Placement preparation

1
Placement preparation

• Dr Laura Bradley
• Placement Tutor

2
Application Forms Guidelines

• Applying For Jobs
•  
• Making a successful job application means
  convincing someone else that you are
• Qualified
• Interested
• Personally suited

3
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 for example, IT and telecommunications,
  business.

4
Application Forms Guidelines

• Most employers in Northern Ireland will not
  accept a CV.
• 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.

5
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.

6
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

7
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

8
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.

9
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.

10
Application Forms Guidelines
Past experience is considered the best indicator
of future performance.
11
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

12
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

13
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

14
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.

15
Job AdvertSample

• Fast growing, dynamic.
• They wont want to spend a lot of time holding
  your hand. You should demonstrate you are keen
  to learn new skills.
• Belfast, London and Dublin
• They are mobile, are you?

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Job AdvertSample

• Financial Services etc
• Do you know what these business sectors do? Can
  you provide other examples than the ones in the
  advert?
• Smart
• What are your grades like?
• Capable
• Evidence of achievement.
• One in ten chance
• Its competitive. What makes you better?

17
Job AdvertSample

• CV
• Legible spell checked thorough
  differentiating factors
• The Interview
• ? Introductions Background how you ended
  where you are
• ? Summer jobs, responsibility
• ? What do you know How can you apply it
• ? What are YOU looking for

18
Employer Views

• Liberty IT
• A good academic background is most important
  along with a passion for what the candidate
  enjoys, should it be building websites for
  friends or a love of music or sport
• Northbrook Technology NI
• Information is tailored to the position applied
  for
• Logical sequence of information
• Information supplied is up to date

19
Employer Views

• Intel Ireland
• Short and to the point
• State degree and graduation year
• Correct spelling
• Singularity
• Neatly presented information type if you dont
  trust your own handwriting
• Relevant information demonstrate you have the
  skills required
• Dont leave blank spaces

20
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?/ banking
• 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

23
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?

24
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?