Notes on CV and letter writing

Notes on CV and letter writing Notes on CV Writing Letter Writing Your CV needs to be clear and concise. Another important part of applying for Employers receive hundreds of jobs is writing a letter - either a letter to applications for jobs and any CV that go with your CV or with the application looks messy or disorganised won t even form you've been asked to complete. As be considered. with the CV, the letter should be clear and to the point. Don't ramble on for Two pages is the maximum length for a three paragraphs. Check the spelling CV. You don t need to give your life (and check it again - not just with a story. You will be able to give more computer spell-checker). Check the information at the interview stage (so grammar and punctuation. don t give it all away before you get there). If you are applying 'on spec' (i.e. a job's not been advertised but you think you Don t be tempted to use fancy fonts would like to work for a particular just because you can (and whatever you company), phone first and get the name do, don t use Word art). 12 pt Times of the person who would deal with Roman is fine. A well laid out CV will say applications or CVs and address your more about your computer skills than letter to them. It's important to get how many different fonts you can fit their job title as well. In a small into a sentence. company, it will probably be the Managing Director or Proprietor, in a Make sure the information you give is medium size company they may have correct. It can be checked and you will heads of departments or sections, and be caught during an interview if you ve in a large company there will be a made a claim that isn t true. You might Personnel or Human Resources also be tested, particularly on computer department. skills. In your letter, say clearly which job or Once you ve done your first CV, area you're interested in, tell them why remember to update it when you you want a job with them (if you're not change jobs and to add on any courses replying to a job advert). If you saw the completed or skills acquired. As you get job advertised, say where you saw it older, you may need to adjust your CV and start your letter with an underlined to reflect your experience. What you did heading - giving the job title as at school becomes less important than advertised. recent work experience. Your hobbies and interests might change as well. If you've written 'on spec' it's worth following up with a phone call after a Although it doesn t show it on the week or ten days to find out if they sample CV, it may also be good practice would be interested in seeing you. to give telephone numbers and email addresses for your referees. When you leave a job, it s a good idea to check that your employer or manager is happy to give you a reference (And always a good idea to leave them with a good impression!) 1

CV Template 1 Your Name email@address.co.uk - 07712 345678 99 Example Street, Oldbury, West Midlands, B68 0RG PERSONAL STATEMENT Here you should take a few lines, not a few paragraphs, to quickly outline your interest in the role and why you d be a good fit. Do not list out your skills here The aim is to highlight your qualities and goals, summarising why someone should consider your application. WORK EXPERIENCE Job Title Dates of Employment (The date format should be Month YYYY e.g. November 2011 May 2012) Company Name - www.examplelink.co.uk Location Responsibilities: Provide key achievements within a role and try to highlight the skills used to obtain your goal Try to avoid soft terms like high energy and aim for skills used within the role such as communication Provide enough information to entice your potential employers to call you Always keep examples relevant to the role you are applying for EDUCATION If you are looking for your first job and do not have much or any work experience at this point do not fret. Expand on your education responsibilities and apply them to real life scenarios so an employer has an understanding of what you have achieved and the means used to get these achievements. Perryfields High School, Oldacre Road, Oldbury, B68 0RG PRINCES TRUST XL Award 6-21 Units MATHEMATICS GCSE C SCIENCE GCSE C ENGLISH GCSE C RS GCSE C ART GCSE C PE BTEC C ICT BTEC C PERSONAL INTERESTS Feel free to list these out in bullets. If you lack experience for a role that you are deeply passionate about (reading, socialising or a particular hobby), you may want to mention how you use your spare time to pursue this passion. REFERENCES References are available on request. (You will need one character reference and one professional) Always ask a person s permission before putting them down as a reference. 2

CV Template 2 Michael Davies 14 Any Road Oldbury, West Midlands, M72 1DE Mobile: 07782 5678567 md75@email.co.uk Profile A versatile and mature young person with experience in a variety of areas including youth offending, debt and benefits advice, employment law, and housing. Seeking to combine academic achievements and work experience in a challenging role within the voluntary sector. Education and Qualifications 2008 2013 Perryfields High School, Oldbury, B68 8QG GCSEs Mathematics (C) English (B) Science (B) Geography (C) History (C) Art (C) Religious Studies (C) BTEC Physical Education (C) Information Communication Technology (C) Work Experience 2010 until 2012 Volunteer Mentor Youth Offending Team Providing one-to-one support, guidance and encouragement to young people who are at significant risk of offending or re-offending Supporting mentees to set positive goals and work towards achieving these Establishing and maintaining regular and timely contact with mentees. 2007 until 2009 Bar Supervisor Student Union Bar Served customers, maintained excellent levels of customer service during busy periods Managed the bar in line with health and safety regulations Trained and supervised new bar staff 3

Skills computer skills - including using commonly-used programs, writing a blog or knowledge of web design communication skills - if you re confident in speaking in front of groups and calm and friendly on the telephone team working - if you ve ever worked in a large group of people like a sports team or a drama group problem solving ability - think about any problems you have overcome and how you did it Additional information Confident with a range of IT packages including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, internet and e-mail. Fluent in Spanish and French Full, clean driving licence. Interests Team captain of the Hockey Team Active member of the five aside football team at GOALS. References Available on request. 4

Application Forms and What to do next? Application Forms Interviews With some jobs, you will need to get an application form. In the job advert it will tell you to ring or write to receive an application pack. You should also send a covering letter with the application (and include your CV, unless told not to). There a several basic rules to follow when filling in application forms: Use black pen - the reason for this is that it photocopies well Write neatly and clearly Write out what you want to say first on a separate piece of paper. Only complete the form when you have done this to your satisfaction - it may take several attempts to get it right and it may be a good idea to get someone else to read it through first Tailor your answers to the company - make sure you cover the points in the advert. Some adverts will have a 'job specification' and a 'person specification'. Don't refer to your CV. In some cases they don't want you to include a CV at all. They will only consider the answers on the application form. Take a copy of the form so that you know what you've said and if you're called for an interview, take the copy with you. You've sent out a number of CVs and letters and now you've got an interview. What do you do next? 1. Don't panic. 2. Read the job specification again. If there's anything you're not sure about, ask someone. 3. Look up the company on the internet if you can. Find out more about them. It shows you have initiative and that you're interested in them. 4. Write a list of questions. When they've finished asking their questions, they will probably ask if you have any. 5. Do some role playing with a friend. Get them to ask questions you think the employer will ask so that you can rehearse your answers. This will help you to give clear answers without a lot of hesitation and repetition. 6. Be positive and confident (but not overconfident) 7. Make sure you know where the place is and how to get there. Leave plenty of time, especially if travelling by bus or train. It's better to get there an hour early than to arrive late and flustered. 8. Get your clothes ready the day before. Make sure they're clean and ironed, shoes polished. (If you're applying for a manual job, it's still important to make sure your appearance is neat.) 9. If you're not accepted, try to be positive about that too. Each interview is good experience. Some employers will take the time to go over their interview notes and explain to you how you could improve your CV and interview technique. If they don't, you can ask. It shows you are prepared to develop and learn and leaves a good impression with the employer. There's always a chance the person they've selected will turn the job down and you may find you're next on their list. 5

Key Points for an interview Smile! Be prepared to shake hands firmly, but don't break the interviewer s wrist. Similarly a "wet fish" (weak) handshake will suggest a weak character. Wait to be invited to sit down. Try to relax - don t sit on the edge of your chair and don't lean too far back: sit up reasonably straight and still. Don't sit with your arms crossed. Keep up good eye contact with the interviewer (according to research this apparently is especially important for men) but don't eyeball them all the time! Speak clearly but not too fast: a deeper calm voice suggests authority, whereas as excitable high-pitched voice suggests a nervous personality. Head nodding to show agreement can help, especially for female candidates. Postural echo (mirroring the interviewer's posture) can show empathy and agreement but needs to be done very subtly or it might backfire if the interviewer notices that you are doing this! 6