Upload
doankhuong
View
220
Download
4
Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
Applying for State Jobs: Tips regarding the application
process, your resume/cover letter and interviewing
Ashley Harris
DES Recruiter/HR Consultant
Before you Apply
O Think about what you want to do next. How does
your past experience fit in with your goals and
what are some of the gaps?
O Once gaps are identified, what next steps should
you take to get you to that dream job? Do you
have mentors in that field of work? Have you
done any informational interviews to learn more
about that career field?
Reading the Job Announcement
O As you review the job announcement, take a careful look at the Required Qualifications for the position. In most cases, in order for you to be considered for a position, you MUST meet or exceed the required qualifications.
O Your application, attachments and supplemental question responses will all be reviewed manually. If there’s no evidence that you meet or exceed the required qualifications, you will likely be screened out.
Reading the Job Announcement (Cont.)
O If you’re not sure whether you’ll meet the requirements or not,
feel free to call the person listed at the bottom of the job posting
before you apply.
O It may be a good idea to also make a copy of the job posting for
your records or save it electronically. Once a posting has closed
on careers.wa.gov, you won’t be able to refer back to it. Chances
are, you’ll be applying for more than one job at a time. This will
help you keep track of all the positions you’ve applied for. And if
you are to get called in for an interview, having a copy of that job
posting will be helpful so you can refresh yourself on the duties
and requirements of that particular position.
Reading the Job Announcement (Duties)
O Once you’ve determined that you meet all of the required
qualifications, spend some time reviewing the Duties for the
position. Highlight any of the duties that you’ve had experience with
in the past.
Tailoring your ResumeO Your resume should be tailored to each position you are applying for. Take a
look at all of the areas you have highlighted on the duties section of the job
posting. If you have a lot of experience highlighted, you may be a competitive
candidate.
O Use the duties you’ve highlighted and the required qualifications to tailor your
resume for the position. For example: if the required qualifications are two
years of experience using spreadsheets, make sure your resume shows two
years of experience using spreadsheets. Do not assume!
O Create a correlation between the position being recruited for and the
qualifications and experience you possess. Include special knowledge that you
possess (Example: Comprehensive knowledge of Washington State laws and
regulations.)
O Be sure you back up your work experience in your application and cover letter.
All of your materials will be reviewed to get the full picture of your work history.
Tailoring your Resume (Cont.)O Remember that more does not necessarily mean better. Only include
qualifications and experiences that are useful and specific to the
position you’re applying for. You’ll want to avoid drowning out your
specific experience with non-essential information.
O You could include a Summary of Qualifications section at the top of
your resume that highlights any specific skills you possess. (Examples:
typing 40 words per minute or three years of experience performing
data entry).
How Should my Resume be Formatted?
O There are many formats of resumes and it can be quite
subjective. Again, it is most important to tailor your resume
for the position you’re applying for.
O Chronological order makes it easier for an employer to
clearly follow your work history.
O Include your Job Title and dates of employment for each
position.
O Use concise statements to explain the duties of that position
in a bulleted format.
O Your resume should include your first and last name and
contact information (phone, email, address).
O Include any education, certification or licenses.
O Choose a layout and font that emphasizes readability.
What is the Purpose of a Cover Letter/Letter of Interest?
O Cover Letters are used by employers to assess:
O Writing skills of applicants (while staying concise).
O Applicants ability to convey ideas in a logical and coherent
manner.
O Applicants ability to follow directions.
O Specific qualifications applicants possess and how it relates
to the position they’re applying for.
O One size fits all letters are easily detectable and show a lack of
interest and motivation.
O Many hiring managers say the cover letter is as important, or
sometimes even more important than the resume itself.
What should I Write about in my Cover Letter?
O The cover letter gives you the opportunity to describe why you’re
interested in the position, what your passions and goals are to grow in
this career field and what drew you to applying in the first place.
O Address the required and desired qualifications and how you meet
them. Make sure your resume supports these claims.
O Talk about your work history and how it relates to the duties and
qualifications listed in the announcement.
O Address any skills, accomplishments, special projects or value you
could add to the organization you’re applying for.
O Make sure you address the hiring manager in your letter, or the
recruiter. Proof read your letter and have someone else review it if
possible.
O Typos and grammatical errors lead hiring managers to believe you lack
attention to detail.
What Should be Included in my Application Materials?
O The Supplemental Information section will tell you what is required.
O Employers may screen out candidates that do not follow
application instructions. This includes providing all of the
requested materials. Be sure to pay close attention to the
application instructions. Often times following directions will
be the first screening method an employer will use.
Supplemental QuestionsO The supplemental questions are commonly written around the
required and desired qualifications. Pay close attention to how you
respond to these questions as they are typically scored and utilized to
screen applicants.
O For supplemental questions that require a text response, you may
want to copy the question and paste it into a Word document before
applying. That way you can take your time with responding to the
question and check for any spelling errors. Once you’re ready to
apply, simply copy and paste what you’ve written into your
application.
Preparing for the InterviewO If you are being called in for an interview, that usually means your
application was done well and you have a strong resume and cover
letter. Now the agency wants to learn more about you and assess if
you’d be a good fit for their team. If you do not make it to the interview
phase, you may want to follow up with the agency to see where you
were screened out for future reference.
O Refer back to the job posting for the position so you can remind yourself
what the duties were as well as the mission and values of the agency.
O Ask if you can obtain a copy of the Position Description and/or the
Organizational Chart from the agency. This will give you more in-depth
information regarding the duties of the position and who you will be
reporting to within the agency.
O Visit the agency’s website and become familiar with the services they
provide. What are their goals for the year; details regarding their vision
for the year can typically be found in their Strategic Plan.
O Scope out the location of the agency and any parking restrictions.
Preparing for the Interview (Cont)O Make a list of about 20 possible interview questions. You can search online for
commonly asked questions or ask people you know for sample questions. Many
agencies are using “Performance Based” interview questions that are designed to
learn more about your past behaviors in specific work situations. How you have
behaved in certain situations in the past will give them clues on how you’ll behave in
those same situations when working for them in the future.
O Practice responding to the questions with a friend or writing out detailed responses
to each question.
O Write down a few specific events from your work history (major career
accomplishments, projects that you were challenged by, mistakes you have made and
what you learned from them, etc.)
O The interview is a two-way street. Have a few sample questions ready for the
interview panel as well. At the end of most interviews, the panel will ask if you have
any questions for them. This is your opportunity to learn more about the specifics of
the job, what challenges you might face in this new role, what some of the top
priorities will be, the agency culture, or expand on anything you may have forgotten to
cover during the interview.
Interview TipsO On the day of your interview, give yourself plenty of time to find the agency,
deal with parking and avoid being stuck in traffic. You’ll want to feel prepared, not rushed on the day of your interview.
O Your interview starts the moment you arrive. When checking in with the front desk, greet the receptionist with a warm smile.
O Typically, state agencies will conduct both a first and a second round interview. For your first round, it will usually consist of an interview panel of 3 to 5 people. If possible, as you enter the room, ensure you shake the hands of each panel member.
O Some agencies will provide you with a copy of the interview questions on the table. If they don’t, you may want to jot down notes as the question is being asked to ensure you fully understand the question.
O Panel members will usually take turns asking you the interview questions. Make eye contact with everyone on the panel when responding, not just to the person that asked the question.
O Use the STAR technique to stay on task when responding to questions. Describe the Situation/Task that you needed to accomplish, the Action you took, and the Results that you achieved.
After the InterviewO If you progress to a second round interview, follow
the same tips as the first round interview.
O Reference and/or background checks are usually
conducted on second round applicants. Let your
references know they may be contacted. Provide
them with the name of the agency you interviewed
with and the type of position it is.
O If you would like, feel free to send a thank you email
to the interview panel or the HR department.
O If you are not selected for the position, ask for
feedback so that you can identify areas of
improvement for future interviews.