Your formal application to an employer, whether it’s an online application form, an uploaded CV and covering letter, or another format, is the all-important first impression. In this chapter we will take you through the different requirements of the application process and help you to make the best possible job of this first step. You might be the best interviewee in the world but without a good application you will never get to the interview stage.
Just to clarify, when we refer to applications we are including application forms, both downloadable and online, and also CVs and covering letters, which are the preferred application method of some employers. (Very few employers now use paper application forms, though they are sometimes offered as an option – e.g. a university states ‘download an application form or pick one up from our HR department’.) We will cover all of these, and share some tips for ensuring that you have made the best possible first impression. Special tips for applying for postgraduate study were covered in Chapter 7.
Which method of application?
A snapshot of 20 employers from diverse industries recruiting on the Graduate Prospects website indicated two different instructions for making the first approach. Three-quarters of the sample asked for candidates to complete an online application form; the remaining quarter asked for a CV and covering letter to be uploaded. Some of the first group asked for a CV to be uploaded alongside the online application. Only a few years ago there were still employers asking for applications by post, an option that has all but disappeared.
A third approach, which did not occur in our sample but which is used by some public sector organisations such as universities and local authorities, is the downloadable application form. Unlike an online application in which you are interacting with the employer’s recruitment software (and from which you can be discontinued if you don’t meet a particular criterion), a downloadable form stands alone. As the title suggests, you download it to your computer, complete it and send it back, usually as an email attachment.
In some specialist roles, particularly in the creative industries, applicants are asked to complete a task and submit it with their CV, or to apply only if they can bring a sample of work to the interview. Here are two recent examples.
- A technical magazine asked applicants for a piece of scientific writing aimed at a non-specialist readership.
- A film company stated that applicants must be prepared to demonstrate at interview a short film they had made or edited.
So the first message – and the first test – is to look carefully at what you are asked to do, and do it. If you attach your CV or a covering letter when it isn’t asked for, you give the impression that you haven’t read the instructions carefully enough or, even worse, that you think you know better than the employer. An error like this could mean that you are disregarded immediately.
Different employers have different requirements for the application process. Read instructions carefully and follow them exactly.
Getting started: information you need
Before you can start to prepare an application, you need the following information.
About yourself:
- Qualifications: what subjects, what grades, what year.
- Employment: dates of employment, job title, employer’s name.
- Voluntary and other spare-time activities: dates, scope, location.
- Skills and aptitudes, with examples to provide evidence, drawn from your own experience.
About the job:
- Company information: not just facts and figures, check values and principles too.
- Information specific to the job, usually a job description.
- Information on their ideal candidate, usually a person specification.
We are going to start with your CV because once this is done it’s an excellent reference document for completing application forms and, as we explain in the next section, it is often a vital part of the application process. Then we will look at using LinkedIn and gathering company and job information before getting to the nuts and bolts of application forms.
Preparing and updating your CV
A CV is a marketing tool that presents relevant facts about your life to date to prospective employers. CV is short for curriculum vitae, which means ‘stream of life’.
Although not all employers ask for one, a full and up-to-date CV is a vital tool in your graduate job plan as is your LinkedIn profile, which we will come to later. Your CV is a central place for information about yourself that you can cut and paste into an application form; it’s great for speculative applications (when you don’t know if a job exists but you want to show interest in an organisation) and for taking multiple copies with you to careers fairs. And as you saw earlier in this chapter, a quarter of the graduate employers in our sample ask for CVs despite the rise in popularity of online applications.
You should always target your CV to the job or job area you are aiming for, so you may need to make some amendments to your CV each time you use it. Save each copy with a separate file name to remind you.
There are many good books and online guides that will help you to write your CV; in this series, for instance, have a look at Brilliant Graduate CV by Jim Bright, Joanne Earl and David Winter, which contains some good guidance and useful examples of layout.
The big challenge for you as a graduate is to present yourself as a well-rounded individual with experience and interests outside your academic course, and with evidence of skills for employability and, where appropriate, business awareness. So we are going to give you some key guidelines here for strong graduate CVs.
Presentation
No more than two sides of A4; clear typeface such as Arial or Verdana at minimum font size of 11pt; good layout with white space, consistent use of heading style using larger, bold or italic type rather than underlining; good quality, plain white paper for hard copies. And remember that tailoring your CV includes changing the presentation to meet the employer’s requirements. If they ask for a one-page summary of your education, relevant work experience and contact details, then that’s what you must send.
Structure
Most important information first, most recent first in each section. Although you might find CV templates on your computer, they can be limiting and it’s better to have a go at your own layout. Start with your name, address, phone number(s) and email – no need for a ‘Curriculum Vitae’ heading as it will be obvious that it is a CV.
Important: is your email address suitable for use by an employer? Recent real-life howlers in otherwise presentable CVs include: no1fashiondiva; igiveblondesabadname; pokeybabe; ibsexysam; and ratonthemat. Fine to use these for your personal emails, but not for job seeking. So either change your email or set up a new email account for job seeking (or use your university email address). Think about your voicemail too – don’t be the graduate who almost lost a job in PR when the employer phoned her with the job offer to hear the voicemail message, ‘Hi Babes, it’s Juicy Lucy’ (another real example – we didn’t make it up).
Make sure that your email address and voicemail message are professional and suitable for employers to use to contact you.
Content
| Your key headings in order are: | Personal profile Qualifications Employment Skills and achievements Referees |
However, if you are a mature student with previous work experience you might prefer to start with skills and achievements rather than with qualifications. Getting the content of your CV right can be tricky, so let’s look at these headings in more detail.
Personal profile
This is a good way of telling a busy employer the key facts about you and is particularly useful for new entrants to the labour market. A survey of employers conducted by Bright and Earl and described in Brilliant Graduate CV suggests that this kind of statement has a positive influence on recruiters. The act of writing it also helps to focus and summarise your goals. A couple of examples:
A mature student of Forensic Science with previous experience in laboratory work, now seeking a first post that will enable me to apply my academic knowledge in the workplace.
A second-year Business Studies student aiming for a graduate career in financial management and seeking a finance-based work placement in which I can begin to build my experience while making an active contribution to the organisation.
Qualifications
The key information is what, when and where.
It’s important to include your current degree course – the dates will make clear that you have not yet obtained the qualification. Relevant modules, final-year dissertation topic and work placements are all important in a graduate CV, so work at presenting this information concisely.
Working backwards in time, A level subjects are important and so are grades if they are good. You may need to state grades anyway in an application form, but remember that your CV is your marketing tool so keep it positive and don’t include failed subjects. Never lie – it just isn’t worth it and if you are subsequently caught out you could lose your job.
For GCSEs, you don’t need to list each subject but it’s useful to indicate if you have English and Maths, so you might state:
| 2005 Anytown High School | GCSE: 10 passes including English and Maths; 5 Grade A, 4 Grade B, 1 Grade C |
Include all academic qualifications here. Anything else – IT, first aid, sport qualifications – can usefully go in your ‘skills and achievements’ section.
 | Don’t ever lie on your CV – would you really want to be doing a job knowing that at any minute someone could suss you out? |
| Carl Gilleard, Chief Executive, Association of Graduate Recruiters |
Employment
Your next task is to outline your employment record, giving dates, name of employer, role undertaken and achievements in the role. List with present or most recent first, and be sure to include work placements and work experience, as these may be particularly relevant. Don’t dismiss part-time and holiday jobs as having no value on your CV. Over time, as your working life develops, these early jobs might be replaced by more relevant, graduate employment, but for now they might offer useful evidence of the skills you have developed. For example, your short outline of a job as a sales assistant might state:
Contributed to company sales targets, operated electronic till and stock control system. I was the first part-timer to be promoted to acting manager for my shift, and I devised and implemented an effective staff rota system, which was adopted in other branches.
Skills and achievements
This is a much better heading than ‘other information’ or ‘hobbies and interests’, though it can include these, because it’s positive and presents information in a way that an employer can grasp. It’s helpful to group this section under four or five bullet points, each with a theme. Here’s an example based on IT skills to get you started:
Computer literate: proficient in Microsoft Office, Internet and email; obtained ECDL (European Computer Driving Licence) in [give date].
You can include both ‘hard’ topics – sport, languages, workplace qualifications like first aid, health and safety – and ‘soft’ skills – communication, teamwork, leadership. For example:
Effective team player: demonstrated through group projects in my degree, representing my year on the staff–student liaison committee, and my part-time work in a busy student bar.
References, testimonials and referees
A reference is a confidential statement about you that is sent direct from your referee to the employer.
A testimonial is an open document given to you, usually at the end of a period of employment, which you can use to support job applications, but which will not be accepted instead of a reference.
You may already have testimonials from previous employers; these are open, written statements about you which are given to you for you to use as you wish. Many people keep them in a portfolio along with exam certificates and, while they have value in offering evidence about you, they are not references and will not be accepted as such.
Employers use references for two purposes: to verify information supplied by the candidate; or to obtain information about the candidate’s performance to date. Practice varies on how references are used in the selection process; in some cases they are not read until all other parts of the selection process are complete. Most employers seek specific information, either with a tick-box form or a set of structured questions; occasionally the referee is asked to write an unstructured statement.
If you are applying for a graduate job, you should ideally have two referees: an academic referee who knows about your performance on your degree course; and someone who can speak about your performance as an employee. Whether or not you include referees’ details on your CV, you will certainly be asked for them on an application form.
Many universities have clear protocols about who can write your academic reference, usually your personal tutor or your dissertation tutor. It isn’t just a matter of asking the tutor whom you like the best. So find out who will write your reference and be proactive – make sure that they know what they need to know about you, your ambitions and your interests, so that they can support your application. Academic referees are particularly helpful if you have had any difficulties, such as illness, that have adversely affected your grades. In these circumstances they can offer evidence of your true potential.
For your employer reference, a work placement or voluntary work supervisor is a good choice especially if your placement relates to your chosen career. Alternatively, an employer for whom you have worked over an extended period will be able to comment on your skills in the workplace. At this stage in your life you should no longer need to ask sixth form tutors or your parents’ friends, but should be able to call on people who have current or recent knowledge of you.
The aspect that employers seem to be most impressed with was the quality and variety of references I was able to provide. Despite being only 24, I was able to offer references from previous employers including headteachers, university professors and church leaders.
Kim, BA (Hons) Christian Youth Work
A final comment about referees. Once you have their permission (and you should always ask), you don’t need to ask again each time you complete an application or send off your CV. But it is useful to keep your referees posted about your applications so that they can respond to requests quickly, or make arrangements to do so if they are going to be away at a critical period.
Keep your referees up to date with your jobsearch progress, so that they can be sure to respond quickly when asked for a reference.
If you follow our guidelines you should be able to produce a good, standard CV that you can take with you to careers fairs, and that you can adapt for particular jobs as needed, by rewriting your personal profile or by emphasising particular skills and achievements.
Before you use your CV, get it checked by a careers adviser or friendly employer and take notice of their feedback. Remember to keep your CV up to date, and to target it to the job you are aiming for.
- Remember that your CV is a marketing tool.
- Pay attention to presentation, structure and content.
- Have it checked by an expert.
- Choose and brief your referees so that they can give a full account of you.
- Keep your CV up to date.
- Target your CV to each job you apply for.
Your LinkedIn profile
Employers routinely look at the online presence of applicants and we covered some of the options (in Chapter 1), together with a cautionary note about what you would be happy for a prospective employer to see. An important option is LinkedIn – employers now expect final-year students and graduates entering the job market to have a LinkedIn profile. While it is still necessary to have a CV for the reasons we have discussed, a LinkedIn profile has certain advantages – you can add a photo (choose it carefully to present a professional image), you are not limited by length except in your summary, and, as well as being targeted by recruiters, you can connect with professionals (including alumni) and groups to get more information and find out about job opportunities. A good plan is to include the URL for your LinkedIn profile in your CV.
Completing your LinkedIn profile is reasonably straightforward, as you are guided through the process on-screen – again, having your CV to hand will help you with dates, qualifications and previous employment. Keep your profile up to date as you develop your skills through your course and through paid and unpaid work. Your University Careers Service website should have some useful tips about using LinkedIn, and there is some great advice on The University of Manchester careers website, including a sample profile (www.careers.manchester.ac.uk).
Create a LinkedIn profile and keep it up to date – it’s a great way for employers to find out about you.
Gathering information about the company and the job
Application forms and covering letters are always targeted to a particular job so, before we can consider these, we need to look at how to gather together everything you can discover about the job, starting with the company itself. This will be vital background for your application, and companies will in any case look for evidence that you have done your homework.
The company
Think about the different ways you can find out about a company or public sector organisation. Then have a look at our ideas below:
- company website;
- newspaper articles on the business pages;
- friends, tutors, careers advisers;
- information in the advert or in the application pack you may have been sent;
- for schools, Ofsted reports and prospectuses;
- respond to an invitation to phone a named employee for an informal discussion;
- visit if there is public access, e.g. a retail company, a gallery or museum.
Do
prepare in good time – at the application stage, not the day before the interview;
ask yourself some questions that may come up at interview or even in the application stage. What is the ‘company image’? Who are the key competitors? What are their successes? What is distinctive about them? Why are you attracted to working for them?
plan your questions in advance if you are phoning for an informal discussion.
Don’t
rely on what someone else has said – find out for yourself;
leave this research till the last minute.
The job
Once you feel confident that you know something about the company, turn your attention to the job itself.
There are two key pieces of information about any job:
- the job description, which lists the tasks the post holder will undertake; and
- the person specification, which lists the characteristics the employer wants the postholder to have, or criteria they must meet.
In some organisations these will be written statements made available to you before you complete your application; in others, all you might have to go on will be the wording in the job advertisement. While the job description is important and you will need to feel confident about it and interested in what it tells you, the person specification is essential if you are to make a good job of your application.
The person specification
Usually, criteria are divided into areas such as qualifications, experience, skills and aptitudes, and personal qualities, and each criterion is categorised as essential or desirable.
Essential criteria are those that candidates must meet in order to be considered for interview.
Desirable criteria are optional extras that employers would like candidates to have, but are not a requirement of the job.
For example, while it may be essential to have a degree, it may be desirable to have a degree in specific subjects. While competence in Microsoft Office might be essential, ability to use specialist software may be desirable. Relevant employment experience may be either essential or desirable. Usually, desirable criteria are those that the candidate could achieve once in the job.
As a general rule, the words essential and desirable in this context mean just what they say and it is good, fair recruitment practice to apply them rigorously, so it would not be worth applying for a job if you do not meet the essential requirements. If, however, you are close, you might take a chance with an appropriately worded covering letter, for example:
Although I note that you require two years’ experience, I have successfully completed eighteen months in my current post which is a two-year contract and I would be very glad if you would consider me.
Desirable criteria are just that – the ideal candidate would meet these in addition to the essential criteria. So can you indicate that you could meet these criteria in due course? For example:
My German is not yet fluent but I can hold a basic conversation and would be keen to carry out intensive training to increase my proficiency with technical and business language.
It’s really important that you demonstrate in your application that you have read the person specification and that you offer evidence to show how you meet the criteria.
Show in your application that you fit the criteria set by the employer and that you are willing to work towards the desirable criteria where possible.
Application forms
An application form is a proforma used by an organisation as the first stage of the selection process. Information required on application forms falls into two categories: factual, for which your CV will provide an excellent quick reference; and job-related, which may take the form of open questions or an unstructured personal statement.
Some organisations have a general application form and therefore some parts might be difficult to complete in certain circumstances, for example, if you are still in your final year as a student and are asked for details of your current employment. Usually common sense will guide you, but do ask for help from your careers service or from a tutor if you are not sure.
Three formats
Employers may offer their application forms in one of three formats:
- online – you locate the form on a website, complete and submit it electronically;
- downloadable from a website – to be completed and posted or emailed. You will be able to type into your downloaded and saved copy of the form;
- paper – this is now extremely unusual but we have found some current examples, so you do need to be prepared for this format. You will need to ask for a form to be sent to you, and you post it after completion. You will need to hand write most of the form, but may be able to attach a typed personal statement.
Completing your form
We’ll talk about the content of your form shortly but first, here are some pointers to help you.
Whether your form is paper, downloadable or online, you need to set time and space aside to complete it, preferably well ahead of the deadline so that you have time to revisit what you have written and get someone to look over it for accuracy and clarity. Where possible make a draft copy and only when you are happy with it complete the final version. Take great care with presentation – forms do need to be free from spelling mistakes and crossings-out. If you are posting a paper copy, keep it clean and free from stains, marks and creases.
While each application must be tailored to the job for which you are applying, there will be some repetition, so it’s good practice to keep a paper or electronic folder of completed applications so that you can remind yourself of how you answered a similar question on a previous occasion.
- Set time and space aside to complete your form, well ahead of the deadline.
- Where possible, make a draft copy of your form and complete this first.
- Aim for excellent presentation and accuracy.
- Keep a copy for future reference.
Online applications
While online applications are becoming more common, the principles of completion are the same as for the other two formats. However, there are some key differences with online forms. In particular:
- the word limit for more open questions might be rigidly applied;
- the opportunity for someone else to check what you have written may be more limited (though sometimes you can download the form to prepare a draft);
- you may be automatically deselected for something that you believe not to be relevant, e.g. insufficient UCAS points;
- you may not easily be able to keep a copy for reference.
| There are ways around some of the obstacles that people put in your way. There are lots of employers who are not looking for the 2:1, so seek them out. |
| Carl Gilleard, Chief Executive, Association of Graduate Recruiters |
Factual information
Your CV will provide an excellent quick reference for the factual information sought on application forms, which is usually about education, qualifications and employment experience, but read the instructions carefully. You may, for instance, be asked for information in chronological order rather than most recent first. Also, you may be asked to list all the examinations you have taken, whether passed or failed. This part of a form can be tedious to do but, once you have done it for the first time, you have it to hand for the future.
Open questions
We mentioned at the beginning of this section on application forms that job-related information is obtained in two ways: open questions and personal statements. We’ll start with open questions.
Here is a set of questions based on a real application form. For each question there is a limit of 300 words.
What are your skills, experiences and personality characteristics that make you suitable for a job in this organisation?
Why do you want to work in the retail sector and in this organisation?
Which of this organisation’s current initiatives/projects most interest you and why?
Have a look at these questions and note down:
- what you think the employer is looking for;
- what you think you need in order to answer the questions.
Although this may look like a daunting task, it should help you to see that the groundwork done for this application could well help you with others.
Now have a look at our ideas.
| Question | What employer is looking for | What you need |
| What are your skills, experiences and personality characteristics that make you suitable for a job in this organisation? | Your awareness of the person specification for the job and the extent to which you can demonstrate that you are a goodfit. | Good, honest self-awareness. A range of evidence to support your statements about yourself. Job and company knowledge. |
| Why do you want to work in the retail sector and in this organisation? | Your motivation – why retail, why this company? An answer that shows your understanding of the sector and of the distinctiveness of the organisation. | Good knowledge and understanding of the sector and some clear reasons for your choice. Knowledge of the company and how it differs from its key competitors. |
| Which of this organisation’s current initiatives/projects most interest you and why? | Your ability to research and to critically analyse. An indication of your own preferred career direction. | Time to do your homework. An understanding of the techniques of critical analysis. A sense of how your career might develop with this organisation. |
Here is another, quite common, example of a set of questions for an application form. This time the format is different: you are asked to use evidence from your previous experience to demonstrate the skills in question.
In each of the following five boxes tell us about an incident that demonstrates your use of the skill named at the beginning of the box. You have 250 words for each box.
Communication
Teamwork
Problem solving
Overcoming a setback
Ability to work under pressure
To answer these questions well it helps to follow a structure. The one we recommend is STAR, which stands for:
Situation
Task
Action
Result
So you outline the situation, describe the task, say what action you took, and state the result. Here is an example of overcoming a setback, using the STAR framework. We have put the headings in to help you, but you would not include them on your application form.
(Situation) In my second year I successfully applied to complete a work placement in a small but expanding marketing company. I was delighted to secure such a competitive placement. With just two weeks to go, the placement was cancelled due to illness.
(Task) I needed to find another placement, or I would have to wait until the summer vacation, which would mean deferring my assessment. The work placement office could offer me an alternative but not in marketing, which is my career aim.
(Action) So I thought about departments in the university that might benefit from a marketing project. I approached the careers service because I knew that students who used the service found it really good, but that there were many students who didn’t know about it. I offered to design and carry out a survey of student perceptions and to make some proposals about marketing and publicity arising from the findings of the survey. I worked closely with careers service staff and got some advice from my tutor about designing the survey and analysing the results.
(Result) I presented the findings to the careers team and in the last two weeks of my placement began to work on a promotional campaign for the new academic year. I was offered the opportunity to continue to work in the careers service on a voluntary basis during my final year, so I have assisted in the implementation of the campaign and regularly speak to groups of students to promote the careers service. After the initial disappointment at losing my placement, my action in securing an alternative has meant that I have seen my project through to implementation and had the chance to do some really useful voluntary work. (287 words)
In the examples we have given there is a clear word limit. In online applications you will be cut off once the word limit has been reached, even if you are in mid-sentence, so it’s essential that you draft your answers, check the word count and spelling, then cut and paste into the form. One of the workplace skills you need to develop is the ability to be concise, so the practice you get with your application forms will be put to good use in your working life.
Where you have open-ended questions with word limits, draft then cut and paste into your form.
Personal statements and covering letters
Similarities
Both personal statements and covering letters are opportunities to ‘make your case’ as an applicant. It should be clear from the employer’s instructions which you are being asked to supply. Usually, a personal statement is a section of an application form, while a covering letter is sent to accompany a CV. Here are some dos and don’ts that apply to both.
Do
write in the first person;
tell the employer why you are suitable for the job, and why you want to work for this particular employer;
draw attention to your CV in the content of your covering letter, rather than simply attaching it. Say something like, ‘You will see from my application form/CV that I have the qualifications required for this post.’
Don’t
begin every sentence with ‘I’;
duplicate information you have already provided on your application form or CV.
Differences
So, although the purpose and content is much the same, how are personal statements and covering letters different from each other? It’s mainly a matter of layout.
A personal statement is part of, or attached to, an application form, and written in prose with your name at the top of each sheet. There may be a word limit or more commonly a size limit – ‘not more than two sides of A4’ is a common example and also a useful guideline.
A covering letter is set out like a letter, with your address at the top right, the employer’s name and address a little lower down on the left, followed by the date and any reference number you have been asked to quote.
Personal statements
Sometimes personal statements are unstructured, for example ‘Use this space to supply additional information in support of your application’ or ‘Please use 150 words or less to tell us why we should take you on. When we say 150 words, we mean it!’ Or you may be given a structure – something like:
Use the space below and up to one additional sheet to tell us:
- why you are suitable for this job and what you will bring to the organisation;
- why you want to work for this organisation;
- what your personal strengths and weaknesses are;
- where you see yourself in 10 years’ time.
Usually it helps to have a structure – but note that these questions, which are fairly typical, contain two traps for the unwary. For question 3, rather than listing your weaknesses, write instead about aspects that you would like to develop. For example, ‘I have limited experience of writing bids for funding, but this is an area that I am keen to develop and look forward to gaining the necessary knowledge and skill.’ The second trap is question 4, the 10 years’ time question. A safe and acceptable answer is that you are keen to gain experience and then to identify areas of particular interest in which you might specialise – you may need to vary this according to the sector for which you are applying.
Covering letters
Though you may occasionally be asked for a covering letter with an application form, it is more commonly paired with a CV. You will see references in job adverts to ‘apply by CV and covering letter’.
Try to find out the name of the person to whom you are applying, so that you can write Dear Mr Jones or Dear Ms Begum. Even if you are sending your covering letter by email it is good form to set it out like a letter, though you could omit your address and theirs from the top.
Although some people recommend a one-page covering letter, this can be difficult to achieve if you are demonstrating that you fit a fairly detailed person specification, so we would say a maximum of two pages – certainly no more. Where a ‘letter of application’ rather than a covering letter is asked for – common in teaching posts – this certainly means a two-page response, which clearly demonstrates how you meet the person specification.
Creating a structure
Whether it’s a personal statement or a covering letter, your starting point is a rather frightening blank screen in front of you. So, just as with other pieces of writing, you need to think about introduction, middle and conclusion.
Introduction
Say what you are applying for in the first sentence. For example, for a covering letter:
I write in response to your advertisement on the Graduate Prospects website for a trainee sales negotiator in your Bristol office, reference number x.
To start a personal statement for the same job, you could say:
I offer the following information in support of my application for the post of trainee sales negotiator in your Bristol office.
Middle
Firstly, you need to make clear why you are suitable for the job, using the person specification or information from the job advert if no person specification is available. You need to offer evidence in support of your claims; here are some examples to help you.
As a member of the university IT helpdesk, I have developed excellent communication skills, especially listening, questioning and clarifying, so that faults can be recorded accurately and responded to promptly.
In my role as a shift leader in the student bar, I motivate and encourage bar staff to achieve high levels of customer service, especially when we are all working under pressure.
I can work to high levels of accuracy in the laboratory following experience gained in my work placement and in research for my final-year dissertation.
Next, you need to say why you want this job, with this employer, without sounding cheesy. So you need to construct a sentence about your career plan, followed by a sentence or two about what attracts you to this employer. For example:
Having researched the career options open to an English graduate, I soon focused on publishing, a choice that became even more certain during a successful work placement during my last summer vacation. Your company has an excellent record of publishing first novels, an area of interest of mine and, having spoken to members of your team at a recent graduate fair, I know that you offer good training and prospects to graduate entrants. I would be excited to be part of your organisation.
Conclusion
Finish with a courteous ending that reinforces your motivation for applying for this post. Never write ‘do not hesitate to contact me’. This is a negative (‘do not’) and over-used statement attempting to invite a positive action, and a waste of words. ‘Please contact me’ is much better. In the case of the covering letter, it’s worth repeating your contact details.
Finish a covering letter like this:
Thank you for reading my letter. Please contact me at any time on 07654 321098, or by email at [email protected]. I would welcome the opportunity of an interview and look forward to hearing from you.
Yours sincerely
(or Yours faithfully if you don’t have a name and have written to ‘Dear Sir or Madam’)
(if posting a hard copy, sign legibly here).
Finish a personal statement like this:
I hope that this information has persuaded you to consider me for interview. I am very keen to be part of your organisation and look forward to hearing from you.
Speculative applications and recruitment agencies
In this section we will cover applying to particular organisations without knowing if a job exists, and using recruitment agencies to access vacancies in a specific field.
Sometimes you may want to approach an employer without knowing if a job exists, but because you are attracted to the organisation. This strategy sometimes pays off, especially with smaller organisations. Advertising is costly and if your letter arrives just as someone hands in their notice, or just as expansion plans are being discussed, then you may get a response.
Your wording needs to be a little different from the covering letters we have already discussed, as you are not responding to an advertisement. You need a strong opening paragraph that encourages the reader to carry on. You need to state:
- why you are writing to this company in particular;
- what role you are looking for;
- what you are offering.
For example:
I am relocating to Anytown and note from your website that you are expanding your company. I am a graduate seeking a first post in technical sales and, as part of my degree, I successfully completed a year-long placement with a major medical equipment supplier.
In the body of the letter you can expand on your suitability and experience, but remember that you are attaching your CV so don’t just duplicate its contents. Conclude as in our cover letter example above, with clearly stated contact details to make life easier for the employer. If you have a contact email address you can send the letter and CV as an email – otherwise post them.
Your signature on a covering letter should be clear and should include your first and last name. An illegible scrawl just looks arrogant.
Recruitment agencies can be very helpful if you are exploring a specific career area, as many of them specialise in, for example, law, social work, public sector jobs, or teaching. You need to register with them first, usually with your CV, so that they can inform you about suitable jobs and let employers know about you. Be aware, though, that you may not have any face-to-face contact with the agencies so ask them what you can expect from them and, if you want them to market you, a strong CV and professional telephone manner is vital. Have a look at Jane, our brilliant example, for her experience of using agencies.
I had worked as a solicitor before having a career break, and on returning to work I wanted to move into housing law. However, I realised after some initial enquiries and spec applications that first I would need to develop my knowledge in a different role. I got my first two jobs, both in the private sector, through networking. I then decided that I would benefit from a move to the public or voluntary sector and discovered that almost all recruitment was through employment agencies. Only one of them asked me for a face-to-face meeting. I had to market myself to all the others with my CV, emails and phone calls. This was an unexpected challenge. Deadlines for applications were often very tight, so I had to make them a priority. However, I am pleased to say that through an agency I learned about a job as a housing adviser in a charity – exactly what I was looking for – and my application was successful.
Jane, LLB (Hons), LPC
Getting feedback and getting help
It can be hugely disheartening to send off dozens of applications and hear nothing back. Many job adverts state that only successful candidates will be contacted. Some say that if an applicant hasn’t heard by a given date then they have not been shortlisted, but often it’s a guessing game. While it’s quite reasonable to contact the employer and ask if they have shortlisted yet, you would be very unlikely to get feedback on an application form alone, as this would be massively time consuming for most employers.
While it’s possible that you have just been unlucky, if you have sent large numbers of applications for jobs for which you are suitable, and have not been invited for interview, then there may be a problem with your applications.
So get some expert help – go to a careers adviser, a tutor or someone you know who recruits graduates, and show them some of your recent applications. They may well spot a possible reason, most commonly that the applications are not sufficiently targeted to the employer and the job. Get the same person to look over your next application before you send it to check that you are not making the same mistakes again.
If your applications don’t lead to interviews, get someone to look at them and give you feedback.
Imagine you are the employer
Finally, put yourself in the employer’s shoes. Imagine that you run a small enterprise and you have advertised a graduate post, inviting applicants to use downloadable application forms. Over 100 applications for a graduate trainee post in your growing company have arrived and are on your desk. You have to draw up a shortlist, and fast.
You have beside you the details of the job that the candidates received, which include a person specification you spent ages drawing up. This specification was clear about the kind of person and even subdivided the criteria into essential and desirable.
You will probably do a rough sort first, perhaps into three piles of yes, maybe and no. What would make you likely to put an application form into the ‘no’ pile? Think about this, perhaps make some notes, then look at the list below.
Common reasons for rejecting an application
- No evidence of meeting essential requirements (usually qualifications and/or experience).
- Scruffy form, e.g. creases, food marks, crossings out.
- Poor spelling and punctuation.
- Periods of time unaccounted for by education, work, travel, career break.
- No reference to the company/job.
- No attempt to demonstrate how/why the applicant is suitable for the job.
The more applicants there are, the more rigorously these sorting criteria will be applied, because the employer needs to arrive at a manageable number for interview. Some employers even set a limit for the number of applications they will process, even if further applications are received before the closing date. This would normally be stated in the information for applicants, and means that you must submit your application in good time to be considered.
The image of the employer with a huge pile of forms to sift through is one to hold on to as you are preparing and checking your application. In addition to matching the person specification, most employers are looking for the same things at this stage – good written communication, motivation, and that indefinable ‘something extra’.
And finally, make sure that you check everything that you send to an employer. Use your spellchecker, your university careers service, your tutors and trusted friends.
To get an interview you need a good application. To get the job, you need a good interview, so have a look at Chapter 12 when you are ready.
What to do next
- Prepare your CV and your LinkedIn profile and have them checked.
- Think about who your referees might be and talk to them about your plans.
- Create a folder for application forms, personal statements and covering letters.