1208 Eaton Jones

Ames, IA 50011

7, May 2012

Human Resources
Microsoft
1 Microsoft Way
Redmond, WA 98052

To Whom It May Concern,

I am writing to express my interest in the Sr. Marking Communications Managerial position
currently available in the Greater Seattle Area. The job description details that Microsoft is
avidly seeking a creative professional candidate in managerial communications that may provide
a passionate and vibrant impact on the marking aspect of the company. To succeed as an
influencing asset to the marketing communications group, it states that candidates should possess
a sophisticated composition process and strong organizational strategies that inspire ideas for
various pieces of work.

This previous semester at Iowa State University, I was enrolled in English 250, a course
on analyzing written, oral, visual, and electronic composition. The goal of the course was to
provide each of us with the ability to develop our own person skills in reading, writing, and
analyzing information. Weekly reading log reflections gave me the opportunity to not only
practice with rhetorical analysis, but they allowed for advancements within my composition
skills. To fully engage in the readings and grasp its content to an adequate extent that it can be
thoroughly analyzed, I developed a much stronger composition process: a three step method that
extensively reads each assigned essay / excerpt to fully understand the context covered. Each
read through highlights a slightly different aspect, whether its content, organization and
substance, or rhetorical strategies, thats permits stronger pre-writing and drafting ideas. Topic
decisions tend to be a bit more difficult as I like to select a subject that I have an immense
passion for, but can more importantly relate to the audience and successfully achieve its purpose.
Writing about topics that I have a strong interest and desire for tends to illuminate the success of
my paper. During the drafting stages of each assignment, I begin with a simple free-write to
allow for the flow of all ideas that could lead to a unique approach that wasnt previously
considered. A second drafting method takes all of the brainstormed / free-writing ideas and
establishes separate outlines to better indicate where each idea may take me, while strengthening
the structure and organization off all the material that will be presented. Once I have multiple
structured outlines created, I can begin narrowing the types of research material needed to
sufficiently support the many areas of interest. An elaborate research process, whether it be for a
mediated research report such as assignment 5, or the use of rhetorical methods in an essay.

Because English 250 stresses written, oral, visual, and electronic communications, an in-depth
assignment was given to cover each of the WOVE areas. The Written communication analyzes
professional writing to assess its purpose, audience, and rhetorical strategies and involves
writing source papers identifying and accurately documenting appropriate source material
(English 250). During the course, two major written assignments accentuate written
communication: Assignment 3 Rhetorical Analysis and Assignment 5 Mediated Research
Essay. During the initial writing process and finalization of assignment 5, I had the upmost
confidence in my writing ability and the success of the paper. Despite my assurance, the final
draft posed a few flaws that affected the overall substance and organization of the paper. For
that reason, it is safe to say that the revised assignment 3 represents my best work in written
communications. The goal of the assignment was to signify how a text fulfills its purpose for a
particular audience through the use of certain rhetorical devices. After taking into account the
tremendously helpful recommendations, the accidental content and thematic based paragraphs
were transformed into rhetorical analysis, satisfactory transitions were implemented and replaced
weaker introductory and concluding sentence and the overall substance and organization greatly
enhanced.

Oral communication referred to the effectiveness of invention, organization, language, and
delivery strategies, both in team groups and individually. According to the companys required
skills and experience, stronger interpersonal relationships and cross-team environments is a key
aspect in candidates. It is irrefutable in my mind that the individual oral presentation for
assignment 5 was the finest example of my oral communication skills. Because I presented on a
topic that I had substantial knowledgeable about, the presentation intrigued the audience in a
positive manner while delivering the content in a clear, explicit tone.

The most fascinating and gratifying assignment of the semester was the mini assignment portion
of assignment 4. Although it was a minor assignment in the accumulation of our total grade, the
assignment involved developing one solid idea / argument about one of the web documentaries
viewed in class and denoted visual communication: rhetorically analyzing a film or
documentary. According to the feedback given, the substance of the essay was specific and
detail-oriented and interesting to read without suffering in organizational strategy. It was
deemed as a truly excellent essay and hearing those words relays back to the goal of the course
and expresses the potential I may have as a writer.

I can see that Microsoft has a compassionate interest in candidates with a technological
background and English 250 provided new discoveries and understanding in technology that
have allowed me to appropriately call myself a technical acumen. When presenting information
to a class, it is important to present the material in a way that attracts the audiences attention, but
focuses them on the important aspects of the discussion. I found that the discovery of Prezi - an
online tool for designing and creating presentation software to be a brilliant method for
enabling speakers to become great presenters. Prezi gave me the opportunity to create best class
presentations that I had given throughout the semester: The Source of Carbon Dioxide
Emissions. The orange sun template correlated with the topic decision, making for an interesting
look and the smooth transitions from one slide to another allow the audience to feel as if the
information is flowing evenly, rather than stuttered and rough.

English 250 has given me every possibility to develop myself as a writer, speaker, and analyzer
and through the persistent effort in the class to succeed; I have truly strengthened many of my
weak points as a writer and the skills I have gained will aid me as I move forward in education
and grow as an employer. I am ready and able to take on the specific roles and responsibilities of
a Sr. Marketing Communications Manager and I will be a benefit to the company.

Respectfully yours,
John Fleiner
John Fleiner
Iowa State University | Computer Science
& General Business & Mathematics
(507)-219-7278
jfleiner@iastate.edu