This blog post provides concrete guidance on how to structure and persuasively showcase communication skills—a core competency in service roles—using experiences and examples within your application letter, aligned with the actual application writing process.

Focus your motivation and job competency statements on experiences and efforts

“You can’t always live as you please, but once you start something, see it through to the end.”
During my sophomore year of college, I began working part-time at a newly opened franchise restaurant. Since it was my first part-time job, I hadn’t anticipated how challenging the work would be. Contrary to my expectations, the tasks were physically demanding as I struggled to get accustomed to them. To make matters worse, a discount promotion began, drawing a large crowd of customers. This made it impossible to properly serve each customer individually, and I couldn’t deliver the service they expected. As the physical strain grew, I started wondering if I should just quit. My parents responded, “You can’t live life doing only what you want. What would you accomplish in life with that kind of attitude?” Their words made me change my mind. I decided to return to the restaurant and continue working. The physical strain remained, but as I became more familiar with the workflow, the work became easier. Though this part-time job, my first real work experience, was a harsh lesson, enduring the hardship taught me how to adapt to situations. I learned that if you take responsibility for your tasks and see them through diligently, you can grow into a better person. Working at the franchise restaurant involved frequent customer interaction, and while conflicts sometimes arose, I quickly learned to discern customer needs. Dealing with diverse customers also honed my ability to respond appropriately. I believe this experience provides me with the skills to excel at CJ Olive Young.

Please describe your most rewarding experience during university and the efforts you made to achieve that goal

“The positive mindset of viewing failure as a valuable experience”
I passionately pursued awards in multiple design competitions but never won one. So, for the coffee shop print design competition during my final semester, I prepared with even greater passion and determination than ever before. I teamed up with one classmate to prepare, but since we both had part-time jobs, our meeting time was limited. So, we met once a week to visit the coffee shop location and observe its features. Even while working, I carried paper and pen to jot down ideas whenever possible, making sure not to miss any. We selected an idea we were both satisfied with, but hit a major wall when we reached the print production stage.
While I could use basic Photoshop functions, my limited skills meant I couldn’t produce the desired work. So, I started learning step by step: referencing Photoshop-related blogs and seeking out people around me who were skilled with the tool to ask questions. Initially, my limited skills produced subpar results, but I gradually created higher-quality work that I could submit to the contest. Although I unfortunately didn’t win the contest, the sense of accomplishment I felt upon completing the work stayed with me more vividly than the exhaustion from working through the night. Ultimately, it was an experience that allowed me to confirm my passion, making it a successful contest for me, regardless of the outcome.

Please describe your goals after joining the company and the preparation/efforts you will undertake to achieve them

“I will become a valuable asset at Olive Young by leveraging my customer service expertise.”
No matter how excellent a service or product’s performance or price may be, effectively communicating this to consumers is no easy task. At CJ Olive Young, I aspire to become a valuable asset who effectively delivers great products and services to consumers using my unique customer service expertise. If I join CJ Olive Young, I will initially focus on mastering foundational tasks perfectly. I believe only after building a solid foundation can one develop their own effective know-how and strategies. Furthermore, based on this strong foundation, I will continuously research how to communicate effectively with customers. To achieve this, I believe it is essential to regularly monitor other drugstores. I will benchmark services not currently offered by Olive Young to provide customers with better service. I will also consistently observe and evaluate the needs and reactions of customers who regularly use Olive Young to provide tailored services accordingly. Furthermore, I will not rest solely on the development of my own team. I will continuously communicate with other teams to maintain harmonious relationships and share good ideas with department members to become a talent who contributes to the overall growth of Olive Young. Moving forward, I will relentlessly strive to build Olive Young’s unique brand, differentiated from other companies, based on the expertise accumulated at Olive Young. I will also dedicate myself passionately to nurturing junior colleagues.