CAREERS EDUCATION & PLACEMENT CENTRE

1. CAREERS EDUCATION & PLACEMENT CENTRE Written Application - Summer Intern (HKSAR Industry Dept)29 February, 2000 (Tuesday)1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.T4, Meng Wah Complex

2. Careers Education and Placement Centre Mr Nelson Yip Manager E-mail: yipsh@hkusua.hku.hk Web: http://www.hku.hk/cepc

3. When you apply for a job, you will need: cover letter + resume AND/OR Company Application Form

4. Resume & Covering Letter A Resume is a one or two pages history of your achievements, education and characteristics that qualify you for the position you seek.

5. Resume & Covering Letter (Cont’d) A Covering Letter introduces your resume to the employer and links your most important skills and experience to the job. It should explain why you are interested in that career and that employer.

6. Who are the READERS? What are their backgrounds? • The Human Resources Personnel • The Line Managers • The Selection Committee

7. Your Challenge To show where you are different or better than your competitors! Add value - your experiences inside and outside of school will set you apart from your peers.

8. Remember The resume and covering letter are your own personal marketing document no standard format Your can read examples of resumes, but don’t copy them. Make one for yourself.

9. How many applications do they get 98 - 99? Company Applications First % Received Shortlist Pricewaterhouse Coopers 381 150 39 Cathay Pacific 295 78 26 Goldman Sachs 272 12 4 Jardine Pacific 309 19 6 Hong Kong Bank 345 28 8 P & G 146 22 15 Citibank 575 21 4 John Swire & Sons 157 15 10

10. Your goal • Catch the employers’ attention in the first few seconds • To get an interview • To remind the employer of you after the interview

11. Covering Letter Basic knowledge of cover letter • Limit it to one page, one and a half at the most • A4 size quality paper • Be brief and specific - don’t re-produce your resume • be addressed to the relevant named person in the organization

12. Covering Letter … cont’d • say how you came to know about the vacancy • draw attention to relevant skills and experience • don’t merely quote what skills your have, give specific examples • say why you are attracted to and suitable for the job

13. Summer Intern Job Description Confirmed interns will be posted to local or overseas biotechnology-related organisations to assist in activities such as research and development, quality control or business planning.

14. Summer Intern Entry Requirements • biotechnology-related disciplines • should either have completed 2nd year studies enrolled in a postgraduate programme in related fields

15. Covering Letter Why are you interested in the company and the job?? Research!! • recruitment talk • career booklet • company file/newspaper cutting file • world wide web (e.g. South China Morning Post Achive) • alumni contact/friends • CEPC homepage

16. Covering Letter Why the Company is interested in you e.g. I understand that you are looking for people with strong analytical and interpersonal skills. I believe these traits are demonstrated by the academic success, previous work experience and active participation in extracurricular activities described in my resume. In the summer of 1997, I was employed as a Student Research Assistant in ABC Research Co. During this period, I conducted several research projects, one of which was to investigate the .... I carefully studied the data and...... My observation was.........

17. Covering Letter • Leave the way open for further communication e.g. I have included my resume and transcripts for your consideration. I looking forward to hearing from you soon.

18. Exercise Common mistake: I have hands-on experience in using major computer software Revision: In my final year research project, I used SPSS to process the statistical data and.... I used Foxpro to store the 500 XXX records that I collected from the telephone interviews....

19. Exercise Common mistake: I am a self-starter with excellent leadership ability. I believe these qualities will be an asset to your company. Revision: In my last summer job, I took the initiative to help the supervisor set up a systemic filing system, ...This system allows the team to retrieve information easily and effectively.

20. Basic Knowledge of Resumes • Keep it to 1-2 pages • Use quality A4 paper and matching envelope • Neat and clear presentation • Include information that is relevant to the job • Leave out expected salary unless asked for

21. Information to be included Personal Information • Include only relevant information (e.g. telephone number, address, e-mail) • Information on your height, weight, place of birth, gender, marital status etc is not needed. • Don’t take up too much space with this section

22. Information to be included Summary Statement (value adding) It is useful for employers to have a brief summary of your strengths, skills and experience for the job.

23. Information to be included (cont’d) Summary Statement (value adding) • It underscores the important message in the cover letter • It repeats the key words in the cover letter • It leads into the career objective

24. Summary - Example 1 An undergraduate at the University of Hong Kong with a major in Business Administration (Accounting and Finance). Able to work under pressureand possess effectivecommunicationand interpersonal skills. Willing to face challenges and have commitment and drive to succeed. Actively participated in extra-curricular activities during University career and enjoy team work. Proficient inEnglish and Cantonese. Taking Mandarin course in University. Knowledge of majorcomputer software.

25. Summary - Example 2 HKU English major, with particular interest and strength in creative writing; most outstanding achievement being the piece of investigativejournalism conducted in Beijing, aspire to research and analytical work.

26. Information to be included Career Objective (value adding) Tell the employer • what type of job you are looking for, • what type of industry, • what skills would you like to apply to his position.

27. Career Objective me-me trap: “ A trainee position in a well established software house where I can gain experience in writing computer documents” Revision: “ A trainee position in a well established software house where I can use my background in computer science to write computer programmes.”

28. Information to be included Education • Start with your MOST RECENT education and work backwards • Give the name of the University, the title of the degree in full, date of graduation and final year project title, if relevant • Other relevant training courses that you have attended

29. Information to be included Work Experience • Start with your most recent or most relevant experience, • Give the company name, period of employment and job title, • Describe your duties and responsibilities, • Show what your have done rather than simply tell (statement of achievements, showing result).

30. Information to be included Extra-Curricular Activities • Include student activities, committees, sports or responsible positions that you have held, • Include related achievements, • Include title, period, statement of responsibilities, and statement of achievement as with “Work Experience”.

31. Information to be included Skills • Include other qualifications that are relevant to the company e.g. language and computer skills

32. Hobbies and Interest • Useful if they are relevant to your career objective. • Avoid being too general such as “reading” or “sports”, • Be specific and list achievement, if any e.g. reading detective stories, war game strategies, literature classics etc., bird-watching and keeping log book of species seen, hiking, improved from grade __, walks to grade __ walks.

33. Professional Membership • If it is relevant to your career objective, put it down e.g. Student Member of • the Hong Kong Institute of Bankers (Banking posts), • he Hong Kong Institute of Marketing (marketing posts).

34. Expected Salary • Leave it out unless it is asked for. • Do some research and find our what news recruits are paid in that industry. • state a range ?? HK$ 10,000 - HK$20,000 HK$ 10,000 - HK$12,000

35. Resume Format Name Address Contact Numbers Summary Career Objective Education Extra-Curricular Activities: (Position, Organisation, Period, Statement of responsibilities (use action words to show skills)) Statement of achievement (showing results)

36. Resume Format • Work Experience (Position, Organisation, Period, Statement of responsibilities (use action words to show skills)) Statement of achievement (showing results) • Hobbies and Interest • Skills and other qualifications relevant to the company • References (Ideally three referees, not relatives, to comment on your ability, character, attitude to work, achievements) • Expected Salary (unless asked for)

37. The DOs • write the resume yourself • make it error free • make it look good • stress your accomplishments • be brief and specific • be honest • keep it lively - use action words (e.g. organised, participated, handled..etc) • address to the right person

38. The DON’Ts • Incomplete Information • Poor layout • Too fancy/complicated • Incorrect dates (e.g. date of birth, year of graduation)

39. One Final Rule Remember the 4Ss • SIMPLE • SUCCINCT • STRAIGHT-FORWARD • SPECIFIC

40. Other Resources • The Resume Writing Workbook • Write for the job • Getting the job you really want • Write, giving full details (video) • The Miracle Resume (video) • Language Centre • More ....... Careers Library, 3/F, Meng Wah Complex

41. ANSWERS QUESTIONS