COM 4171M Mairead McFadden careers.ulster.ac.uk

1. COM 4171M Mairead McFadden http://careers.ulster.ac.uk

2. Learning Outcomes Completion of this session will enable you to: • Write a CV which reflects your interests, abilities and skills • Match your skills to the needs of a potential employer • Understand the reasoning behind difficult application questions and how to answer them

3. Why do you need a CV? • Provides a resume of relevant facts about yourself • Presented in a recognised format • Easy to read, concise • Aims to interest an employer • …Even to persuade an employer

4. When do you use a CV? • 1 Speculative approaches: • No known vacancy • No advertisement • ‘on spec’ • 2 No application forms: • “Write giving full details…” • “Apply by letter…” • “send a copy of your CV plus a covering letter…” • Don’t use a CV if the company supplies an application form

5. How do you write a CV? • Analyse the job: • What does it involve? • What skills are needed? • What interests? • Think about yourself: • What you have done • Your personal qualities • Your skills/abilities • Match the two together • Your CV is evidence to present to employers – you have the skills etc to do the job • http://gradnav.ulster.ac.uk/units/unit-cv040.shtml

6. What should appear in a CV? • Personal Details • Education • Work Experience • Achievements • Interests & Activities • Additional Information • Referees ( one must be academic)

7. Analyse the Job • What objectives are to be met by job? • What tasks does individual have to perform to meet these objectives? • What skills or capabilities do individuals need to perform these tasks? • What additional skills do individuals require to handle the context in which jobs are carried out?

8. My name is at the head of the page. • The information is accurate and truthful. • The CV is targeted to the job. • The important facts are prioritised and the most important supporting evidence is prominent. • It fits on two pages. (This is the length that employers prefer.) • It is clear, easy to read and pleasing to the eye. • It creates the right impression. (Use good quality neutral coloured paper and don't fold or staple it.) • It only includes relevant information that supports the application. • I have demonstrated all my relevant skills, both transferable and subject related. • I have given evidence for every claim I have made about myself. • The CV is interesting to read, and flows in a logical order. • The spelling and grammar are correct and have been checked and double checked. • There are no typos. • Someone else has checked for errors. • I have included a covering letter which draws attention to the impressive and relevant information in my CV.

9. The Whole Truth? • While you are expected to put ‘spin’ on your CV, and to play up your experiences by using positive, strong language, you are not expected to include anything which is blatantly untrue. Chances are you will be found out.

10. Using Power Words to Sell Yourself • Action verbs or power words will help you explain what you actually did in any situation you give as an example in your CV. • Using power words to begin sentences about your achievements can also encourage you to think positively about what you have done and can do in the future.

11. What do employers want? • Someone who can do the job • Someone who will do the job • Someone who will fit in. • http://gradnav.ulster.ac.uk/units/unit-cv049.shtml • http://gradnav.ulster.ac.uk/video/r4113.html

12. Transferable Skills • communication, including writing, speaking and listening • commercial awareness • IT • influencing • flexibility • organising and coordinating • teamwork • initiative • supervising • problem solving • time and personal management • http://gradnav.ulster.ac.uk/video/r2602.htmlhttp://gradnav.ulster.ac.uk/video/r2602.html

13. Interests • What counts? • Interests and activities can be defined as anything that you have done outside the strict limitations of your course or paid work. Obvious examples include: • sport • leisure activities • hobbies • socialising • However, interests and activities can also include: • voluntary work • care or other work within the family • political activity • membership of clubs and societies, including taking responsibility for organisation or committees within such clubs • positions of responsibility on committees at your university

14. What can be learnt from interests • If you list and analyse your interests and activities, it should be possible to see patterns in the choices that you make. • who you are with and how you interact when you do the activity (including spending time on your own) • levels of competition or achievement (including not being competitive) • organising things or effecting change (whether this is practical, as in gardening or artwork, or organisational, such as sitting on a committee) • Such actions are also key in the workplace. Employers often talk about key skills or soft skills in the workplace, by which they mean such things as teamworking, communication skills, organisational ability, and time management. • If you analyse your favourite activities and can observe patterns (eg a preference for being independent, or for making organisational changes), then you will have gone some way to identifying key skills which you would probably enjoy using in a job.

15. PDSystem • http://www.ulster.ac.uk/progressfiles/docs/CV%20Builder%20Guide.doc

16. Cover Letter • Type your letter unless told otherwise. • Use no more than one side of A4 paper. • Check your letter carefully for typos and spelling errors. • Address the recipient formally, preferably by title and surname. 'Dear Mike' or simply 'Hi' are not appropriate forms of address. • Use good quality paper of the same type and colour as used for your CV.

17. Cover Letter • Paragraph One: Introduction What is the job • Paragraph Two: Why this Company? Be specific about the skills, experience and previous work and how they qualify you for this job and why it attracts you. • Paragraph Three: Why You? This allows you to demonstrate your knowledge of the company and how you will benefit them. • Paragraph four: The ending. Thank the employer and state your availability for interview.

18. Your aim is to highlight and reinforce rather than repeat, so that the employer will want to find out more about you from your CV, and hopefully from an interview. .

19. More covering letter tips • Try to send your covering letter to a named person rather than using 'Dear Sir or Madam'. The Human Resources department should be able to provide a name, title (eg Mrs, Dr) and job title. • Sign your letter! • Put the abbreviation 'Enc.' under your name to indicate that you have enclosed something else to read (your CV). • Apply the 20 second rule. Any paragraph that takes longer than 20 seconds to read is too long. Keep your sentences and your paragraphs short and snappy. • Avoid patterns, pictures and borders. They may look odd and can be distracting. • Always keep a copy of your letter for reference.

20. Application Forms • prepare thoroughly before filling out and submitting your form • Recognise the different types of form and question • communicate your skills and experiences within your application • understand how employers assess application forms

21. Basic information • Read first for instruction • Photocopy • Get your details right • Write legibly in whatever way the employer wants, black ink, block letters for paper copy • Answer every questions if possible. If it doesn’t apply use n/a • Write formally, avoid abbreviation or text speak • Check grammar, spelling, punctuation. Get someone to proof read • Keep a copy so you can prepare for interview • http://gradnav.ulster.ac.uk/video/r3805a.html

22. Examples of Questions • 1 Give an example of when you initiated a change or challenged the accepted way of doing things. 2Were there any risks involved and 3 how did you assess them? 4 Try to include how you identified the need for change, 5 how you convinced others of the need, 6 what information you used, and the 7 outcome in both the 8 short and 9 long term. • What factors have influenced your choice of career and why do you wish to join this company?

23. 1 Give an example of how you solved a problem. 2 What was the problem and 3 how did you identify it? 4 How did you analyse and solve it? 5 Is there anything you would do differently another time? • Customer focus is a key feature throughout our organisation. Please give an example which demonstrates your understanding and/or experience of this focus. • http://gradnav.ulster.ac.uk/video/r4119b.html

24. STAR • S - situation • T - task • A - action • R - result

25. COM 4171M Mairead McFadden http://careers.ulster.ac.uk