically and otherwise. I wish to follow Masters Degree with a PhD, to pursue a career
in research and experience the excitement and satisfaction of being at the forefront of this vast
expanding field.

Good reputation of high quality education standards, an extremely distinguished faculty members
and research facilities are the factors which have motivated me to choose for my post graduate
studies at the at the University of Twente. I believe that higher post graduate studies will help me
acquire the versatility needed to reach my full potential as researcher.

It would, therefore, be a privilege to be able to secure admission to pursue post-graduate studies at

Twente. I am confident that I will match the high standards set by the department with my diverse
academic background and research & work experience.

………………
(Sample 4)

Anders Eriksson
Kungliga Tekniska Högskolan
Sweden
Reference number: S-2008-0229
Subject: Application for PhD Student at the Department of Mechanics

Dear Anders,

I am responding to your advertisement for a PhD position at the department of Mechanics. I am

studying at Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden in the Masters Programme of Automotive
Engineering. I am much eager to continue my studies leading to PhD, so I want to apply for this
post. This post seems to fit with my experience and qualification.

I have studied subjects related to this project in my B.Sc. Mechanical Engineering and M.Sc. in
Automotive Engineering. I have worked in the area of Mechanics and used many Technical
Software related to it, during my employment and studies. I have three years of working experience.
I have done different tasks very successfully in Sweden and Pakistan. I have worked with Volvo 3P
on the project “Individual suspension design on driven axles for trucks and buses”. I am now
working with GM Powertain on my master thesis “PTU (Power transfer Unit) efficiency
improvement”.

My education and experience has provided me with valuable insights to the technical aspects needed
to work in this field. I believe my qualification and your needs would be an excellent fit. I will be
happy to provide any further information or documents if required.
I look forward to your response. Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,
...............