YoPE Preparation Programme 200405 Workshop 2

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YoPE Preparation Programme2004/05Workshop 2

• Ann Doris
• Careers Placement Adviser
• for the School of Computer Science

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Effective Applications Workshop 2 Learning
Outcomes

• Students attending this workshop will
• Gain an awareness of how to present evidence of
  skills and experience attained through part time
  work, university life, hobbies and social
  activities in an effective manner
• Be able to construct a CV/Resume and cover letter
  for placement applications
• Be able to complete effective paper based and
  online application forms
• Gain an insight into how to tackle different
  types of questions asked on application forms
• Understand how to contact employers in relation
  to speculative applications

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Effective Applications Workshop 2 Overview

• Targeting Employers
• Curriculum Vitaes
• Covering Letters
• US Resumes
• Application Forms
• Online Applications
• Sample Application Form Questions

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Targeting Employers
Targeting Employers
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Targeting EmployersGuidelines

• ? Identifying Potential Employers
• ? Most companies, particularly small and medium
  sized enterprises have at least one project that
  needs attention, but lack the resources to
  tackle it.
• ? Managers are usually fully stretched in
  their day-to-day business operations and have
  little time to think far ahead.
• ? The organisation may not have the sorts of
  skills that undergraduates already have,
  particularly in IT, language, technical areas
  and marketing.

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Targeting EmployersGuidelines

• ? Work experience students can undertake jobs
  that might not otherwise be done within the time
  and resources available.
• ? Bright and enthusiastic students can
  therefore contribute significantly to the
  organisation's performance at rates the company
  can afford.
• Both employer and student have the opportunity
  to see whether they would like to make the
  arrangement a permanent one, without committing
  themselves immediately.
• ? Work experience can lead to a full time job
  on graduation.

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Targeting EmployersGuidelines

• Research the company you are contacting to find
  out - what they do
• - products/services?
• - competitors - a named individual to sent
  your application to

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Targeting EmployersGuidelines

• ? Prepare a targeted CV with covering letter to
  ensure the company understands- why you are
  interested in them- why you are interested in
  getting work experience - what you have to
  offer them, in terms of technical skills such as
  IT and personal qualities- the benefits to
  their company if they take you on, e.g. a
  completed task or project- the relevance of
  your course of study, and any other experience-
  don't forget that your choice of hobbies,
  voluntary work and interests can also assist in
  determining your suitability for the job.

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Targeting EmployersGuidelines

• ? Follow-up all letters with a telephone call one
  week later if there is no response.
• ? Always be positive - it is important to sound
  enthusiastic and to show you have something to
  offer
• ? Be pro-active - suggest a meeting/ interview to
  discuss the job further

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Curriculum Vitaes
Curriculum Vitaes
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Curriculum VitaesOverview

• Curriculum Vitaes
• CV Overview
• CV Content Layout

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Curriculum VitaesOverview

• To help employers make an objective assessment
• most will search CVs against very specific
  criteria.
• These are always job related and will include

evidence of appropriate knowledge, experience,
interests, skills and achievements
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Curriculum VitaesCV Content

• Must contain
• Personal Details
• Education Qualifications
• Technical Skills
• Work Experience
• Skills Profile
• Activities Interests
• Referees

• Optional
• Personal Profile
• Career Objective

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Curriculum VitaesCV Layout
Page 1 Personal Details Career Objective /
Personal Profile Education Qualifications Te
chnical Skills
Page 2 Work Experience Skills
Profile Achievements Activities
Interests Referees
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Curriculum VitaesSamples
Refer to Overhead Projector
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Curriculum VitaesGuidelines on Compiling a CV

• Your CV should be word processed so that it can
  be tailored for individual employers. Use good
  quality white paper.
• Try to keep your CV concise, two pages is the
  norm. Your CV should be structured with clear
  headings to make it easy to find what the
  selector is looking for.
• Allocate space in accordance with the importance
  of the information - normally your degree the
  best place is in the middle of the front page
  and your work experience the best place is in
  the top of the second page .

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Curriculum VitaesGuidelines on Compiling a CV

• Avoid wide margins and over-spaced text
• Use a footer with your name and date on it so
  that
• should the pages become separated it will be
  clear
• to whom they belong eg CV Ann Doris, Sept 04
• Avoid fancy fonts, computer graphics, colour,
  white
• on black etc. Your CV will be photocopied so
• clarity is important

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Curriculum VitaesGuidelines on Compiling a CV

• Consider using bold to highlight the names of
• well known employers in your Work Experience
• section.
• Try to include active verbs when describing your
• activities
• eg achieved, arranged, contributed,
  established,
• implemented, initiated, negotiated,
• organised, persuaded, planned

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Curriculum VitaesGuidelines on Compiling a CV

• Avoid gaps. Dont discuss academic failure on a
  CV. Include exam marks for Level 1 Modules.
• Use correct grammar, spelling and punctuation
• be aware that some words have more than one
• correct spelling eg driving licence not
  license.
• Target your CV to the job specification
• Be sure to include a covering letter

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Covering Letter
Covering Letter
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Covering LetterGuidelines

• When you are sending a CV to an employer it
• should always be accompanied by a covering
• letter.
• The purpose of the letter is to make sure your
• application is
• seen by the relevant person
• to draw attention to key points on your CV
• to highlight your suitability for the job

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Covering Letter Structure

• Paragraph 1
• Introduce yourself
• Identify the job you are applying for
• How you found out about the job
• Explain what other documents you are enclosing eg
  CV
• Paragraph 2
• Explain why you are attracted to the job and
  organisation
• How your qualifications match up

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Covering Letter Structure

• Paragraph 3
• Show your knowledge of the company, its culture
  and ethos and how you can relate it to your own
  interests
• Paragraph 4
• Thank the employer for taking time to consider
  your application
• Mention when you are available for interview

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Covering Letter Guidelines

• Appearance is critical
• Use an A4 envelope and good quality white paper
• Use a suitable font e.g Times New Roman / Arial
  min 10 point
• Keep it short and to the point - one A4 page
• If possible, send it to a named individual
• Use the letter to personalise your application
  and tailor it to the company
• End on a positive note
• Proof read it spelling and grammar checks
• Remember Dear Sir/Madam Yours faithfully
• Dear Mr Jones Yours sincerely

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Covering Letter Samples

• Refer to Overhead Projector

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US Resumes
US Resumes
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US Resumes Overview

• Much more summarised and key point fashion than
  CV
• One page in length
• Always word processed
• A job objective is usually included in US resumes
  as a matter of course eg

To obtain a position with a major software
developer which will utilize my educational
background and develop my expertise in web
design.
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US Resumes Overview

• Proceed with caution when including personal
  details such as age, date of birth, sex and
  family status or to include a photograph
  contravene States laws on employment rights
• In America the focus is very much on your work
  experience as opposed to UK CV starts with
  educational qualifications. Begin with your most
  recent work experience and work backwards.
  Emphasise skills profile.

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US Resumes Overview

• Indicate US equivalent of educational
  qualifications eg A-levels equate to High School
  Diplomas. Only include actual grades if they are
  As or Bs
• Check your resume for mistakes that will make it
  look unprofessional

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US Resumes Overview

• Always include a covering letter as a matter of
  course as it allows you to make a better sales
  pitch than the resume alone. The covering
  letter should be brief, clear, direct and follow
  a logical structure e.g.

? Why you want the job show what you know
about them ? What qualifications and experience
you have highlight the most relevant
sections of your resume ? How you would measure
up to the requirements of the position
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Application Forms
Application Forms
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Application Forms Guidelines

• Applying For Jobs
•  
• Making a successful job application means
  convincing someone else that you are
• ? qualified
• ? interested
• ? personally suited

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Application Forms Guidelines

• ?Timely applications are essential
• It is always good to get your application in on
  time, but in a more competence climate its
  vital.
• Start looking for jobs early and keeping closing
  dates for application at the forefront of your
  mind.
• ? Be a well informed candidate
• Keep up to date with whats going on in the world
  of IT and telecommunications

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Application Forms Guidelines

• ?Most employers in Northern Ireland will not
  accept a CV, except for placement positions.
• If they are recruiting they will usually respond
  to your CV by sending you their company
  application form.
• This is the result of local fair employment
  legislation.
• Local companies will often include a separate
  form for equal opportunities monitoring.
• ?A CV is widely accepted outside NI and will also
  provide a useful summary when you are completing
  company forms.

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Application Forms Guidelines

• ?You need to know about the company and the
  vacancy you are applying for.
• You must demonstrate that you have thought about
  you application and really want to work for this
  organisation.
• ?The main difference between a CV and a company
  form is that you have control of the design of
  your CV while an application form is designed by
  the employer to provide the information they
  regard as relevant to the post.
• Most major companies are looking for job related
  knowledge and relevant experience as well as
  transferable skills.

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Application Forms Guidelines

• ?Amass your Evidence
• Look at the selection criteria
• Find evidence to meet these criteria
• ?Do exactly what they say
• Employers will ask you to send them a CV, a
  particular application form or to apply online
• ? SAF Standard Application Form
• ? EAF Employer Application Form

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Application Forms Guidelines

• ?Target your application
• Target the company shows that you have made an
  effort
• ? Dont be afraid of hard forms with difficult
  questions
• Answers should be meaty with no waffle
• ? Dont leave any gaps
• Account for any gaps in education / employment
• ? Get a second opinion
• Get someone to proof read your form

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Application Forms Guidelines

• ? Be aware that some employers put a lot of
  stress on past academic performance e.g. A-level
  grades.
• ? If your A - levels are weak, stress your more
• recent degree course grades. Employers are also
• interested in the depth of your knowledge of IT
• subjects.

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Application Forms Guidelines

• ?Being interested in working for the company is
  an
• essential requirement, not just for your own job
  
• satisfaction but from the employer's point of
  view.
• ?Do some research on the company, then use your
  answers to application form questions to
  demonstrate what you have learned about them.
• ?Quote your sources so the selector can see the
  trouble you have gone to.

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Application Forms Guidelines
Past experience is considered the best indicator
of future performance.
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Application Forms Guidelines

• ?When trying to demonstrate your personal
• suitability for a job, a good approach is to use
  key words from the job description. Try and match
  these with examples drawn from your experience
• (see Application Forms Evidence)

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Application FormsAction Words

• Action Words
•  
• Try using some of the following to add colour to
  your application
• and to project a positive image.
•  
• achieved elected initiated pioneered
• advised encouraged launched planned
• arranged enhanced led proposed
• assisted exceeded managed represented
• clarified facilitated mastered researched
• completed founded negotiated simplified
• controlled generated organised succeeded
• coordinated implemented originated supervised
• controlled invented perfected trained
• designed improved piloted transformed

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Online ApplicationsGuidelines
Online Applications
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Online Applications Guidelines

• ?Quicker and easier for the company
• ? Online forms take as long as paper ones to
  complete and require just as much preparation and
  thought
• ?If you can, download the form and fill it in
  before going live
• ?Cut and paste your perfect answers from a word
  processor if possible
• ? Save regularly in case of crashes

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Online Applications Guidelines

• ? Some online forms incorporate an aptitude or
  personality test. These may be timed and you
  only get one chance, so dont start them until
  you are ready
• ? Very few forms have spell checkers, so take
  care that your English is OK
• ? Dont rush it. Only press submit when you
  are happy
• ? If you havent heard from the organisation
  after a few weeks, give them a call. Machines
  can have errors.

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Application FormsSample Questions
Sample Questions
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Application FormsSample Questions

• ? Example Questions About You
• Describe a situation where you have had to
  influence people
• Please give one or two recent examples to
  illustrate your abilities to work effectively
  with others
• Looking at your life as a whole, indicate three
  key events or experiences which you considered to
  have been instrumental in shaping who you are
• Please identify any major successes in your life
  to date

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Application FormsSample Questions

• ? Example Questions About The Job
• What relevant skills and qualities can you bring
  to the organisation?
• Why do you think you would be suited to a career
  in consulting?/ software engineering?
  programming?
• Explain which specific factors attract you to
  your choice of career

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Application FormsSample Questions

• ? Open-ended Questions
• Structure is the key here
• state why you are interested in this job and this
  organisation
• describe the key qualities that you can bring to
  the job with evidence that proves you have
  them
• Detail any work experience or course work that
  has been of special relevance
• List any technical skills

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Application FormsSample Questions

• ?Business Awareness
• Please indicate any particular sectors of our
  business that especially interest you, and give
  the reasons why.
• ? Job Awareness
• Please give an indication, with reasons, of the
  type of work you would like to pursue, mentioning
  any relevant qualities or expertise you possess.
• ? Problem Solving
• Describe a problem or project you have had to
  solve. What methods did you use?

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Application FormsSample Questions

• ?Team Work
• Have you ever been a member of a successful
  team? In your opinion why was the team
  successful?
• ? Planning Organising
• Give details of your main extra curricular
  activities to date. What have you contributed
  and what have you got out of them?

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Useful Books

• 1. The Perfect CV
• Tom Jackson and Ellen Jackson
• Ref No 014.065
• 2. The Global Resume CV Guide
• Mary Anne Thompson
• Ref No 014.066
• Available at
• Careers Service, 14 Malone Road, Belfast

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Careers YoPE Website

• http//www.cs.qub.ac.uk/yearout