Preparing CVs and Job Applications

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Preparing CVs and Job Applications

• Careers Service
• www.ucc.ie/careers

2
Overview

• Selection process
• Employers perspective
• CVs
• Application forms

3
Tips for Effective Applications and CVs

• . Do nothing
• . Examine your life
• . Work out what they want
• . Be honest with yourself

4
How employers fill vacancies
EMPLOYERS
JOB HUNTERS
Advertisements Review CVs on file Recruitment
Agency Recommendation from Colleagues, Professiona
l Associations, Contacts Promote from within
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Employers Agenda

• Analyse the job in detail
• Design a job description/person specificaton
• Decide on essential/desirable skills and
  attributes
• Blueprint for the Job
• Draw up interview board

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Five Stage Process
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The Candidates Agenda
Know
The Process

• Yourself
• Skills analysis
• Gather proof
• Show evidence

The Job
The Company
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Analysing Job Adverts

• Underline key words
• Read between the lines
• Transferable skills

• Employer needs
• IT literate
• Communication
• Initiative
• Leadership
• Languages

• My evidence
• Word, Excel, Access,
• Conferences, demo
• Conference funding
• Admin rep. on committee
• No evidence

• Concrete e.g.s
• Prepared timetables
• Delivered paper
• Found travelling scholarship
• Member of a working group
• to review exam proceedures
• Ability to learn, night course

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The Matching Process
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Why Bother?

• Your CV is the most important document you will
  ever write in your life and determines
• Your Future Success
• Your Income
• Your Life Style
• You will spend 2/3 (approx. 84,000 hours)
• of adult life in a job

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Your Sales Brochure

• Top quality presentation
• Short complete
• More than a catalogue
• Factual
• Positive active verbs
• Would you take this person seriously?

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Win Win

• Employers Objective
• To see if you are worth interviewing
• Your Objective
• To persuade the employer you are worth
  interviewing

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Three Golden Rules

• Know what messages you want to convey
• Prime space for hottest material
• Develop a format that sells your skills

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A CV Should Contain

• Personal details
• Name
• Address, e-mail address
• Telephone number

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A CV Should Contain

• Educational record
• Reverse chronological order
• Refer to project / research/ groupwork
• Special interests/achievements
• Equipment / techniques used

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A CV Should Contain

• Work experience
• Reverse chronological order
• Separate relevant experience
• Responsibilities, duties results
• Skills acquired - be specific
• Equipment / techniques used
• Include 3 relevant past experiences.

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A CV Should Contain

• Achievements / other information
• Computing skills
• packages used and level of competence
• Language skills
• level of competence
• Professional development
• Membership of professional organisations

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A CV Should Contain

• Interests
• specify organisations, position etc.
• any achievements
• Referees
• Name, title, address and phone number
• Date and signature

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Academic CV

• Personal details
• Academic background
• Professional affiliation
• Academc/teaching exp
• Courses taught/introd
• Innovation in teaching
• Teaching evaluations
• Technical/spec skills
• Other experience

• Prof/acad awards
• Professional development
• Research/scholary activity
• Grants
• Service
• Consulting
• Foreign lang ability
• Volunteer work
• References

Appendix
Papers/Presentations
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Visual Impact

• 20-30 seconds
• 1-2 pages max
• Balanced approach
• Proof read, edit and re-edit
• Get a professional opinion

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E-CV

• Attachment virus check
• Check recipient can read attachment
• Check Visual impact e-mail yourself
• Basic formating
• Save as ASCII or MS-DOS text
• Dont assume safe delivery use read receipt
• Use their format if provided

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Job Applications

• The employer has more control
• Two parts
• Factual
• Soft
• Same purpose as a CV

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Completing Job Applications

• Photocopy the form
• Read the form
• Write out key points
• Be concise - use bullet points
• Make it a pleasure to read
• Legible handwriting/type-UCC

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Covering Letters

• Used to tell an employer
• Opening 1st point of contact
• Why you show how you meet their requirements
• Ending - next step
• Letters should be well presented, legible,
  concise and enthusiastic.

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The Selection Game

• You are part of a selection board for UCC
• Individually read the job description/person
  specification and decide on the skills,
  abilities, aptitudes and personal attributes
  required for the position
• Make a list of what you require from a potential
  candidate

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The Selection Game contd..

• Read the five applications and decide which
  applicant should be called to interview
• Write the names of the candidates who would be
  your first choice, 2nd choice etc for an
  interview, on the card given.

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The Selection Game contd..

• Re-read the job description/person specification
  form
• Gain a group consensus and complete the
  shortlist form using the following criteria
• Essential criteria
• Desirable criteria
• Additional desirable criteria

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The Selection Game contd

• Gain a group consensus on which candidate to
  invite for interview and fill in the name(s) of
  candidates.
• Also list the non-shortlisted candidates and list
  the criteria which the candidate has failed to
  meet.

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Application/CV Review

• Confidentiality
• Sensitivity consider the receivers readiness
• Encourage self- review
• Outline the positive points

• Suggest what could be done differently
• Avoid overload
• Check that your feedback is understood
• Be open to receiving feedback
• Balanced, objective and specific