Lesson 3

Recap on progress – where are you now

From lesson 1 You know the sort of job you want.

Some of you know the exact job you want.

All of you know what you could do, and can identify interim jobs which might lead in the right direction.

You know what you want from a job.

You know what employers want from you.

From lesson 2 You recognise that social media and all your online activity could be public.

Because it could be public you can turn this to your advantage.

You know how to create a positive image of yourself online.

Detag images which could make you look bad.

Disconnect or unfriend people whose image online could reflect badly on you.

Always be truthful on line, because if not you will often get found out.

Lesson three

Internships and work experience

Having had experience of work in some form is very good for your career Prospects, especially is it is related to the job you ultimately want.

However companies offering work experience or internships are lookingfor someone who will be useful, and able to contribute while working.It is not a training scheme.

Here are some qualities a journalism internship for just six weeks was asking of the applicant;Ability to multi-task, to have a good attitude, to be able to function well in an environment with short deadlines and quick turnaround projects,To be detail oriented, responsible, and organized, flexible,resourceful and self-motivated to learnSo while it is a good step to take, it is going to be tough getting theexperience even for a few weeks.

Lesson 3

Creating your CV

You need to describe yourself in a way which is easy to read.

High light those things which make you suitable for the job.

Describe your qualifications and experience.

Include any experience which is relevant, this could include holiday jobs, or even non work experience which shows that you have positive qualities

Remember that employers can check your qualificationsand also may be able to see what there is about you online.

Your application is a representation of you “the public person”which is why you needed to make it coherent.

Lesson three

Mike Randall15 Tench Road, Crumlin, BT29 4TH Tel 05738 2771399 email: RMRandall20@talktalk.net

PERSONAL STATEMENT

A business graduate from University of BelfastI have skills and knowledge essential to managekey areas of an organisationI am looking for a management trainee role.

EDUCATION

2007 to 2010 University of BelfastBA Hons. 2:1 Business AdministrationModules included:HR Management AccountsMarketing FinanceStrategic management e commerce

DISSERTATION

The economics of online business withparticular focus on online marketing

ST BEDES SCHOOL

A Levels English B Maths AHistory B

Name in large bold typeContact information smaller to conserve space

Personal statement must be short and to the point. If you can’t manage this, leave it and use the letter to expand on your qualities.

Modules from your degreecould provide evidence ofyour particular expertise or Experience.

Dissertation also couldshow that you have some job specific knowledge.

WORK EXPERIENCE

Lesson 3

June to September 2009Store assistant Waitrose .Was taught the store philosophy in the first weekand learnt how to deal with customers. Worked as floor assistant through June and July, and then the help desk through August.

2005 to 2008. Holiday job as charter coordinator for yacht charter company. Job mostly involved introducing charter customers to their yachts then ensuring that they had all they needed.Occasionally going to sea with spare parts andassistance when problems arose.

INTERESTS

Skiing, cycling and sailing.I have taken every chance to crewon large racing yachts for offshore races, and sail my own laser dinghy in the local club.

SKILLS

Conversational FrenchDriving Clean Licence Computing: Word, Excel, Sage, Power Point.

Focus on people skills

Mention all the work you’ve done whether part time or fulltime.This will show that you are motivatedand you thus can highlight everything which might help with your application.

Keep these sections brief, but mention team playing activities and people skills.

The covering letter

This is an opportunity to expand on your unique qualities, but keep to a few simple rules to make it effective.

Do:

Spend time composing it.

One or two good points well made aremuch the best idea.

Create an attractive document,good presentation is vital.

Don’t:

Don’t make it too long, two paragraphs maximum.

Talk about why this job matters in your career plan.Sell yourself on what you can bring

to the job; the benefit of employing you.

Repeat what’s on your CV, you can expand on something which you believe is a outstanding quality.

Lesson three

Lesson three

Sample covering letter

In support of my application for the management trainee post I feel I should mention that last summer I had four months experience working for a yacht charter company in Poole.While nominally a junior role, I was none the less responsible for the entire customer experience before they cast off for their charter.This meant completing all the documentation, checking inventories, and ensuring that the client and their family were completely happy with the yacht and all its equipment. Rectifying any problems and presenting a competent and proficient face to the clients, some of these responsibilities involved committing substantial sums of the companies money to deal with the issues.At the end of the term the managing director complemented me on my excellent interpersonal skills and said I was a credit to the organisation, and that he would readily employ me as soon as a suitable job was available. He also said that he would be happy to provide a reference.I have provided his contact details below.

Communicating for a job is a serious business: TAKE IT SERIOUSLY

Communicating by text is not appropriate for serious matters such as your future career.Social networks are not appropriate for serious communication, Remember not to post rude comments about the interview you think you’ve just failed. You would feelvery silly if the interviewer read that you thought he was a twit, just as he was about to offer you the job.

Email is commonly used by employers , but keep your communications formal.Dear Mr Jones, Yours sincerely, yours truly. Not: Hi Pete, Cheers, Thanks a lot,Ciao.

Typed correspondence, sent by post is best, it is a hard copy which is less likely to be lost, and a covering letter will be seen, an email CV will be printed, but an emailed letter may not be printed out.

Telephone communication will be part of the process, so ensure that:Your telephone is always charged,Has money on it, and you have a good signal,You are in a quiet place when you call the company, so you can hear each other.Failed telephone calls are irritating and will count against you, especially if it clear that you could have avoided the failure.

Lesson three

Coherent Information means that everything should cross check

The information on your CV must agree with the public records, you cannot claim qualifications you don’t have.

The address information should be the same throughout, and again should agree with what is on the electoral role

The information on your social media, facebook twitter etc should agree with what you have written about yourself.

If you are in club which has a website, then make sure that any reference to your activity within the club corresponds with what you have claimed.

You can see from what we have discussed that getting a jobis now much more involved that when you simply sent a CVTo succeed you must be determined and persistent and get every detail right.

Lesson three