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Summer Job Day
Otaniemi January 19, 2012
Heini Hult-Miekkavaara
Career Counsellor
Academic Architects and Engineers in Finland - TEK
HOW TO MAKE A GOOD CV
AND COVER LETTER
Heini Hult-Miekkavaara2
You want a job
• What can you do?
• What do you want to do?
January 19, 2012
Heini Hult-Miekkavaara3
The employer wants a person who
• Can do the job• Fits in the
organisation
January 19, 2012
Heini Hult-Miekkavaara4
Job application in Finland = CV + cover/application letter
• Compliment each other• Can work on their own
January 19, 2012
Heini Hult-Miekkavaara5 January 19, 2012
COVER LETTER CV INTERVIEW
6 January 19, 2012 Heini Hult-Miekkavaara/TEK
CV
Heini Hult-Miekkavaara7
A good CV is
• Your personal, professional description
• Concrete, concise and informative
• Understood by an outsider
• Easy to read with a glance
• Written with a specific job and/or employer in mind
January 19, 2012
Heini Hult-Miekkavaara8
A good CV has…
• A date• Your picture• Your personal information• Name• Contact information – address, telephone, e-
mail• Date and place of birth• Links to your professional social media profiles
(LinkedIn)
January 19, 2012
Heini Hult-Miekkavaara9
A good CV has your…
• Education• Degrees• Current/latest first• M.Sc (Technology) student• School• Year of graduation/number of study points or
credits• Major and minor subjects• Matriculation examination (high school)
January 19, 2012
Heini Hult-Miekkavaara10
A good CV has your…
• Work experience• Your title/position• Name of employer• Employment period
• A short description of your company and department
• Your tasks and responsibilities concretely- what you did- what you achieved- in proportion to the company
January 19, 2012
Heini Hult-Miekkavaara11
A good CV has…
• Verbs!• Accelerate, accumulate, acquire, act, adapt, add,
administrate, advise, alter, amend, analyse, anticipate, arrange, assign, assist, audit, automate, begin, budget, build, buy, calculate, capture, change, clarify, code, combine, communicate, compete, conduct, connect, construct, consult, control, construct, convince, coordinate, counsel, customise, cut, edit, decide, decrease, define, deliver, design, determine, develop, direct, discover, distribute, draft, edit, educate, eliminate, employ, ensure, establish, estimate, examine, experiment, facilitate, finance, finish, form, found, generate…
January 19, 2012
Heini Hult-Miekkavaara12
For example…
• I worked on a software project• What was the product?• Who is the product for?• In which part of the project did you
participate?• How much responsibility did you have?• Which tools did you use?• Who else participated in the project?• How important was it for the company?
January 19, 2012
Heini Hult-Miekkavaara13
A good CV has your…
• Language skills• IT skills
• Proficiency (excellent, good, basic)
January 19, 2012
Heini Hult-Miekkavaara14
A good CV has your…
• Positions of trust• Active participation in e.g. student
organisations• Excellent when you don’t yet have much work
experience• Show that you have networks
January 19, 2012
Heini Hult-Miekkavaara15
A good CV has your…
• Hobbies• Active hobbies
January 19, 2012
Nature photography…Off-road cycling…German detective stories…
Heini Hult-Miekkavaara16
A good CV can even have…
• A summary of your• Key skills OR• Career objective OR• Professional profile
• In the beginning of your CV• Must be short, concise and have focus• Avoid bullshit bingo
January 19, 2012
Heini Hult-Miekkavaara17
A good CV does the thinking for the reader• Don’t assume that the reader
understands what you mean• Different positions have different
meanings in different companies• Something that is ordinary for you can
be very special somewhere else
• Remember – you are not there to answer any questions or explain things
• Don’t take unnecessary risks
January 19, 2012
Heini Hult-Miekkavaara18 January 19, 2012
COVER LETTER
Heini Hult-Miekkavaara19
Cover letter
• Always addressed to the applied position and/or employer
• Answers the criteria the employer is looking for
• What you have to offer for the employer
January 19, 2012
Heini Hult-Miekkavaara20
Cover letterFirst paragraph – Introduce yourself
• Be brief• Professional perspective• Why the position and company interest
you – show your motivation!
January 19, 2012
Heini Hult-Miekkavaara21
Cover letterSecond paragraph – Your competence
• Study the job advert• Match the position’s requirements with
your relevant competence• Be concrete; give examples
January 19, 2012
Heini Hult-Miekkavaara22
Cover letterThird paragraph – You as an employee
• Your personality• The way you work
January 19, 2012
Heini Hult-Miekkavaara23
Cover letterLast paragraph – Final details• When you can start• Salary request only if it has been asked
for• End salutation
January 19, 2012
Heini Hult-Miekkavaara24
Always call, if given the chance!
You’ll get ideas on what to emphasise on your cover letter
January 19, 2012
Heini Hult-Miekkavaara25
Five easy tips
• Keep it short• Be clear about what job you are applying
for• Show that you have researched the
company• Address it to the right person• Use standard business fonts
www.careerealism.comJanuary 19, 2012
Heini Hult-Miekkavaara26
Applying via employers’ web pages• Applications go to a database searches
with keywords• Carefully fill in the whole form• Use complete words, avoid abbreviations• “Here you can tell more about yourself”
attach your cover letter
January 19, 2012
Heini Hult-Miekkavaara27
Here’s the beef
January 19, 2012
Heini Hult-Miekkavaara28
The employer is interested in…• Your role and responsibilities on a
concrete level• The results and meaning of your work;
significance for the employer• Who you’ve worked with• What tools you’ve worked with• The scale and proportion of your work;
comparison to other tasks
January 19, 2012
Heini Hult-Miekkavaara29
…so that she can evaluate whetheryour competence can be applied to the job she is offering.
January 19, 2012
Heini Hult-Miekkavaara30
More tips and information:
Aalto University Career Services
http://www.teekkarintyokirja.fi
http://www.facebook.com/teekkarintyokirja
January 19, 2012
Heini Hult-Miekkavaara31
Thank you!
Slideshare: heinihm
January 19, 2012
QUESTIONS?