Front End Developer Cover Letter
To the Better Proposals Team,
I'm a front end developer with about a year's experience building sites for small businesses and individuals. I've learned everything at my own pace through a combination of online courses, documentation, and practice.
I've tried to focus on the fundamentals. Areas I need to work on:
- APIs
- Version control collaboration
- Data storage
- Servers
- Backend languages
I'm less interested in graphic/aesthetic design and more interested in design for users, as in, making their lives easier. Insofar as these are the same thing, I'm interested in both.
I'm still exploring my interests, but one of those interests is design and psychology. For instsance, printing on deep red or blue paper makes you more likely to be believed. Why? I have no idea. But it's interesting! I don't know if that will be relevant to this position, but I wanted to show that I have an interest in this stuff.
I have a working knowledge of JavaScript, but I'm learning more everyday. I recently finished my first JavaScript-driven project, a web app called Pairings, and you can read more about that in my portfolio.
Over the past three years I've managed two web stores for two small businesses. From those experiences, I've gleaned a breadth of skills that I believe would help me excel at Sefaria.
I've never shied from learning new skills, particularly technological ones. When I had to build a web store for the Sentinel, learned how to use WordPress, WooCommerce, and hosting solutions. At the Marfa Store, I learned how to use Shopify and Printify. When I wanted a website for myself, I learned how to write HTML and CSS, and use static site generators like Hugo. In my current role as a freelance web developer, I've become proficient with Canva in order to mock up website designs. My current client is an equestrian event center called Prairie Rose Arena. My eagerness and ability to learn has been invaluable in every position I've held.
I've always been exceptionally diligent and organized. This has been particularly valuable for managing projects. When the owners of the Marfa Store decided to sell it, they had me conduct a full audit of the inventory and turn out a value estimate. We carried many kinds of products, so it was an undertaking that required extensive planning, meticulous record-keeping, and endless double-checking of my work. I used Google Drive and Sheets to store everything, and color-coded it to make it cogent. The owners sold the store this past winter.
I don't get excited about a lot of companies the way I get excited about Sefaria. As a Jew, especially given recent events, I believe the preservation of Jewish learning and culture to be nothing less than imperative. In a broader sense, I'm enthusiastic about good information, well-presented. And not only is Sefaria an amazing project, but the people who work there seem committed to doing it well. I'm pretty much in love with the website, and the social media is spot-on.
At the moment, being a contractor would suit me better than being an employee. That said, Sefaria is on my shortlist of dream companies I'd like to work for someday in a software capacity. My schedule is flexible, so operating on East Coast time won't be a problem. At the moment I'm based in Iowa.
I'm eager to put my skills to good use for a great cause, and to learn and grow along the way.
Sara Joy's Cover Letter
I have been very interested in web development for a long time and am currently "leveling up" in order to be able to work successfully with the latest web technologies and frameworks.
I've been playing with HTML and CSS as a hobby since 1999, then PHP & MySQL came through my work around 2015 (and later JavaScript) because we urgently needed an intranet system/database.
Recently I have mine blog built in SvelteKit and I'm in love with it! Of 4. April (today!) i'll start a 20 week one Bootcamp (in my free time) to learn even more about React/Next.js, Prisma, and authentication methods.
I have a lot of experience, and now I'm making sure that the core of my "T-Shaped Expertise" is frontend development. I "know the ropes" and am very willing to get to know more ropes!