In this blog post, I share a sample application essay I personally wrote while preparing to apply to a credit card company, focusing on how to authentically convey personal experiences.
My Growth Journey
“Approach everyone with an open mind, free from preconceptions and prejudice.”
This is an important life lesson I learned from my dearest childhood friend.
As a child, I was extremely shy and timid. Afraid to speak to strangers first, I often found myself unconsciously forming various preconceptions when interacting with people. For instance, I assumed older people disliked children, and office workers were too busy to even notice a kid like me. The woman standing behind me seemed like she’d just nag endlessly and never give a sincere response to anything I said. That’s how I always pictured negative images in my head first whenever I encountered people. As if justifying my own shy nature, these preconceptions only piled up. Eventually, I reached a point where I’d guess someone’s personality based solely on their facial expressions or outward appearance, without even trying to have a proper conversation. I never made an effort to get to know their true self; I just quietly stepped back, trapped by the prejudices I’d created inside myself.
Unlike me, my best friend was someone who viewed the world positively. She believed everyone was inherently kind to others and approached strangers without hesitation. Of course, sometimes people responded curtly or coldly. But when I’d see that and say, “See, I knew that person wasn’t friendly from the start,” or “I bet they don’t have many friends either,” she’d shake her head and reply: “Maybe they were just having a bad day today.” And just as my friend said, the negative images or preconceptions I built up in my mind were usually wrong. In fact, far more often than not, people treated us with unexpected warmth and kindness. Through her actions, my friend gently corrected my bad habit of judging people based solely on my imagination.
That experience left a deep impression on me and remains an important guiding principle in my life to this day. Even now, when I first meet someone, the habit of judging them based solely on their appearance, tone of voice, or some outward aspect still rears its head. But whenever that happens, I recall that childhood memory with my friend and try to approach them with a more open mind, thinking, ‘There might very well be another possibility in the world that I haven’t seen.’ Because I now know well that once you tear down the wall of preconceptions, a world far warmer and kinder than you imagined can unfold before your eyes.
School Days
“The Pure Encounters of School Days”
School days were the happiest and most precious time of my life because I could meet diverse friends without being constrained by my parents’ jobs, grades, or personality. Personally, I believe this is the time when people can connect most purely. Once we enter society, unavoidable responsibilities and roles inevitably arise, and even human relationships become influenced by interests or status. In that sense, school days were a time of freedom, unburdened by social constraints, when one could genuinely become friends with someone.
From my childhood, my father maintained unwavering friendships with people he met during his school days. Watching him, he often spoke to me about the preciousness of pure camaraderie. Perhaps influenced by this, I too tried to get along with anyone without prejudice or distance. I vividly remember how we naturally got along without judging each other’s grades, backgrounds, or personalities—whether it was the friend who showed little interest in studies and often worried teachers, the friend who set their sights on a prestigious university early on, the quiet friend, or the cheerful prankster. The friendships from that time feel especially warm because they grew out of shared laughter and mutual understanding, not comparison or self-interest.
Looking back now, there were moments back then that seem impulsive or reckless. Spontaneous short trips taken without planning, or the big and small incidents that straddled the line between rebellion and everyday life. Of course, we must have caused our parents worry, but through those experiences, I learned and felt so much. Especially, I can sincerely share those choices and experiences with my father, and the memory of him listening to my stories seriously and understanding me remains a warm memory for a long time.
Though we all lead different lives now, those pure encounters and free-spirited times from our school days still sparkle within my heart. Everyone has such a time, but I believe the depth of those memories depends on how you lived them. I hope you, reading this now, also have at least one such sparkling memory from your own time, and that it becomes a comfort that gently wraps warmth around your life.
Strengths and Weaknesses of Personality
“An Attitude of Respecting Diversity”
I want to open possibilities for everyone. Since everyone lives with their own unique background, thoughts, and experiences, I aim to adapt to as many people as possible. Society often patterns perceptions of people with phrases like ‘history repeats itself,’ ‘people these days are all the same,‘ or ‘the older generation always sees the younger generation similarly.’ However, I believe the world holds far too many diverse colors to force our everyday richness into such generalized frameworks.
Of course, for scholars who must survey human history or distill it into a single paper or book, some level of generalization may be necessary. Academically, it’s unavoidable to encompass human diversity and individuality to a certain extent. But in our lives as individuals, as we meet diverse people around us and build relationships, I don’t think we need to categorize and define people with such barren, rigid phrases. It’s like how trees in a forest look similar from afar, but up close, each one has its own distinct shape and grain.
Therefore, while I believe patterns for how to adapt to, communicate with, and respond to diverse people can be developed through experience, I firmly believe we should avoid the attitude of prematurely defining and categorizing people we don’t yet truly know. People are subjects to be understood, not judged. This mindset is precisely the foundation for valuing diversity and striving to provide a rich, varied service tailored to each individual’s specific needs. Moving forward, I intend to continuously strive for better service and deeper understanding, grounded in this conviction.
Values
I aspire to maintain an open mind that avoids erecting walls between people. Of course, we accumulate certain probabilities and knowledge through life experiences. However, I believe it is wrong to apply that accumulated experience uniformly to everyone, imposing a yardstick of preconceptions. Statements like ‘People of this type generally react this way’ or ‘People with this background usually have this tendency’ are merely statistics based on the majority trend. They cannot be mechanically applied to each individual person. The average is just that—an average. Countless individuals exist in the world who choose paths entirely different from that average.
Even if someone exhibits behavior or reactions that align with common preconceptions or stereotypes, I believe we should only recognize and accept that after meeting and experiencing them directly. First impressions or images of a person are like a blank canvas; starting with a clean slate allows us to accept them as they are and naturally fill in that image through experience. However, if we sketch the outline from the start with unfounded preconceptions or biases, or approach them by repeatedly erasing and overwriting a wrong impression in our minds, the residue of that prejudice inevitably remains like a trace, ultimately clinging to that person like a label until the end.
People cannot be defined by statistics alone. That is why I always strive to approach others with an open mind, seeing them as they truly are. I believe that only when we approach with such an empty heart can we truly meet the real person.
Reason for Applying
I have always pursued new challenges without being bound by preconceptions. My life’s direction, driven more by the allure of unknown possibilities than familiarity, naturally aligns with your company’s vision of adapting flexibly to changing market conditions and continuously creating innovation. Your youthful, fresh image and agile approach to swiftly identifying and responding to customer needs have instilled in me a strong motivation to pour my youthful passion and capabilities into this environment.
Furthermore, my experience of actually applying for and using your card to personally experience your service reinforced my conviction. I felt satisfaction beyond that of a simple product or service, and the positive impression gained during that process solidified my resolve to become part of this company and create greater value at the customer touchpoints. Feeling that my disposition, experience, and values align with yours, I sincerely apply for this position.
Post-Hire Aspirations
I will respect customer diversity by providing ‘eye-level service’ tailored to each individual’s circumstances and needs, free from preconceived notions. I will deliver service based on actual customer insights I’ve personally gathered and accumulated, not on biases or assumptions. To this end, I will continuously learn and strive, doing my utmost to ensure every customer feels respected in their own right. Should I join your company, I sincerely look forward to meaningful encounters with diverse customers and will wholeheartedly serve them to ensure these interactions lead to satisfaction and trust.
