of it is also borrowed from the opening paragraph of the same sample:
I have found your studies on viral proteases to be fascinating and I feel that while I will be able to contribute expertise to your project I will also be able to develop and expand my understanding of inhibitor function. (Sample letter)
And, I think that if I will be able to expand my research skill with your company I will also be able to use the knowledge that I will obtain there to improve the quality of my PhD research. (Chatri’s letter, first draft)
After writing this initial draft, however, Chatri remained uncertain about the effectiveness of this sentence, so he asked Michele about it in their one-on-one conference. Their discussion, as the excerpt here illustrates, gave him more confidence in retaining the sentence but also prompted him to expand this closing paragraph in additional ways:
Chatri: Do you like this sentence [And, I think that if I will be able to expand . . . ] or not? Because, actually, I saw from the example that you gave me, but I think that because the intern position normally we don’t make some contribution so much to the company, just practice the skill or something—
Michele: -yeah, so they’re hoping to nurture future researchers.
Chatri: -then, I come up with some sentence that “I think that if I will be able to-“
Michele: Yeah, I like that. Like I say, I think it’s good that it’s all there. I just think you need, um, maybe here where you say, “Many of your company’s research areas very interesting,” like specifically what about them do you find interesting?
Chatri: I see.
Michele: That might give them more of a sense of how you’re going to contribute.
Chatri: Oh.
Michele: Because I think you’re right. For a lot of these internship positions, it seems to me they don’t really expect you to be totally contributing to the company, because otherwise they just give you a job instead of an internship. But you’d still want to know—
Chatri: I see, so some specific topic or project—
Michele: that they’re working on. If you know of any. I mean, since this is all hypothetical, you might not know. (Conference, October 2, 2002)
The final version of Chatri’s closing paragraph, then, is a coordinated mixing of two sample letters and oral feedback from Michele, as well as his own preferences and goals.
The borrowing of words and phrases from the sample letters is found most commonly with what might be considered to be formulaic or conventionalized phrases. Many of these phrases were new to Chatri, and the samples provided him with a kind of scaffolding for composing his letter:
I don’t know what kind of meaning of some sentences, and I have to look to copy something. “I’m writing in response to your advertisement.” I use this kind of sentence in my cover letter. And I think “In response to you . . .” Actually, if I didn’t see the example of this, I will not write this sentence because I don’t know what the meaning of this. And also in the final paragraph, I also have to see from the example. For the second paragraph, it just tell about me. It’s not too difficult. (October 2, 2002)
Chatri went so far as to say that without the formulaic phrase “I’m writing in response to . . .” he would not know how to begin the letter. Textual fragments like these guided him through the rhetorical maneuvering of the opening and closing of the letter—moves that seemed to pose particular challenges for Chatri as a novice to the genre.
Chatri’s primary strategy for learning this new genre became mining sample texts for conventional phrases and discursive structures. By reading a variety of samples, he developed a preference for some styles over others, and he was able to adapt the samples’ generic structures and actual words creatively in composing a text that matched his own sense of the genre. In the subsequent year and a half, Chatri did not have any opportunities to write a cover letter, so one can only guess what he retained from the assignment and the practice. Nevertheless, at the completion of the WCGS course, Chatri commented that the cover letter assignment was useful because, in his words, “we have to show some writing skill” (December 2, 2002).
Yoshi: Borrowing Identities
Unlike the other writers, Yoshi had seen examples of cover letters through websites and electronic mailing lists that he belonged to, yet he had never written a cover letter himself. Although this was a relatively new genre for him, he found it somewhat similar to another self-promotional genre—the graduate school statement-of-purpose essay:
I think [the statement of purpose is a kind of cover letter, but statement of purpose is too long, so I have to write [this] using letter style and too short one. Statement of purpose is also too difficult to organize. (September 23, 2002)
Despite this past experience with U.S.-style self-promotional genres, Yoshi was indeed a novice to this type of writing, and he began the WCGS unit with more questions than answers.
When planning his cover letter for WCGS, Yoshi told me that he would first choose a “virtual” target audience, writing his letter to apply for an advertised job. After having written his first draft, Yoshi illustrated his growing understanding of the genre, describing his letter as follows:
Cover letter is to apply academic job or industry job. Introduce oneself and . . . generally, the cover letter is attached to the documents, and give brief introduction and background. And this time, the object of the cover letter is to apply academic or industry job, so I wrote my brief- where I note the information and my background and descriptions. Then and finally my contact information. (October 16, 2002)
With the exception of the second sentence of his letter, Yoshi’s first draft generally follows the template presented by John and Tae in class (see Figure 3.5), which was (1) explain the purpose for writing, (2) explain your qualifications, (3) closing remarks, and (4) contact information. A revised second draft was unchanged except for the addition of a third paragraph that described Yoshi’s prior work experience in more specific detail. Yoshi’s letter in fact closely resembles the seven-part move structure outlined by Bhatia (1993), most particularly in the last three moves: using pressure tactics, soliciting response, and ending politely.
| Bhatia’s (1993) MovesOffering candidatureEssential detailing of candidatureUsing pressure tacticsSoliciting responseEnding politely | Yoshi’s Letter, First DraftDear Mr. Greim,I am writing in response to the Simulation Engineer position posted on the High Frequency Measurements web site. Having been employed with Hitachi Ltd. previously, I know firsthand that your corporation is a strong and growing organization in which I could meaningfully contribute the engineering and management experience I’ve gained through both education and experience.My academic career, work experience, and knowledge of simulation engineering have prepared me well for this position. I have studied electromagnetic field theory, transmission line theory, methods and tools for analyzing designs through academic and work experience.I am confident that we would find it mutually beneficial to discuss my qualifications face-to-face. I will phone your office at the end of next week to arrange an appointment. You are also welcome to contact me at the numbers on this letterhead. I look forward to meeting with you. Thank you for your time and consideration. | John and Tae’s TemplatePurpose for writingBackground and qualifica-tionsContact informationThanking |
Figure 3.5. Yoshi’s first draft cover letter in WCGS.
The second sentence of the letter (“Having been employed . . .”) is especially noticeable because it makes an interesting rhetorical move that was not discussed in class. Here, Yoshi
