Effective CVs and Applications

Starting point  Purpose of a CV is to get an interview  Use the following checklist every time you complete an application form 1:Identify employer needs  Put yourself in the employer shoes  What are they looking for? 2:Match yourself to these needs  What particular skills do you have that are relevant to the position?

Employer’s Perspective  Find out about the candidate  What contribution can he make?  Why is he interested in this job/company?  Does he understand what the job entails?  Does he have the relevant qualifications?  Does he have the right mix of skills?  Is it worth my time interviewing him?

What do Employers really look for? Most Important Factors in Recruitment: 1. Enthusiasm for position 2. Personality 3. Transferable skills 4. Potential for advancement 5. Good Academic record 6. Relevant Work Experience 7. Specialist Subject Knowledge 8. Personal Interests 9. Any other work experience

Before Applying  Research the Company  Company literature, websites, directories  Analyze job descriptions  Research Yourself  Review experience and career interests  What is relevant to this particular job  What evidence will I provide  Do online personality test – Type Indicator  Research Careers  Check out similar or related jobs  Prospects Planner/website

Questions to ask yourself  What sort of person is the organisation looking for?  What knowledge, experience, skills are required to fill this role?  What past experience do I have that demonstrate these competencies?  Provide evidence to match the key competencies

Matching Skills to Requirements Employer needs Communication Team work Leadership Initiative Customer Care IT Commercial awareness Your evidence Presentation to class Example from Coop Class rep, Committee Fundraising for charity Working in Superquinn Designed website Business pages

Tips for preparing CVs  Restrict it to 2 pages, no fancy cover  Customize CV to reflect job requirements  Start with the most recent/relevant information  Allocate space in accordance with the importance of the information  Emphasize the most relevant details  Use action words  Use headings and bullet points  Highlight skills and responsibilities  Make it look good – plain font  Check spelling and grammar  Send it with a decent cover letter

Reasons for Rejection of CV  Too much/too little information  Irrelevant Information  Poor presentation  Spelling mistakes  Not targeted to position  No personality or enthusiasm

Standard CV  Personal Details  Name, Address, Tel No, address  Education  Start with most recent  Dates, Name of college, Course Title, Thesis title, Core subjects, results (if impressive)  Provide details of research projects  Work Experience  Start with most recent or relevant  Separate relevant and other experience  Provide job title and name of organization  Highlight responsibilities and achievements  Include unpaid work

Standard CVs (cont)  Competencies  Identify key competencies required for position  Provide relevant evidence from previous experience  Skills Profile  Computing – be specific, name packages  Languages – what level  Driving License  Interests  Provide evidence of balanced individual  Focus on achievements  Referees  Normally 2 referees required: one academic, one work  Seek permission in advance and provide information

Cover Letters  One page - business letter format  Send to a named person  Letter supports CV  Tailor it to company and job  Highlight skills and experience  Structure it well  Introduce yourself, specify vacancy  Why are you interested in the company/job?  Why should they consider you? (relevant skills)  What next? – availability for interview

Helpful Hints - Application Forms  Photocopy form - experiment with copy  Read complete form before writing  Follow instructions: black ink, capitals  Answer all questions  Use space sensibly  Draft answers to open questions  Use simple words, short sentences  Check appearance - first impressions count  Check spellings and grammar  Copy completed form

Open-ended Questions  Questions about yourself  Describe yourself  Strengths and weakness  Describe key events in your life  Questions about job/career  What skills, experiences do you bring?  Why are you suited to a career in …  What other careers are you considering?  Questions about the future  Where do you see yourself in 5/10 years time ?

Competency-based questions  Company identifies key skills required for job  Designs questions to elicit evidence of skills  Emphasis on past behaviour as predictor of success  Teamwork: Describe a team project you worked on. What problems arose? How did you deal with them?  Communication skills: Describe situation when you had to persuade others to support your view.  Interpersonal skills : What kinds of people do you find it difficult to work with? How do you handle those situations?  Self-directed: Give an example of a situation when you had to go beyond the call of duty to get something done.  Problem-solving : Tell us about an error you made and what you learned

Responding to Competency Q….  Q What has been your experiences in giving explanations or instructions to others?  STAR response  S: Describe the situation  T: Explain the task/problem that arose  A: What action did you take?  R: What was the result or outcome?  What did you learn from the experience?

Application Forms- Typical Questions  What has prompted you to apply for a position with KPMG? Include experiences or people who have influenced your decision.  Describe a position of responsibility you have held and the challenges you have faced.  Describe personal interests you have pursued. Which has given sense of achievement and why?  Tell us about a time you worked within a group. Describe your role and the end result  Why do you think you would be suited to a career in accountancy/

How to answer  Be clear about what the questions mean  What do they want to know and why?  Be clear about what you did if asked a complex question.  Keep answers concise & to the point  No waffle  Try to give different examples to answer different questions  Try to give recent examples

Online Applications  Increasingly popular with large employers  Fast and efficient – scan for key words  Preselection - can incorporate aptitude & personality tests  Self-assessment - match to different jobs  Helpful hints  Download form and practice  Prepare longer answers, cut and paste  Use buzz words, e.g. name specific packages  Spell check, proofread  Print preview, save regularly  print completed copy and send  Very time-consuming – allow plenty of time  Practice with ‘Select Simulator’