JOB APPLICATIONSJOB APPLICATIONS

Nowadays when people apply for a job, they usually send a curriculum vitae and covering letter.

They might also send an application form supplied by the company they apply to or found on the Internet – or just send a letter of application.

PLAN OF A PLAN OF A LETTER OF APPLICATIONLETTER OF APPLICATION

1) Reference to source

2) Details of educational qualifications/employment

3) Reference to work experience/skills

4) Enclosures (CV, photocopies of qualifications, testimonials)

5) Availability for interview/hope for future contact

1) REFERENCE TO SOURCE1) REFERENCE TO SOURCE

examples:

1.I am writing to apply for the post of secretary as advertised in The Daily Mirror on 8th May.

2.I understand from Mr West, one of your suppliers, that there is a vacancy in your company for a European Sales Manager.

3.The job centre in Liverpool informs me that you are looking for a trainee Export Executive for your European Department.

2) DETAIL OF EDUCATIONAL 2) DETAIL OF EDUCATIONAL QUALIFICATIONS/EMPLOYMENTQUALIFICATIONS/EMPLOYMENT

examples:

1.I graduated from the University of Macerata with a degree in Economics and Business studies three years ago.

2.From my attached CV you will see that I obtained a diploma in accountancy.

3.In addition to the diploma I am just finishing, I have a certificate in computer programming.

2) DETAIL OF EDUCATIONAL 2) DETAIL OF EDUCATIONAL QUALIFICATIONS/EMPLOYMENTQUALIFICATIONS/EMPLOYMENT

4. Two months ago I obtained a Master in European Commerce from Reading Business College. I also possess a certificate in keyboarding skills.

5. I have been a statistician for John Taylor Plc for three years, where I am responsible for the marketing research unit.

6. Since taking my degree in Foreign Languages, I have been working as European Sales Representative for United Foods, with particular responsibility for Spain and Italy.

3) REFERENCE TO 3) REFERENCE TO WORK EXPERIENCE/SKILLSWORK EXPERIENCE/SKILLS

examples:

1.My duties included translating documents and organising conferences as well as the usual secretarial duties.

2.I was employed as a shorthand typist in the marketing department of Crystal Plc before leaving work to start a family.

3.I have a good knowledge of accountancy and book-keeping and I am familiar with computers.

4) ENCLOSURES4) ENCLOSURES

examples:

1.I am enclosing a testimonial from the General Manager of United Foods Plc in Edinburgh.

2.Copies of my qualifications and two testimonials are enclosed.

3.Please find attached an up-to-date CV and a passport-sized photograph, as requested.

4.I enclose a full CV with details of two referees.

5) AVAILABILITY FOR INTERVIEW/HOPE 5) AVAILABILITY FOR INTERVIEW/HOPE FOR FUTURE CONTACTLABILITY FOR FUTURE CONTACTLABILITY

examples:

1.I would be pleased to attend an interview at your convenience.

2.I am available for interview Monday to Friday during business hours. You can reach me on 0733 999999 or at my e-mail address faber@power.co.uk

3.I sincerely hope you will consider my application favourably and I look forward to an early reply from you.

4.I look forward to hearing from you.

EXERCISE 1EXERCISE 1

Insert to apply (for), applicant or application in the correct form in the following sentences.

1. …… you should send a CV plus covering letter to Ms S. Jenkins, the Personnel Manager, at the following address: 10 Pankhurst Gardens, London W5 1NP.

2.I should like …… the position of Export Sales Manager, as per your advertisement in La Stampa of 12/07/2008.

3.Ring us on 0733 888888 for an …… form.

EXERCISE 1EXERCISE 1

Insert to apply (for), applicant or application in the correct form in the following sentences.

4.The final date for …… is 10/01/2009.

5.We have already interviewed all …… .

6.Anybody wishing …… should send a letter of …… to reach us by no later than 11/12/2008.

EXERCISE 2EXERCISE 2

Which one is the correct word?

1. I include/enclose a detailed CV.

2. Copies of three testimonials are attached/included.

3. My CV includes/encloses full details of all relevant work experience.

4. In my current/actual position, I am responsible for three of my own staff and I report directly to the Managing Director.

5. I am currently/actually working for Times Newspaper Ltd in Banbury.

EXERCISE 2EXERCISE 2Which one is the correct word?

6. Please send a CV and covering letter with details of your present employment/employee to the address below.

7. All our employees/employers benefit from a staff canteen and interest-free season ticket loans.

8. We employ/employer over 500 staff at our headquarters in Woodstock.

9. I have a degree/graduate in Foreign Languages.

10.For your referee/reference I enclose some testimonials.

11.The interviewee/interview with the candidate was successful.

How to prepare a successful CV

WHAT IS A CV?

• Your CV is essentially a selling tool.

• It outlines your skills and experience so that a potential employer can see immediately how you might perform in a given role.

• In short, it’s an opportunity to present yourself in the best possible light.

How to prepare a successful CV

HOW TO PREPARE AND WRITE A CV.

• There are no universal rules for writing CVs.

• However, there are useful guidelines that will help you produce a CV that generates results.

• Start by jotting down notes on your education, work experience and skills.

• When recalling your previous employment, don’t simply give job descriptions: think through the purpose of each job, the responsabilities you had and the specific results you achieved.

• Next, match your skills and experience to the employer’s needs.

How to prepare a successful CV

• What aspects of your education, experience and skills are most attractive to an employer? What is he looking for?

• Remember, a CV is like a brochure for any product or service. It must promote your strengths and aptitudes and demonstrate the benefits you can bring to the employer’s organisation.

• Always be honest and accurate in your information. Often a prospective employer will use your CV as the basis of your interview.

How to prepare a successful CV

HOW TO PRESENT A CV.

Once you have identified the key information to be included in your CV – and decided the most important elements - you need to write and organise your points. Here are several rules:

make your CV simple and as clear as possible;

your CV should be no longer than two pages;

use a clear and logic format;

use clear headings, simple language and adequate margins and line spacing;

italics, underlining and capitalisation should be used only to draw attention to important information.

Covering Letter

You should always send a covering letter with your CV. The general principles are that it should not usually be more than a single page and should always be individually typed or, if requested, handwritten (whereas the CV is usually photocopied).

The first paragraph should be a brief introduction to say who you are, what job you are applying for and how you heard of the opportunity.

The second should say why you want the job, pick a number of activities which appeal and express credible enthusiasm for them.

The third should say why the employer should pick you for this job; it should explain what you have to offer.

The fourth should offer to come for interview, if required, stating any times you are definitely not available.

The covering letter is really a summing up of the main strengths of your application and a chance to demonstrate enthusiasm for the work, or to put a positive gloss on any unusual aspects which are not fully covered in the CV (eg any unexplained gaps, disappointing exam results).

It can also be an opportunity to disclose background information, such as disability or health issues.

The covering letter should relate closely to your CV, which should provide supporting evidence for any interests or skills, which you may claim.

EXERCISE 1EXERCISE 1Complete the following sentences using these words:

Then match them to the appropriate paragraph function.

1. I am an experienced user of Lotus 1-2-3 and I have a good ………… of most recent programmes.

2. My ………… in my previous position has given me valuable knowledge of the timber market in South America .

3. I ………… a diploma with ‘distinction’ in Printing and Packaging from West Hertfordshire College.

4. I would be glad to come for an interview at any time ………… to you.

5. I ………… in French and Italian from Manchester Polytechnic in 1995.

graduated convenient experience obtained knowledge

LETTER BUILDINGLETTER BUILDING

Reorder these paragraphs to make a letter of application.

a) At Rasurit Paints, where I am still employed as an Export Clerk, my current duties include liaising by phone and letter with clients, making sure shipping documents are in order, arranging insurance and overseeing the dispatch of goods. In my previous position at Nottingham Cottons as an export Assistant, I was responsible for keeping customer files up to date, doing photocopies, etc.

b) A copy of a testimonial from Nottingham Cottons is enclosed.

c) I have 5 GCSEs, including French, German and Commerce and an NVQ, level 2, in Administration. I have worked in the Export Departments of two large companies, Nottingham Cottons and Rasurit Paints Ltd since leaving school four years ago.

d) In reply to your advertisement in La Repubblica of 6th November 2008, I would like to be considered for the post of Export Clerk in your Company.

e) Should you decide to interview me, I can be contacted at the address at the top of this letter.

DO….

• Always include an e-mail address and/or telephone contact number if you can.

• Make sure you relate the material in your CV to the requirements of the job you are applying for.

• Make sure your CV provides a clear chronological picture of your life history up to the date when you apply; no unexplained gaps.

• Make sure it looks impressive: good printer quality and well photocopied on white paper.

• Keep it brief and to the point; it should not normally exceed two pages.

DON’T…

Put down everything you have ever done since the age of eleven, or earlier.

Use the same CV for jobs requiring widely different qualifications, skills or experience.

Make do with a CV, which fails to record your latest experience or current situation; get it done again!

Forget to check spelling, grammar and punctuation.

Some people choose to start their CV with a “Career Objective” or “Personal Profile”.

This is a sentence or two, designed to capture the selector’s interest by describing your main strengths linked to your career aim.

This can be particularly useful if you are applying for an opportunity which is unrelated to your degree course.

Personal details:The only details which must be included in this section

are your contact details. Marital status is not required. Age/date of birth is optional, although many employers

prefer it to be included. Nationality is more complex and the main reason for its

inclusion is to inform a potential employer of your status regarding employment in the UK.

If you are applying for a job in the UK and you are a UK or European Economic Area (EEA) national then you do not normally need to include this.

If you are from outside the EEA then you should include this information, however if you do not require a work permit you should indicate this.

Degree descriptionIt is very important to give some description of

your degree studies, but the extent of the detail and the technicality of the language depend on the nature of the job.

The sample entry is just a general description which could be used for any job which did not require knowledge of particular aspects of Biology.

The fact that you covered statistics, used computers and were engaged in practical activities could be used to demonstrate skills which would be useful in any job.

If you were applying for a specialist scientific job or a research degree then you would need to go into more detail about particular aspects of your course.

The job advertisement might indicate that experience of field work or particular laboratory techniques would be useful.

You would then expand these sections and your description of your project.

You can also develop separate sections on skills and give details of exactly how you used or developed negotiating, supervision or teamwork skills in different situations.

Work experienceIf you were applying for a caring job or training

course, in this example you would need to expand this section to show how you interacted with the residents and give details of the skills you developed (e.g. persuasive, listening and explaining).

The size of this section and the interests section taken together might be about double the space taken up by your degree description if the degree content and specialised techniques have no direct relevance to the job concerned; even more if you have extensive relevant experience.

Keep the entries focused on skills, which you know the job or course requires.

Other Skills:The CV layout places most of the emphasis on

educational qualifications and work experience. These two major sections will demonstrate the

range of skills, experiences and qualifications you have gained to date, provided you give sufficient detail about your course and the responsibilities and activities involved in any work you have undertaken.

This minor section on Other Skills simply provides an opportunity to include anything not covered elsewhere, but do feel free to amplify anything if appropriate, such as further details about your general computer literacy especially where such skills are a relevant component of the job.

InterestsThis section serves two purposes. Firstly, it shows you are human and can

enable the recruiter to get more idea of you as a person, rather than just a container of skills and brainpower.

How will you get on with colleagues?

Secondly, you can use it to show you possess relevant skills and attitudes not displayed elsewhere (e.g. you set targets and achieve them or can organise and motivate other people).

What exactly did organising the props consist of?Don’t tell absolutely the whole story but provide

enough detail to whet the recruiter’s appetite for more.

Did you contribute imaginatively to the discussion about what props were needed?

How much did you have to spend? How did you manage the money? Were you getting people to make things or obtain

articles for you?

RefereesYou normally quote a member of the academic

staff as one of your referees. This may be your supervisor or somebody else who

knows you better or who has given you high marks.

The other referee depends more on the job; it can be useful to quote an employer rather than somebody else in education, but the quality of the reference is at least as important as who writes it.

If you have not had regular or recent contact with your referees, give them a copy of your CV and provide an indication of the type of work for which you are applying.

EXERCISE 1EXERCISE 1Complete the following sentences using these words:

Then match them to the appropriate paragraph function.

1. I am an experienced user of Lotus 1-2-3 and I have a good ………… of most recent programmes.

2. My ………… in my previous position has given me valuable knowledge of the timber market in South America .

3. I ………… a diploma with ‘distinction’ in Printing and Packaging from West Hertfordshire College.

4. I would be glad to come for an interview at any time ………… to you.

5. I ………… in French and Italian from Manchester Polytechnic in 1995.

graduated convenient experience obtained knowledge