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GO! The Work & Skills Wise Service have devised this self-help guide to assist you with useful hints, tips and examples to support you in your job search.
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Your Work & Skills Wise Advisor will be supporting you throughout your job search with this pack being used as your reference tool to help guide you through to your ‘Passport to your future’.
Contents
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CV writing What do I include on my CV? Top tips CV example
7 Cover letters 8 Speculative letters 8 Responsive letters 9 Speculative cover letter example 11 Application forms 11 Why do companies ask for application forms to be completed? 11 Top tips 1 3 13 13 13
Job searching advice Social media In person approach Online
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Interview preparation Before the Interview Top tips The day of the interview
Thank you so much for the opportunity to learn so much it has really put me so far ahead in my new job.” Garrent, Caldicot
With your help I’ve got experiences that I would never had ive got my confidence back which I’m not going to let go.” Tracy, Abergavenny
17 Service commitments 18 Claimant commitments
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Curriculum Vitae (CV’S) CV’s are used by employers to sift through candidates to see how suitable they are for the job. It’s important to create a strong CV that will help you stand out – you can create a master CV that you adapt and tailor for different jobs and sectors you apply for. Remember to keep it updated. There are a variety of formats of CV’s’ you can use, the one we are describing here is the most used. For information on other format CV’s, speak to your Work & Skills Wise Advisor.
What do I include on my CV?
Your personal details – Make sure your contact information (email and phone number) are correct and up to date. There is no need to put a photograph or your gender, date of birth, National Insurance Number or anything other than your full name and contact information.
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Personal Profile – This is a snapshot of who you are and what qualities you have to offer an employer. Make sure this represents you as a person and a brief overview of the skills and experience you have that link to the job you’re applying for with your CV. Key Skills – Bullet point some of your capabilities that employers will be draw to, trying to link it to the job you’re applying for. For example, if you’re applying for a job in retail, make a point to include skills around numeracy, organisation, customer service, communication and problem solving skills. Education and Qualifications – List what qualifications you have gained, these can be GCSE’s, NVQ’s, Degree’s, licences and training. Also, if you have done training which may not have led to a formal qualification, include this too! You could put this down as “In house training including: Manual Handling; Fire Marshall training” for example. If you have held a licences that has expired, it’s a good idea to include them as it shows you have achieved this, just be open that it has now expired e.g. “Counterbalance Fork Lift Licence (expired)”.
Employment History – Always start with your current or most recent job and go back in time as you do down your CV. Include the name of the employer and your job title followed by a small paragraph or preferably bullet points detailing information about your role. Include the great transferable skills you developed here that you can take to your next employer. Some people choose to put dates they were employed with the company. We would suggest only including dates if you have no big gaps in employment and have not held a lot of short term jobs. Hobbies and interest – This is optional to include. If you have hobbies that are interesting, show off particular skills that you can transfer into work then go ahead and include this. For example, if you played in a team sport is useful to show dedication and team working skills or if you had a hobby that may show a technical ability.
TOP TIPS...
• Your CV should be no longer than 2 pages • Spell check it and proof read to avoid spelling and grammar mistakes • Don’t undersell your skills and abilities but remain truthful • Try to have a sensible sounding email address, this could be your first and last name with some numbers included • There is no need to include your reference’s contact information, just add a line at the bottom of your CV to say ‘References available on request’ • Remember, your CV needs to be a reflection of you, as you are the person needing to back this up at interview so don’t copy anyone else’s.
CV example On the next page is an example of someone who is applying for a role in administration...
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Stephanie Jo
nes
0712345678 9 Stephaniejon es321@gma il.com Personal Pr
ofile:
Being an expe rienced adm in team in a bu sy office envir istrative assistant with fam onment. A hi iliarity of work have suppor ghly organise in ted both offic d administrativ g as part of a e managers times. Takin an e assistant, I d colleagues, g pr ensuring a jo people, I have ide in establishing good b well work strong custom queries, com er services sk ing relationships with a va done at all plaints and lia ills and am ab riety of ise with othe le to answer custom r organisatio er ns. Currently in se arch of a posit ion in administ rations with an ambitions orga nisation. Key Skills: • • • • • • •
Computer lite rate with a fa miliarity on M Level 3 ECDL icrosoft pack qualification ages, holds a “can-do” attit current ude, with the ability to build and employer trust and cred s ib ility with man Knowledge an agers d strict ability to maintain co Ability to type nfidentiality at least 65 wo rds per minut Excellent anal e ytical, report writing abilitie The ability to s with strong undertake a proof reading va riety of office Great organi abilities staff roles sational and time managem ent skills
Qualifications Level 3 ECDL Community Le
& Training
arning Shirefo
rd BSc (Hons) Business Ad ministration Linklow Unive rsity
February 2009
ALevels: Info rmation Com 2001 – 2002 munication Te Shireford Co chnology (A), mprehensive English (B), M School athematics (C ) 1998 - 2000
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Work History:
March 2009 - Present Hillside Garage Receptionist professional manner ’s and repairs in a polite and • Booking in customer MOT rds reco card • Maintaining mechanic’s job cle parts with suppliers • Ordering and managing vehi information is and colleagues, making sure rs ome cust both • Liaising with y. tivel effec and rly clea d communicate onsible for record database and being resp • Effectively using an in-house pulling off reports. ments. , photocopying and filing docu • Faxing, printing, scanning tive plaints in a proficient and effec com and ies quer r ome cust • Handling using a calming and tions situa e tens se defu to able manner, being professional approach. in both the office safety policies and procedures, • Maintaining strict health and and customer waiting room. January 2003 – December 2008 Greaterfield Dental Surgery Receptionist ous clients at dental surgery, often putting anxi • Welcoming clients into the ease. organised manner. g client’s dental records in an • Filing, scanning and managin . tings mee ise minutes in team • Keeping accurate and conc e and dental ing suppliers and ordering offic • Faxing, emailing and phon equipment. letters to clients. • Typing and posting routine osoft Office. ts, reports and letters using Micr men docu ing alter and • Creating g card payments. • Handling petty cash and takin records of other staff. holiday, absence and training • Updating, maintaining the plaints in a com and ies quer with ing and deal • Answering the telephone professional manner. strict Health and and waiting room, abiding by • Maintaining a clean reception ns. latio regu Safety rules and volunteers and office juniors. • Supporting and mentoring
References: est
References available on requ
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Cover Letters A cover letter can be used to introduce your CV to a specific employer. This shows your keen interest in the company and helps to get you noticed. It starts a more personal connection and can be used to explain your circumstances and why you want to work for that particular company. Every cover letter you send off needs to be tailored and aimed at the company your applying to as you give reasons why you want THAT JOB with THEM.
Speculative Cover Letters There’s are used when your sending your CV into a company who may not have a vacancy advertised that your applying for. You may have seen a new article that the company is expanding or you know someone who works there and they believe they could soon be recruiting. Introduce yourself and why you’re interested in working for them.
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Responsive Cover Letter This is a cover letter to accompany your CV where you are responding to a live vacancy. You may want to include the job reference and make this cover letter detail exactly how you meet the person specification’ in the job description. For more information about person specifications see the job application section of this booklet. Both types of cover letter have the same principles • Give your reason for applying for the job – do you share the same values and principles as the company? Have you been a customer with them and feel you would fit in well with the teams and culture there? Have you worked in this area of work before and feel this is a progression opportunity for you? • Write it in the format of a letter. These could be sent in form of a letter of via email to introduce your CV.
Speculative Cover Letter Example Monmouthshire Carers Office Administration Role Dear Monmouthshire Cares, I am emailing you to declare my interest with your company in Office Administration role. Being a carer myself for my uncle who has multiple health conditions, I have gained a huge appreciation for the work that care workers do. This is what has sparked my interest in working for a care company who provides a high level of care. I believe that this gives me an appreciation of the work the front line carers do, and I would like to support as much as I can in an office based capacity. I am particularly interested in working for Monmouthshire Cares because I have family and friends who have been recipients of care from yourselves and think highly of the services you provide. I like to live my life in an open and honest way so particularly relate to your ethos of being ‘Open, fair, flexible and achieving’. As you can see from my CV, I have previously worked in the customer service industry but also had elements of administration in these roles which I am looking to further. From keeping accurate records through to updating online spreadsheets, I have a strong understanding of Microsoft Office as well as experience of customer service both face to face and over the phone. I have a full UK driving licence and access to my own car, so would be able to travel as required by the company and get to and from your office. Kind regards, Joe Bloggs
PLEASE NOTE... If this person was applying with a ‘responsive cover letter’ for a job advertised, all they would need to do was start off by saying ‘I am applying for the role of Administrative Assistant as advertised through Monmouthshire News’. 9
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Application Forms Why do companies ask for application forms to be completed? 1. Provide a good structure for you to explain your experience, skills and qualifications- some companies will not accept CVs. 2. An application form allows an employer to collect the information that is relevant to their business. 3. Allow employers to compare candidates in a way that’s fair. 4. Greatly reduces the number of applicants - applicants are more likely to complete a quality application form from applicants who are interested in the vacancy and not just pressing a button to send their CV across.
MHA have helped me a lot when I needed someone to talk to.” Stephen, Chepstow
TOP TIPS...
• Know the closing date and who you need to send it to, make sure that you have enough time to submit a quality application. • Research the company, this will give you an understanding of their values and then you can include these in your application. • Use the ‘personal specification’ to work through all the points to show the employer you match their specification. Think of it as a questions and answers. E.g, if it says ‘Possess a high level of customer service’, then write about how you have used customer service in previous roles, give details and examples to prove you can do this. • Take your time, completing a quality application can take several hours. • Get your application proof read and if possible ask for feedback from a friend, colleague or a person who will give you constructive feedback before submission. 11
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Job Searching Advice There are many ways and places you can job search from internet based job sites, social media, word of mouth through to handing CV’s into businesses or approaching an agency on a speculative approach. Internet job sites such as Indeed, Reed and Find a Job are the most popular and there are a lot of people using the sites so how do you get ahead? You can register your CV on the most popular sites and make it public for employers to read it, that way you can concentrate on a more personally tailored approach to your job searching. Use sector specific websites such as construction, retail and care. If there is a particular company that you would like to work for look on their websites in their current vacancies page (as this will limit the amount of applications) A good idea is to phone the organisations that you would like to work for and speak to the person in charge of recruitment and introduce yourself.
Social Media: Facebook; Twitter; Linkedin – these have job site support pages on them, from locally organised and created groups through to larger job advertising groups such as Facebook’s ‘Just the job Gwent’ and ‘Charity job finder’.
In person approach: Take your CV to companies, speak to family and friends and previous colleagues you have worked with to let them know you’re looking for something new. Go and look in shop windows and search through Notice Boards. You could also do some volunteering to not only build up your experience but to get yourself out there and meet new people that could help you on your search for your next job.
Online: Indeed; Reed; Find a Job; Monster; CV Library; company specific websites such as ‘Monmouthshire County Council Jobs’ pages – there are so many.
PLEASE NOTE... Doing any of these things noted here can also be used to put on your DWP job searching journal to evidence the efforts you are making in finding your next job. 13
Interview Preparation So you have got to interview, what should you do next? Give yourself a pat on the back getting to interview is a compliment – you applied alongside a lot of applicants and you have been shortlisted, usually down to the top 5 so well done.
Now you should plan and research your interview... What is the date and time of the interview? What do you wear to the interview? How are you going to get there?
Before the Interview: • Plan your route – how are you going to get to the interview? Drive or use public transport? If driving make sure your car has fuel and is ready to go the day before, make a dummy journey before to time and know the route check facilities for parking. (Just in case you have to walk from the parking facilities to allow time). • What to wear - Suitable clothing to the job, be smart and clean, clean shoes and dress appropriately. 14
• If taking public transport know the timetables and make sure it will arrive in plenty of time to get to the location for the interview (allow for delays better to get there early and have a coffee to go over notes than cutting it too fine or even being late causing stress and impacting your interview). • Prepare your examples in advance, research to company in depth, know what they do, who their customers are and the services they offer. You will often be asked at interview what you know about the company and why you want to work there. • Get some answers to potential questions prepared - the personal specification will give you a guide of what could be asked at interview.
This programme was wonderful, the support and advice I received was amazing.” Corinne, Monmouth
When giving answers to your questions, it’s a good idea to use the CAR model to frame your answers – make your examples follow a structure: C - Circumstance, give the circumstance and context to your examples. A - Actions, give the actions which you completed and why. R - Results, give the results of the example from your actions impacted on the circumstance. By using this structure it will help you to take your interviewer on the journey of your example in your CAR. For example, if answering a question around teamwork you could say: CIRCUMSTANCE “Whilst volunteering for Monmouthshire Housing Association on Reception, the Facilities Team I supported had a Health and Safety Audit to prepare for with a 3 day deadline.”
ACTION “To help the team, I offered to support with covering reception as well as helping them to prepare for the audit to make sure we met the deadline. I assisted by communicating with the team on what support they needed, organising paperwork they required, collating a spreadsheet of information and answering general calls for the team that meant they were able to focus on the audit preparations.” RESULT “This resulted in the audit being completing on time with less pressure on the team as the workload was spread out and all preparations completed.”
TOP TIPS...
• Building a library of examples will help you to stay fresh so you can be confident in your answers at the interview. • If possible get someone to go through a mock interview with you in advance. Your MHA Work & Skills Wise Advisor is more than happy to help with this. 15
The day of the Interview
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Plan to arrive at your interview location 10 minutes before no earlier than that.
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When greeting your interviewer use eye contact, smile and shake hands.
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When offered a drink say yes to water - this will buy you valuable seconds if you needing thinking time for an answer, take a sip and use the time to compose your answer.
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Always address the person asking the question.
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If you don’t understand or haven’t heard a question ask for it to be repeated, it is better to ask for clarification than answer what you think you heard.
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Have some questions to ask the interviewers, e.g: “Can you tell me about the training opportunities with the company?” “How and when are you letting the interviewees know the outcome of the interview?”
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At the end of the interview thank them for their time, shake their hand again and say goodbye with a smile.
Being prepared will give you confidence.
I would not have been able to do this if it wasn’t for funding, encouragement, support and help.” Amy, Usk
Good luck!
We look forward to supporting you with your ‘Passport to Your Future’ 16
Service Commitments Our commitment to you
• Our services will be delivered online and over the phone • You will be contacted within 3 working days of your referral being made • We will try to get hold of you in a number of ways • We will make at least 3 attempts to contact you • If we are unable to contact you, your case will be closed. You will be able to access the service again. • You will need to give written consent to access our services • Updates will be given to you throughout your case, based on your individual circumstances • Customers can contact Inclusion Services at any point to discuss their case or request a follow up appointment
Customer Commitments
Whilst working with Inclusion Services you will need to: • Be open and honest about your full situation • Let us know in advance if you need to cancel or change your appointment • Keep us up to date of any changes to your situation, including contact details • Keep in touch with us and update us of outcomes of work that we have done • Provide us with feedback that may improve our service
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Claimant Commitment What is it?
.Gov states “When you claim Universal Credit you will need to accept your Claimant Commitment. In most cases your Claimant Commitment will be drawn up during a conversation with your work coach at your local jobcentre. Your Claimant Commitment will set out what you have agreed to do to prepare for and look for work, or to increase your earnings if you are already working. It will be based on your personal circumstances and will be reviewed and updated on an ongoing basis. Each time it is updated, you will need to accept a new Claimant Commitment to keep receiving Universal Credit.”
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What are you expected to do? With many job seekers being expected to spend 35 hours per week job searching as part of their ‘Claimant Commitment’, noted on the reverse are some of the many actions they can include as part of the claimant commitment and job search process. These actions should minimise the risk to the job seeker having their benefits ‘sanctioned’ and help them gain employment.
Practical steps you can take to showcase you are committed to your claimant commitment: Job searching online: • Browsing on other job searching sites • Applying for jobs on ‘Find a Job’ and other job search sites • Browsing and applying for jobs on companies specific websites • Attending job clubs • Searching social media job pages – e.g. Twitter; Facebook job groups; Linkedin profile updates Job searching in person: • Approaching companies directly with CV • Walking around the towns / developments / industrial estates, looking in company windows and information boards for job adverts, then following up by handing in CV’s and sending off applications • Making contact with agencies • Searching through job pages in newspapers and magazines
Appointments: • Travel time to and from JCP or other work related activity appointments • Appointments with support providers e.g. Work & Skills Wise staff, Careers Wales etc. • Going to meetings at agencies • Attending interviews Training & skills development: • Attending volunteer / work experience placements • Attending day courses, e.g. food hygiene, manual handling, health & safety, CSCS training etc • Attending essential skills training – IT, English, Mathematics etc • Attending job searching programmes • Interview preparation work
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0345 677 2277 customerservices@monmouthshirehousing.co.uk www.monmouthshirehousing.co.uk Monmouthshire Housing Association Nant-Y-Pia House, Mamhilad Technology Park Mamhilad, Monmouthshire, NP4 0JJ facebook.com/Monmouthshire.Housing twitter.com/mon_housing
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