JOBSHOP
A guide to Job Applications Introduction Application forms are used by employers as an easy way to compare candidates. The employer will usually provide a job description and a person specification, which will show the qualifications, skills and experience required for the job. Understanding the job requirements and demonstrating your skills are key to producing a successful application. It is important that you follow the instructions on the form carefully. You may also find it useful to make an extra copy or download the form to practice before completing the final version.
View this article from the Guardian Careers blog has tips on how to match your skills to the job requirements http://tinyurl.com/ckorpet
Most jobs will have an application pack which will usually consist of a job description and a person specification: Job Description This gives an outline of the role, the purpose of the role and lists the main responsibilities of the post. Person Specification This lists the qualifications, knowledge and experience they expect the role holder to have. These are normally based around ‘Key Competencies’ and will often include headings such as Qualifications, Experience, Skills and Knowledge, Communications, Team working… These will vary depending on the role.
Types of Application Form Online Application form: These usually allow you to save the application as you go. They can sometimes ‘time-out’, so ensure you save regularly. It is recommended that you type your answers in word and then copy and paste into the application form. The employer will only be able to view your application once you have ‘submitted’ it. Paper Application form: Fewer employers are using paper versions of their application form. Though some will send you a simple word document for you to complete and email back to them as an attachment or post to them. If you are sent just one paper version, always photocopy it, complete a draft version, before writing on the application form.
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Application Form content The form will usually include the following sections: Education Usually in reverse chronological order (i.e. your most recent experience first). Employment / work experience Again this is normally in reverse chronological order. Usually you will list your employer (full address is not normally required), job title and your responsibilities or achievements bearing in mind the skills and experience the employer is seeking. Interests and achievements You will need to list these bearing in mind the skills and experience the employer is seeking. Personal statement This section allows you to give detailed information in support of your application.
Personal Statement The personal or supporting statement part of a job application will often be a blank page with instructions to give full details of your relevant skills, abilities, knowledge and experience which demonstrate how you meet the requirements of the position advertised. Most employers will have taken the time to write a Person Specification which list the key skills, knowledge and experience the job requires, these are sometimes referred to as ‘competencies’ They often use terms such as ‘Essential’ and ‘Desirable’ beside each competency. If a person specification has not been included with the application pack it is still possible to identify the skills and experience the employer is looking for from the job role or job advert. It is up to you to show the employer how you fulfil each of their requirements.
Before you start ü ü ü
You will need the Person Specification to hand as you will use this as a guide of what to include in your statement Make sure you carry out any instructions to the detail Do your research on the company. This will help you to further understand what the employer wants from an employee.
Put yourself in the position of the recruiting panel. You need to make it easy for the recruiter to find what they are looking for in your application. § Try to provide the relevant evidence in the order it is given to you. § The panel will score your application. They will normally fill in a table with criteria that relates to the personal specification and they will score each one you fulfil according to what you have written in your application. § If there are a lot of high scoring applications, the following will become even more important: spelling and grammar, your personality and strengths, what you can offer the employer, why you want to work for them, how engaging your application is.
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Content Style and Grammar § Be concise and adopt a professional tone. § Break it up with lots of paragraphs to make it easier to read. § Do not reduce your font size below 10. § Check your spelling and grammar. Guides to spelling and grammar are available from Learning Development; free guides also available from the Plain English Campaign - www.plainenglish.co.uk Structure Introduction § Don’t just launch into answering each point on the person specification. Use an opening paragraph as a way to introduce yourself. Say what you are currently doing and relate it to the job you are applying for. Show your enthusiasm for working for this particular company/job role. i.e. During my degree, I worked in a variety of retail sales roles where I discovered I enjoyed the combination of achieving sales targets and ensuring customer satisfaction. I have experience of leading a team where my excellent interpersonal skills created a productive work environment which resulted in increased profits. I am adaptable with the ability to learn quickly and will be able to make a positive contribution to the All Outdoors Ltd sales team.
Main content § You can use the headings from the person specification as headings in your statement. § Each point you make needs a specific example to show how you have fulfilled that requirement. Mirror the words used in the person specification giving an example of what you have done. If the person specification says ‘Experience of working in a small team’ you can say ‘I have experience of working in a small team…’ and then give an example of when you have done this. § Use descriptive words that show how you did something and what skills you used. i.e. instead of saying ‘I worked in a shop’; say ‘My work in a local newsagents involved being able to politely engage with customers whilst ensuring all transactions were accurate.’ This shows you are able to multitask, have good customer service skills, money handling skills, and are potentially both trustworthy and responsible.
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Remember to inject your own personality into the statement. Use attributes that describe you i.e. outgoing, enthusiastic, methodical…etc. § Ensure you only use positive language. Do not be negative or self-depreciating. § Avoid unnecessary duplication. Do not repeat information that is already recorded elsewhere on the form. i.e. You do not need to state your full university course title, but can instead say ‘at University’. Try not to use the same examples or sentences. Try not to use the same ‘key words’ too often. Use the thesaurus to choose suitable alternatives § The Employer wants to know what you can do for them, so don’t get hung up on your own feelings and what you want out of the job. Conclusion § Reiterate your suitability and enthusiasm for the job/company. i.e. I would value the opportunity to bring my enthusiasm, leadership skills and resourcefulness to the role of Sales Manger where I will be able to make a strong contribution to the All Outdoors Ltd sales team.
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Example person specification and suggestions on how you could show you have fulfilled the requirements:Criteria
Importance
Communications skills Essential • Ability to communicate effectively with both clients and colleagues Essential
Method of assessment Interview/Application Application
Team working • Ability to work as part of a team Organisational skills • Ability to priorities own workload •
Ability to work to tight deadlines
Essential
Interview/Application
Desirable Essential
Interview/Application Interview/Application
Desirable Desirable
Interview/Application Interview/Application
Experience • •
Experience of working in a sales environment Customer service experience
Communication Skills I have excellent communication skills which I use effectively as part of my current job as a supervisor for a coffee shop. I maintain a calm and productive work environment by ensuring the front of house and kitchen staff communicate accurately and promptly to ensure orders are delivered to customers in a timely manner. I also have the ability to talk to clients in a friendly, but professional way which encourages repeat custom. Team Working I enjoy working as part of a team. During my current course at university, I participated in a group presentation. I helped ensure that all members of the team were valued for their contribution to the project and through listening to each other and co-operating we successfully organised and delivered an excellent presentation which received high marks. Organisational skills I have excellent organisational skills which I used when I organised an event to raise money for a local charity. I created an action plan where I prioritised tasks and used my excellent time management skills to ensure that I was able to run the event to schedule. I also ensured that I kept to budget, to maximise profits for the charity. Experience I have experience of working in a sales environment which included meeting sales targets. I enjoy engaging with customers where I use an approachable and friendly manner to assist with selecting appropriate products. When serving customers I take the opportunity to promote other merchandise that may not have been considered. In my role as a Sales Assistant for a clothing store I successfully exceeded the quota for selling accessories as I always showed the customer items that would complement the product they were viewing. Customers would often purchase this in addition to the item they were intending to buy.
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Editing § Leave enough time for editing. § Your statement should be no more than 2-3 pages. It will be tempting to try to include as much as possible; however, too much information will be off putting to the reader. Choose carefully your examples and use your language to convey concisely your skills and abilities. § Read the statement out loud to help you check for repeated examples, words or similar sentences and change as appropriate. § Spell check. § Ask someone else to re-read and check for errors.
Personal Statement - Quick Checklist ü ü
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Use the Job Specification as the ‘template’ for your statement. Use the key words in your statement. Make sure you fulfil each key requirement § Use examples. § Use words that illustrate your skills. Show enthusiasm for the job role. Use positive language. Do not be negative or self-depreciating. Check for repeated examples/words and change as appropriate. Remember to check your spelling and grammar and ensure you are honest.
Reviewing an application When you have submitted an application/attended an interview you will need to review your ‘performance’ and may wish to contact the employer for feedback. If you are unsuccessful in your application you may need to consider: Did I have the correct qualifications?
Was my application well written, were there any mistakes?
Did I have enough experience?
Did I give enough appropriate examples?
Did I effectively convey to the employer my skills and experience and how I would be suited to the job?
Do you know what skills you have? To successfully complete an application, you need to know what skills you have and be able to give examples of when you have used that skill. You will have gained skills from all areas of your life: work, study and personal life. How to identify and assess your skills? Take a look at the following online tools:-· § National Careers Service Skills Health Check Tools - https://nationalcareersservice.direct.gov.uk § Creative Skill Set - http://www.creativeskillset.org/careers/getting_in/ If you need further help you can contact bgfutures@bishopg.ac.uk for careers advice. When to assess your skills? § When applying for a job. Once you have identified the skills the employer is looking for, you can then use the tools to help you identify your skills and examples of when you have used those skills.
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At any time during your career to identify your skills and experience and highlight any gaps or improvements you need to make.
Useful links §
Graduate Prospects It is recommended that you take a look at www.prospects.ac.uk. Information on this website includes a detailed breakdown of how to complete an application. You will also find up to date information on selling your skills, online applications, common mistakes and links to further information. Select ‘Careers Advice’ and then
• Job Application Advice. This section of the Graduate Prospects website contains tips and information including what employers want, advice on personal statements, online applications and more. • CV's and Covering Letters. This section of the Graduate Prospects website contains Sample CV's, information on CV content and covering letter. § Target Jobs,www.targetjobs.co.uk Select Careers Advice and then scan down the page to select Application Advice for Graduates § Education Personnel Management - http://www.bishopg.ac.uk/docs/careers/Teaching/EPM%20NQT.pdf Applying for your first Teaching Post - a guide to writing a teaching CV & covering letter. §
Writing a personal statement, by Gradplus - http://www.pinterest.com/pin/422001427555628955/ See the following factsheet for advice on finding out about employers and searching online • •
http://tinyurl.com/researchingemployers http://issuu.com/bgcareers/docs/using_the_internet
BG Futures: Careers, Employability and Enterprise Services Application help An adviser can take a look at the personal statement part of your application and let you know how it could be improved. Please email bgfutures@bishopg.ac.uk for an appointment booking form. Limitations of service: Please note that you are advised to plan ahead and request an appointment well in advance of the closing date; although the Careers Advisers aim to respond to your email within five working days, during busy times this may not be possible.
Resources § Resource Centre: The Jobshop section of the Resource Centre holds a folder with leaflets and newspaper articles and books with information and advice on completing CV’s and applications. Take away publications and a variety of magazines with tips and advice on putting together an application are also available in the resource centre. § Blackboard: The BG Futures module of Blackboard has lots of resources on applications and CV’s including links to online advice and guides.
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Double check your application These are taken from real CVs and cover letters, printed in the July 21, 1997 issue of Fortune Magazine (USA). 1. "I demand a salary commiserate with my extensive experience." 2. "I have lurnt Word Perfect 6.0 computor and spreasheet progroms." 3. "Received a plague for Salesperson of the Year." 4. "Wholly responsible for two (2) failed financial institutions." 5. "Reason for leaving last job: maturity leave." 6. "Failed bar exam with relatively high grades." 7. "It's best for employers that I not work with people." 8. "Let's meet , so you can 'ooh' and 'aah' over my experience." 9. "You will want me to be Head Honcho in no time." 10. "Am a perfectionist and rarely if if ever forget details." 11. "I was working for my mom until she decided to move." 12. "Marital status: single. Unmarried. Unengaged. Uninvolved. No commitments." 13. "I have an excellent track record, although I am not a horse." 14. "I am loyal to my employer at all costs...Please feel free to respond to my resume on my office voice mail." 15. "I have become completely paranoid, trusting completely no one and absolutely nothing." 16. "My goal is to be a meterologist. But since I possess no training in meteorology, I suppose I should try stock brokerage." 17. "I procrastinate, especially when the task is unpleasant." 18. "Personal interests: donating blood. Fourteen gallons so far." 19. "As indicted, I have over five years of analyzing investments." 20. "Instrumental in ruining entire operation for a Midwest chain store." 21. "Note: Please don't misconstrue my 14 jobs as 'job-hopping'. I have never quit a job." 22. "Marital status: often. Children: various." 23. "Reason for leaving last job: They insisted that all employees get to work by 8:45 am every morning. I couldn't work under those conditions." 24. "The company made me a scapegoat, just like my three previous employers." 25. "Finished eighth in my class of ten." 26. "References: none. I've left a path of destruction behind me."
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BG Futures: Careers, Employability and Enterprise Operates in accordance with the University Diversity and Equality Policies. If you require this document in an alternative format, for example in large print, please email us at bgfutures@bishopg.ac.uk For more information go to Blackboard or www.bishopg.ac.uk/careers