Wri$en Applica-ons CV s Cover Le$ers Job Hun-ng

Transcription

1 Wri$en Applica-ons CV s Cover Le$ers Job Hun-ng

2 Session Overview How to write an effec-ve CV? - Format, content, visual impact etc. How to write a good cover le$er? - Targe-ng the le$er & selling yourself.

3 CV- first point of contact 1 st CV 2 nd Interview stage stage Interview Job Your CV is one of the most important documents you will write Culmina7on of educa7on and experience to date Your Marke7ng Brochure

4 30 seconds to make an impression! You re here!

5 The Recruitment Process Employer Job and Person Specification: Qualifications; Skills; Experience; Expertise Short listing of Applications: Application Forms, CVs, Supplementary Information CLEAR MATCH UNCLEAR MATCH Interview Letter of Refusal

6 The Applica-on Process Employee 1. Analyse the vacancy 2. Analyse your suitability Option A: Demonstrate a clear match between you and the role Option B: Send in a stock CV and application Interview No interview

7 CV Content Personal details Personal Profile Educa-on Employment Skills Interests & Achievements Referee s This is NOT a template, nor is it an exhaus-ve list. Important to take a flexible approach re: the structure of your CV.

8 Personal Details Name, address, Tel No, mobile, address. Provide home AND term address if necessary. address needs to be professional - name.surname@student.ucc.ie - NOT hotstuff@hotmail.com Change address when you leave college Include LinkedIn Profile? Weblinks to projects etc?

9 Personal Details Sharon O Connor 742 Evergreen Terrace, Bishopstown, Cork. Tel: sharonoconnor@ .ie Sharon O Connor 742 Evergreen Terrace, Bishopstown, Cork Tel: sharonoconnor@ .ie

10 Personal Profile Personal Profile, Career Objec-ve/Perspec-ve, Key Achievements etc. Summary informa-on on your core strengths rela-ve to the job you are applying to. Operates like a clear and concise response to the ques-on: Why I am an excellent candidate for this job? Needs to grab an employers a$en-on immediately Needs to be tailored to each specific applica-on you make. Context is important. Do NOT merely list a number of key words and do NOT use clichés. A profile is only useful if it is focussed & specific.

11 Personal Profile Who you are? - Target driven BIS Graduate Func7onal AFributes - Excellent knowledge of key programming languages Desirable Personal AFributes - Genuine desire to succeed/make a contribu-on 2 or 3 targeted skills

12 Personal Profile Personal Profile: Highly mo-vated and results orientated Accoun-ng undergraduate with strong customer service, numeracy, and problem solving skills. Keen to secure a challenging work placement in the Accountancy/Financial Services sectors.

13 Educa-on Provide informa-on re: dates, course -tle, university, school. Outline details of subjects studied, specific modules, projects undertaken, technical or lab skills acquired if applicable. Provide informa-on re: results achieved in specific years/ modules/projects.

14 Subject/Module Informa-on There are a number of different op-ons re: lis-ng modules: 1. Course Modules where you do not have a large number of modules (par-cularly first year). 2. Core Modules allows you to list most relevant modules studied from across the degree programme. More targeted nd Year Modules/Final Year Modules Self explanatory.

15 Project Informa-on Provide informa7on on relevant projects undertaken: Begin with the Title and a brief Descrip-on What research did you carry out? What Methods did you use? What was the analysis that you conducted? What were your findings? What result was achieved? Op-onal: Include web link to project BIS, CS

16 Technical Skills/Lab Skills etc. Important to outline the exper-se you have developed in specific areas. Do not just simply name the techniques/skills but provide some context that will help you to describe the level to which you have developed it. For example: - HTML: Excellent knowledge of HTML, developed while undertaking individual web design project.

17 Educa7on 2008 Present: Masters of Social Science (Social Policy), University College Cork. Result: Expect to Graduate with 2nd class Honours Grade 1 (2.1) Core Modules Social Policy & Social Exclusion Gender & Social Issues Research Disserta-on Social Policy Issues Applied Social Research Prac-ce Assignment 2 nd Year Project An evalua;on of social service provision for the travelling community in Ireland Carried out an extensive literature review of exis-ng social policy and social service provision pertaining to the travelling community in Ireland. Conducted face to face interviews with the key stakeholders including members of the travelling community, Pavee Point, Social Services and the HSE The project was presented in the form of a 3,000 word report which outlined the purpose, research methods, analysis and result of the study. Result: Received First Class Honours for the project.

18 Employment Work Experience, Professional Experience, Relevant Experience, Engineering, Teaching, Accoun7ng, Placement Experience. Different headings can be used to highlight par-cular experiences that you have. Provide good, clear and concise informa-on re: the du-es that you had/have, and the work that you carried/carry out. Use professional and descrip-ve language to outline this informa-on. The informa-on is best presented in bullet point form. Resources:

19 Employment Also provide details on what you achieved in any given job. Informa-on should be results based where possible; not just task based. For example: Received 2 monthly sales awards for exceeding sales targets. Look at sample job descrip-ons with regard to Jobs you have held. Useful in wri-ng your own informa-on in a professional manner. Do NOT copy and paste! Look at the language that is used and the points that are made. Can you apply any of this informa-on to your own experience? Make it your own.

20 Key Ac-on Words Analysed Prepared Organised Assisted Facilitated Liaised Researched Monitored Maintained Supervised Planned Ordered Ini7ated Improved Reviewed Responsible Involved Par7cipated Established Assigned to

21 Employment Summer 2006: Barnardo s Ireland, 18 St Patrick s Hill, Cork Student Support Worker: Worked under the supervision of Senior Support Workers. Provided prac-cal support as appropriate to service users in crisis. Liaised with relevant organiza-ons & statutory bodies on behalf of service users. Maintained accurate records and compiling wri$en reports. Accompanied Senior Support Workers to mee-ngs, conferences etc. Summer 2005: Cork Youth Informa7on Centre, Marlboro Street, Cork. Youth Informa-on Officer: Advised service users in rela-on to available resources. Worked within a mul-disciplinary team and par-cipa-ng in associated mee-ngs. Contacted clients and seqng up appointments. Report wri-ng; maintained and updated client records. General research and kept up to date with changes in legisla-on.

22 Skills Skills sec-on is useful in certain circumstances par-cularly where you are applying for posi-ons where you have no experience, or in areas that are different from your degree background. Transferable Skills: Skills learned in one field of work that can be easily adapted to a different field e.g. Communica-on, Teamwork, Decision Making etc. Job Related Skills: Skills of qualifica-ons that are directly relevant to a specific job e.g. proficiency in C++, AutoCAD etc. Providing some context is also important. Anyone can say they have good Teamwork skills so you need to provide some context that is evidence based

23 Skills Teamwork: Good Teamwork & Communica;on skills acquired through con-nuous work within academic, sports, and work related teams over the past 3 years. Developed strong interpersonal skills and enjoy working with other people. Data collec7on and interpreta7on: Numerous projects conducted involving qualita-ve (interviews) and quan-ta-ve (sta-s-cs) data collec-on and interpreta-on. Have developed an excellent ability to collate and present large amounts of informa-on in a clear and concise manner. Presenta7on: Experience in formal presenta;ons, conducted before fellow class members, academics and project sponsors. Sponsors included members of the Economic and Social Research Ins-tute and heads of an interna-onal Project management group. Computers: Have completed European Computer Drivers Licence (ECDL). Excellent working knowledge of Microsos Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint, Internet and . Also have a good knowledge of SPSS and have strong typing skills i.e. 50 wpm.

24 Interests & Achievements This sec-on of the CV is frequently overlooked by applicants. It is NOT overlooked by employers! Highlight your interests & achievements be they spor-ng, academic, work related etc.

25 Interests & Achievements You will need to provide good informa-on on current interests and involvements. Involvement in clubs & socie-es is increasingly important. Use subheadings if necessary. This can be useful from the point of view of presenta-on and clarity in this area.

26 Interests & Achievements Soccer GAA Music Cinema Travel: Have travelled extensively throughout Europe & South East Asia. Lived and worked in America during the summer of University: Ac-ve member of UCC Philosophical Society a$ending debates & workshops. Served as commi$ee member with philosophical Society for 2009 academic year. Sport: Member of Lee Valley Rowing Club & par-cipate in numerous compe--ons. Member of UCC Rowing Club & compete at Senior Intervarsity level. Computers: Completed European Computer Driving License (ECDL) Volunteer Work: Regular volunteer for both Cork Simon and AWARE Full clean driver s licence.

27 Referee s In general 2 references are required. Usually at this point, students will use 1 work reference and 1 academic reference. You will need to ask permission first before including their details on your CV. Keep the referee s informed about posi-ons you are applying for. It is also a good idea to give a copy of your CV to the referee s. When applying abroad, include the country code in the phone numbers i.e. +353

28 Referee s Referee s: Patricia Mahon - Course Coordinator, Department of Applied Social Studies, University College Cork. Tel: , name@ucc.ie Jennifer Purcell Principle Social Worker, Barnardo s Ireland, 18 St Patrick s Hill, Cork. Tel: , name@barnardos.ie Referee s: Available on request

29 Proof Read! Worked in a busty office 1999: Career Break to renovate my horse Received a plague for Salesperson of the Year Skills: Strong Work Ethic, A$en-on to Detail, Team Player, Self Mo-vated, A$en-on to Detail. Revolved customer problems and inquiries.

30 Targe-ng your CV A successful CV is targeted to the specific job criteria set out by the employer. These criteria will be found in the job descrip-on and the person specifica-on. In short you need to find out what the job involves and then think about how you meet the requirements. A targeted CV will highlight the evidence an employer is looking for. A generic CV will hide it.

31 Targe-ng your CV Employer Needs: - excellent academic record - IT skills - communica-on skills - wri$en, verbal and presenta-on skills - ini-a-ve - problem solving skills - good command of English - commercial awareness - enthusiasm and mo-va-on - leadership poten-al You will then need to provide concrete evidence of the above in your CV

32 Targe-ng your CV Is the job descrip-on enough or do you need more informa-on before applying? How can you find out more about the post?

33 Cover Le$ers Every -me you make an applica-on, your CV should be accompanied by a cover le$er. Why cover le$ers? - Opportunity for you to personalise your applica-on and to stand out from other applicants. - It is your first chance to make a strong impression. - Opportunity to give an overview of your suitability for the job being applied for by focussing on key strengths and experience.

34 Cover Le$ers Structure Presenta-on: - One typed A4 page only - Own address top right - Employer address top les - Important to include the date Dear Sir/Madam? Use a persons name where possible. This can increase your chances of your CV being reviewed.

35 Cover Le$ers Structure A well wri$en cover le$er should have a natural, logical progression and flow. Opening Paragraph: Introductory Info - Who you are - What you are applying for - Where you saw the job adver-sed - Brief details of your Degree, University etc

36 Cover Le$ers Structure The Main Body of the cover le$er will address some key points: Why them & why that job? - Why are you interested in the job? - Why are you applying to that par-cular organisa-on? Why You? - Why are you a strong candidate? - What par-cular skills & experience do you have? - What do you hope to gain from the job? - How does it fit into your career plans? Important to provide concrete evidence to support all statements.

37 Cover Le$ers Structure Use the Job Descrip7on & Person Specifica7on to target your cover le$er. Iden-fy the key requirements for the job and address these points in the le$er. In the job descrip-on & person specifica-on, the employer is saying This is what we are looking for In your cover le$er you are replying: I have what you are looking for and this is the context in which I have it

38 Cover Le$ers Structure Final Paragraph: Brief wrap up - Sign off by reques-ng an interview and indica-ng your availability to a$end same. - E.G. I would be delighted to a$end interview to discuss the posi-on and my own background in further detail. Looking forward to hearing from you. If sending a specula-ve applica-on men-on that you will be in touch with them to follow up your applica-on.

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