Analyzing a Job Posting

Everyone, at some time in their life, has to look at, and respond to a job posting.  This response usually includes a resume and cover letter.  What many people concentrate on while composing these documents are their own specific skills and experience, which are very important.  But the one thing that people often forget is that they can hand tailor their resume and cover letter for each specific position that they apply for.  Some of the things that one could research before composing a resume and a cover letter for a specific position include: the nature of the company's business, its values, its corporate structure, its history, and also its accomplishments.  Then, after researching these items, one could link them to their own personal values, structure, history, and accomplishments.  I am going to go through the process that I took while researching and typing a resume and cover letter as if I were applying for the position.

Job Posting
The job posting that I will be "applying for" is for a Part-Time Student Position in Forestry Quality Engineering through John Deere.  I found the posting on John Deere's website, by conducting a simple search.  The position is located in Dubuque Iowa. The posting itself is located at the end of this article.

History
While researching the history of John Deere I was surprised to find out that John Deere, as a company, has been around since 1837.  But it wasn't until 1918 that it started manufacturing tractors.
The way that I would link my history to that of John Deere is I would state that I have a farm background, and my family has been using John Deere machinery since the 1940s.  I may even state that I helped restore my great-grandfather's 1949 John Deere MT (a model of tractor).

Values
The John Deere website states that its four core values are integrity, quality, commitment, and innovation.  Knowing this, I would try to show that my personal values line up with those of the company.  I would state how I was raised ,embedded the fact that quality is what matters, and that if something wasn't done right, it had to be done again.  I would also possibly state how I helped redesign the tool inventory process at one of my previous jobs, to make it far more easy to operate and also perform much better. This would align with their values of quality and innovation.

How to put these into a cover letter/resume
Just simply knowing about a company, and relating it to yourself, will not make your cover letter better.  While creating your cover letter, you want to point out these similarities, but then expand upon them.  You don't want to focus on the company's achievements, but your own. And the last thing that you want to do is sound desperate.  You want to be polite, but not a brown-noser. They could interpret this to mean that you do everything that you are told and not think for yourself. 


Job Posting

There are 7 billion people on this planet and by 2050, there will be 2 billion more. Making sure there is enough food, fiber and infrastructure for our rapidly growing world is what we’re all about at John Deere. It’s why we’re investing in our people and our technology like never before in our 175-year history. Here, the world’s brightest minds are tackling the world’s biggest challenges. RIGHT NOW.

Job Description 

Part-Time Student - Forestry Quality Engineering - Dubuque, IA-50666146 Why John Deere: John Deere combines innovation and technology to produce exceptional equipment and services that delight our customers. We are a world leader in providing advanced products and services and are committed to the success of customers whose work is linked to the land – those who cultivate, harvest, transform, enrich and build upon the land to meet the world’s dramatically increasing need for food, fuel, shelter and infrastructure. Since 1837, John Deere has delivered innovative products of superior quality built on a tradition of integrity.  We make John Deere a great place to work through an emphasis on work-life balance and a values-based culture that encourages professional development and community involvement. What You’ll Do The Part-Time Student Program is primarily designed to augment the Company's regular full-time staff, and is for students who work in parallel to their school schedule. In this position you will: Analyze customer warranty data to identify quality improvement projects Drive customer warranty issues back into production line inspections Work with supplier quality engineers to identify corrective action for supplier part issues What It Takes We need excellent communicators, who thrive on solving problems and working in a team environment.  Ideally, you will be pursuing a degree in Mechanical, Agricultural or Industrial Engineering; others may qualify.  In addition, we require: Must be registered as a full-time student at a local university Must be able to commute to the work location on a daily basis Graduation date of May 2017 or later  Cumulative GPA of 2.8 or above  16 - 20 hours/week during the academic year 35 - 40 hours/week during the summer semester Knowledge of Microsoft Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, and Word What You’ll Get At John Deere, you are empowered to create a career that will take you to where you want to go. Here, you'll enjoy the freedom to explore new projects, the support to think outside the box and the advanced tools and technology that foster innovation and achievement. Part-time employees receive competitive compensation and are eligible for many benefits, including tuition assistance. Can you imagine the challenge of a lifetime and a rewards package that makes it all worthwhile? The information contained herein is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities and qualifications required of individuals performing the job. The qualifications detailed in this job description are not considered the minimum requirements necessary to perform the job, but rather as guidelines.  John Deere is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to, among other things, race, religion, color, national origin, sex, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, status as a protected veteran, or status as a qualified individual with disability. Job - Quality Engineering Primary Location - United States-Iowa-Dubuque Organization - Construction & Forestry Schedule - Part-time Shift - Day Job Posting Date - Apr 21, 2016

Collaboration In Mechanical Engineering

Group work is one of the things in life that we either love or hate.  It all comes down to the ability to plan, be flexible, and be fair.  Engineers have to collaborate on a daily basis in order to overcome tasks.  One of the main reasons for collaboration in engineering is a time constraint.  We have all heard the common expression that time is money.  This is very true in the sense that we, as humans, are genetically impatient.  We want things done fast, and will even pay more to have it that way.  With more than one set of eyes on a project, it generally can get done much faster.  This is possible because we all have different skills and techniques, which enable us to spot others mistakes, or do something faster.

Major Collaborations

One of the most recent examples of collaboration in engineering that I could think of is the collaboration between Ford Motor Company and General Motors on developing a new 10 speed transmission.  The transmission is designed for use in front engine rear drive applications, such as the Ford Mustang and the Chevrolet Silverado.  The main reason for the collaboration in this case was to not only cut the required time for development, but also cut the costs normally attributed to research and development.  The transmissions, which started development in 2014, are planned to go into production on the 2017 Camaro ZL1 and the 2017 Ford Raptor.

How to Effectively Work as a Group

UsaToday.com says there are seven things that, if done correctly, take the pain out of group work. These seven things are: Choose group members wisely, find out how to communicate, set deadlines, take control, don't procrastinate, use your resources, and last but not least, stay positive.  Out of these seven tips, I believe three are the most important: communication, take the lead, and stay positive. 

Communication

Without communication a group just isn't a group, and is more just a couple people who are all confused as to what is going on.  For a group project that I am currently working on we used three forms of communication.  The main two we used were email and in-person contact. The third medium of communication that we used was texting, and we only used this in order to get a message out quickly to everyone.  We also used Google Drive to work documents and spreadsheets all at the same time, without having to physically be together.

Taking The Lead

Some people are born leaders, while others have to learn that useful skill.  Either way, having leadership skills will help you survive through your group project.  Whether it be scheduling group meetings or being the one to turn in the final project. Also as the group leader you are usually the one who makes sure all of the assigned tasks are completed, and picks up the slack if they aren't. 

Staying Positive
The one thing that can completely destroy a group project is a bad attitude.  The moment that you start yelling at or getting frustrated with your group members, is the moment that your group project has started going down hill.  The best thing to do is keep your head up, and just push through. This way you are not putting unneeded stress on yourself or your group members.