Cover Letter
April 8, 2019
Dear Selection Committee,
Thank you for accepting my application for the position of Research Associate at Murphy Research. I learned about the position from a job posting on glassdoor.com. I am a recent Fulbright grantee and 2016 graduate from Lawrence University with majors in Chinese and East Asian Studies plus a minor in Anthropology. I believe that my strong sense of self-motivation combined with my in-depth research and data collection experience make me a strong candidate for this position.
For my Fulbright grant in 2017-2018 and Henry Luce Foundation funded research in 2015, I self-designed and executed an ethnographic field study in Guizhou, China focused on Miao women batik artisans. I designed interviews, surveys, and observation sessions which I conducted in both remote and urban settings in Guizhou Province. This required a high degree of independence, organization, attention to detail, and flexibility coupled with strong communication and interpersonal skills in both Mandarin and English. I successfully:
- Crafted self-designed survey and interview questions, organized logistics, coordinated schedules and worked together with a large number of highly diverse administrators, government officials, students, and minority women artisans, and carried out 50+ surveys and 70+ interviews.
- Conducted data entry and analysis of my survey data using Excel and SPSS.
- Translated my interviews from Mandarin to English, conducted a literature review, and compiled my findings into an extensive 100+ page ethnography which was awarded Magna Cum Laude honors.
I am exceptionally interested in the position of Research Associate at Murphy Research, and look forward to discussing my qualifications further in an interview at your convenience. I can be reached at (630) 864-7437 or via e-mail at [email protected]. Thank you for your consideration.
Best wishes,
Katie Uram
Follow-up Letter
Dear . . .
Thank you so much for taking the time to interview me on Wednesday for the Research Associate position. I greatly enjoyed meeting you and the other team members as well as learning more about your work at Murphy Research.
My enthusiasm for the position and my interest in working for Murphy Research were strengthened as a result of the interview. I believe my education and research experiences fit excellently with the job requirements and I am confident that I would make a significant contribution to the team.
I hope you will all feel free to call me at 630-864-7437 if I can provide you with any additional information. Again, thank you for the interview and your consideration. I look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
Katie Uram